Illegal aliens are taking over the country

" Unclarity makes his values open for all to see. Good for him. He relies on the US version of the history of Central and Latin America. That's understandable, he's a typical american. The way history is taught in America, the USA was doing Mexico a favor when it took over (by theat of arms) the NorthWest portions of the Mexican nation.

Too bad the USA's version of history isn't the only version there is. A lot of people see things differently. They understand that the USA is a war-mongering nation and a bad neighbor. "

" Clarity's thinking is a bit fuzzy. So what about the historical timeline of Mexico? Nothing you stated negates the fact that the USA in its imperial quest took land from another country. Your fuzzy thinking also ignores the myraid other military and political "interventions" into latin america whenever the holier-than-thou USA felt their economic interests were threatened at the moment (or in some foreseeable future). Invasions, shellings, bombings, police actions, assassinationss, military insurgencies have all been used by the USA to have their way in Latin America all for the almighty dollar and "freedom". Who the hell did we/do we think we are to decide what other nations do with their time and resources? I doubt that is what the republic envisioned by slave-owning Thomas Jefferson et al would have envisioned.

So shame on us for denying the "American Dream" to anyone from the nations we molested/colonized/bullied over the years. Maybe we'll realize that international actions have a boomerang effect. Yes the Spanish were colonizing bastards...so we're right up there in good company with the worst of them. Cortez/Pizzaro and Roosevelt ...all cut from the same imperialistic cloth..

"

" I have to absolutely laugh at the delusional Reconquista people who think that Mexico has some sort of right of ownership over the southwest U.S or any other part of the country. Mexico only controlled the southwest for 20 years before we took it in the Mexican-American war. And to say control is a stretch because there were very few Mexicans living there and almost zero governmental authority. In reality it was controlled by the indigineous indian tribes.

What makes it all the more ridiculous is that Mexico had the southwest for one reason and one reason alone: they received the terrority from Spain due to it's colonial empire. And they talk about U.S. imperialism? Of course they get around this by trying to claim some ethnic link to the indigineous people of the southwest, sweeping them under a broad brush by claiming all the peoples in the western U.S. and Mexico to be 'Mestizo' and of one racial group.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The only empire to ever reach into the southwest U.S. was the Toltec, and they were hemmed in by the Anasazi who lived in what is now Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and some parts that are currently Mexico. For most of history northern Mexico and the southwest U.S. were made up of many different tribes with no unifying culture. So what you really have with the Reconquista effort by Mexico to take over the southwest U.S. is simply nothing but old fashioned colonial imperialism. All the while justifying it because the U.S. did it too, as if thug vigilantism is ever right.

What makes it the more laughable is the sorry state of Mexico, where resides both the worlds wealthest man and some of the poorest people on the planet. In fact something on the order of 95% of the wealth of Mexico is controlled by about 5% of the population. Let's not mention in the corruption and drug lords, corruption that doesn't compare to the U.S. corruption 'Pro-illegal immigration' talks about. Where's the social justice, the compassion, the fairness, the opportunity? That's why Mexicans are moving here, because of the robber baron culture of their country. The U.S. is paradise by comparison. And I guarantee you if the govt of Mexico ever does capture the southwest, they will rapidly proceed to do the same thing there is Mexico is now.

But it doesn't stop there. Mexico has very strict immigration policies. It certainly makes no effort to be bilingual. An immigrant can't even get a job if there's a possibility that a qualified Mexican could fill it. Utter, utter hypocrisy. So while you are pointing fingers 'Pro-illegal immigration', you might want to look in your own closet. For all the hype and pretense, Reconquista is nothing but colonial imperialism vigilante style that will turn the southwest U.S. into the same hellhole Mexico is today.

To that I say: fight the oppressor colonialists and imperialist conquistadors. Long live the resistance. "

" Karma is a mother... The US took lands and invaded nations to secure its dominance in the Western hemisphere. US history is replete with invasions,underhanded treaties, and politcal machinations with and within latin american nations. Now when the brown and black folks there want to enjoy some of the prosperity created on their backs, some ungrateful WHITE americans complain about it. Boo Hoo. The USA should have seen this coming when they went on their "manifest destiny" rollercoaster ride of violence and subjugation starting in the mid-1800's. Its a long old road that doesn't have a turn or two in it. "

" In Kayla Lowman's defense, she was stating her opinion and she has an opinon just like all of you (who can say if her opinon is right or wrong).
Second, If you haven't ever been to Warsaw, IL then you have nothing you can say. I'm sure there are people where you are from Second Look that you disagree with, back off. She is stating what she feels, what she hears on the tv or reads in books and what she has learned so far. Give her the freedom to express her own opinon, if you don't like what she has to say then don't read it.

The only thing I can add to what she had to say is that she talked about the ILLEGAL immigrants, not a U.S. Citizen, one day people will see what eveyone is complaining about.

"

" The whole point is they are ILLEGAL! It doesn't matter what country they are from. The people who attacked us were in our country illegally. We must secure the borders and enforce our laws. If we keep voting for the morons we have they will never enforce the laws. Vote out the incumbents and keep voting until they get the message: we mean business. Enforce the immigration laws and secure the borders. Punish the companies that hire illegals. 1st offense a fine of 10% of gross revenue. 2nd offense take away their business license/corporation certificate. Oklahoma did it and its working. Unemployment has gone down since the law went into effect. "

" I know a man who now lives in Mexico who says he cannot work in a factory there because it is against the law to take the job of a citizen in Mexico. How ironic! Maybe congress should read into the laws of Mexico and do likewise.

If I were to go and live in another country then I would learn the language! Or at least take along an interpretor.

Hillary wants to give illegals a drivers license! What do you think that would do to the cost of insurance? Do you think that they would leave the license bureau and immediatley walk to the insurance company and purchase a decent policy? I think that this is why we are paying so much for insurance -- to cover the ones who drive illegally and are not covered by insurance. What about health care? Illegals use the ER for their general physcian. Who pays? We do. Will the "National Health Care" cover illegals? Will they be refused?

I don't mind the immigrants who come in on visas and go through the process of becoming a citizen legally. That's how most of Americans came to be through our ancestors. However, we should limit the amount of people coming thru each year and spend the extra money that congress spends on earmarks to see that visitors leave when their time is up. The law to build a secure border across the south has already been passed in the 90's but congress has not allowed the funding. Why not use the earmark money for that? 17.2 billion dollars was the amount of earmarks attached to the military budget this year and these were not to support the soldiers but to buy votes for some congressmen! Now why do you think that congress complains how much the war is costing when they added the 17.2 billion?

I have a girlfriend who was dating a guy from another country. He received all his college for free, worked for several years at 65,000 dollars a year and got all his taxes back because he was not a citizen. Is this fair?

All immigration should be held to a minimum. If one values the lifestyle of America then one should do it legally. Americans would be expected to in other countries. "

" Mr. Isenmann:

You accuse me of making a generalization about lazy Hispanics (actually I wrote about lazy illegal aliens), but make no mention of the generalization of the lazy American in a previous post. So while I'm defending lazy Americans, you are defending lazy illegal aliens. You're diverse working background doesn't impress me much; my work environment is equally as diverse. It doesn't change my opinion, though. I understand that you're rooting for the away team, and have no concept of this Nation, its culture, its history, and its laws. "

" Thats awesome Lou. "

" I AM FROM IOWA! "

" Lou you should play nice you don't need to make fun of us Iowans, we want to think that we're important and here ya go rainin on our parade. Last time i knew it was the city leaders job to make decisions about if a terrorist attack could (or would) happen in Keokuk and what steps to take to prevent it.

But maybe you should come to Iowa and enjoy the fresh spring air. Look likes it would do you some good to get out and move around, heck you might even want to retire here I mean with all the Iowans movin away plenty of realstate for you.
"

" Its hilarious to hear the anti-immigrant horn being sounded on a blog from one of the whitest states in the nation. The last census report I looked at had Iowa as being 96% white. And that'sin a state which is losing population every year because people move away! I can only guess that the anti-immigrant crowd in Iowa must be sipping that right wing kool aid served up by Fox and CNN's Lou Dobbs. Ha ha ha Go live in California before you complain about immigrants. Who cares what Iowans think about issues that don't really pertain to them.

Iowans are hilarious...they think all the problems they see on television are happening in their little corner of the world. Right after 9/11 there was a public discussion among city leaders about terrorist attacks on Keokuk! ha ha ha yep, Bin Laden is plotting in his cave right now to attack Keokuk ha ha ha. And MS13 is setting up a chapter in the middle school as we speak ha ha ha

I guess you can't blame people for being scared. TV is good at doing that. Meth, gangs, ritualized satanic child sexual abuse, school shootings, illegal immigrants are all hyped up so much that its difficult to tell whats really going on. Stop, take a breath,turn off the TV go out and enjoy Iowa's wonderful spring weather. "

" My major concern is that of the best qualities of the USA is that it's a melting pot of cultures. By not preventing illegal immigration, we are restricting the ability ot allow a equal level of legal immegration. While I think some preference should be given to our neighbors to the south and north, I think it's unfair that other cultures don't have a similar ability to come to our country. What about Indians, Eastern Europeans, Chinesse, Russians, and many others.

Lets free up legal imigration, but at the same time close the borders, establish some quotas for different countries of origin, ensure these individuals are not terrorists or criminals, and make sure they have a job, place to live or a community where they can establish themselves. Make Visas readily available for US companies to aquire workers living in other countries for entry level jobs they can't fill. Lets make all this illeagal business going on behind the scenes legal. "

" You people to see open your eyes... They have taken studies in the southern states like Florida,Texas and Californa and white people are a minorty in them states. Wake up america and look at all the hotels and motels. American do even hardly own one. I travel all over the United States and there are very few american ran hote or motels. "

" BRAMMER wrote: "The hard working illegal alien is a myth. The work no harder than they have to, and conveniently when asked to do more: no hablo ingles."

I've lived in the Chicagoland area for over 20 years now, and disagree with your 'abstraction' of the lazy illegal, particularly Hispanics. I've worked with and around people from all over the world - Asia, Africa, Europe - and many Mexicans, Central and South Americans.

Legal or illegal, the Hispanics are highly valued - they show up on time, work hard, never talk back, are always polite, create no trouble, and value their families more than anything else. The absolute majority have an excellent work ethic. Sure there are a few rotten apples, but most employers I know would rather have 1 Hispanic than 10 whiny suburban white boys that dismiss getting their hands dirty for low pay as beneath their dignity.

Most of the Hispanic men I know work for 8 months here in the states - and save every penny - then go back to their families south of the border and live like kings for 4 months. They work their arses off to provide a living for their families, and often as not their extended families.

The only myth here is your sweeping generalization of the lazy Hispanic. "

" Hey Second Look-I have a 16 year old grandson who is hispanic-no hate between me and the "brown skins"-just the Illegals who suck the life out of our society-note I said ILLEGALS "

" So as i read this letter i'm pretty amazed at it but then again i do agree that if they are here ILLEGALLY they shouldn't be here at all. This is kind of funny because me being in the Army I meet a lot of differnt people and it just so happends I work with a Hispanic who came across the boarder ILLEGALLY when he was 5 years old so i asked him "since you are an American Citizen (now) what do you think about the all of the illegall immagrents" funny thing is he said they should try and become an American Citizen . Now I don't hate brown-skinned people and I'm not racist.

So it comes down to this are they breaking the law?Yes they are and they shouldnt be allowed to be here. You can all argue that they do jobs other Americans won't and your right I guess some people will have to suck it up on both sides (Mexicans and Americans)

Illegal, or unlawful, is used to describe something that is prohibited or NOT AUTHORIZED BY LAW or, more generally, by rules specific to a particular situation-Definition of illegally or illegal off of Wikipedia

SGT Wrieden, Cory
D Trp 3-17 Cav "

" Prejudice is formed without justification with disrespect to someone's rights. Since illegal Mexicans have no rights as American citizens, and there is more than enough justification to conclude that illegal immigration is harmful to America, Kayla's comments are in no way prejudicial. I find it refreshing that someone is brave enough to attach their name to something they strongly believe in- I hope that she becomes more fortified through the attacks of the “open-minded” who will not post their names to anything-it makes me wonder if they really believe what they write.

Here’s a couple of answers to “Welcome Freedoms” questions. Q: Just because "white" people got here before the Mexicans all had the chance, what gives us the right to tell them they can't come in? A: Laws. Q: Perhaps the Mexicans should do what the Europeans did to the Native Americans. A: They already are!

Criticizing Americans for not learning a second language, without complaining about Mexicans not learning English is ridiculous. Please explain the relationship between unilingual and lazy-some critical thinking might be in order here. In fact, Mexicans do not even have to try to learn a second language because our tax funded schools will teach to them in Spanish. At least some American students take Spanish courses-for enrichment? Hey, I’m not planning to jump in the back of pickup truck, and head South of Rio Grande, to support myself. So, why is it that we have to learn a second language in our own country? Why do people learn other languages? Because they want to get out of their miserable country, and leave all attachments behind. Kind of like illegal Mexicans, except they don't want to leave their attachments behind.

Illegal aliens drive down wages, especially at the lower end of the wage scale. What we could do is to allow enough of them in to drive down our wages to equal the wages in their home country, roughly around $2.00 per hour.

The hard working illegal alien is a myth. The work no harder than they have to, and conveniently when asked to do more: no hablo ingles. Illegal aliens do jobs that Americans won’t do is also myth. Americans won’t do these jobs because illegal aliens have driven down the wages so low, it is no longer attractive for Americans to do these jobs anymore. If America needs illegal immigration because there are not enough workers to do all these jobs, we need to do what the Japanese did: Mechanize.
"

" Dear Second Look, I don't think anyone could have stated it better. It is a sad day when people still hold such prejudice. Unfortunately, ignorance is alive and well in Warsaw, Illinois. It's even worse when the person has the audacity to sign their name and claim their ignorance! Ms. Lowman, grow up, read, open your mind! Don't stay ignorant forever! "

" I agree with Second Look. I think it is very narrow minded for all of us "European Americans" to judge anyone who wants to come to the United States to find a better life. Let's go back in time and blow up the Mayflower. I'm pretty sure the Native Americans felt about the Europeans as people like Ms. Lowman feel about the Mexicans. Just because "white" people got here before the Mexicans all had the chance, what gives us the right to tell them they can't come in? Perhaps the Mexicans should do what the Europeans did to the Native Americans. Is that fair?

And as far as speaking Spanish- we are one of the few countries where children are not learning another language from their first year of school. Look at all the countries in Europe, Asia, Africa... where children grow up learning English. You'll find people from London who can speak 5 languages or kids from remote countries with better grammar than most American adults. So, God forbid us lazy Americans have to learn something new!

Anyway, I just wish people could be a little more open minded. And if you think the Mexicans are taking our jobs, blame that on the people that hire them. They just want to feed their families, like everybody else. "

" I will be able to send my kid to college because of illegal Mexicans? Does this involve some pink elephants too? The problem with critical thinking is that iit nvolves abstractions. But after reading your post, I'm sure you believe that the United States is an abstraction also; therefore, the facts will never matter. "

" Hey Mr. Allen Gunn, I lived down in your area for over three years - no shock there are lots of hispanics in that area because there were a lot there since we beat the Mexicans in war. Your point proves nothing other than the fact that you dislike brown-skinned people regardless of their ancestry. When I lived down south, I had no problems with the hispanic communities, other than my addiction to fantastic Yucatan cuisine. "

" Hey Mr. Second Look-Move on down here to dallas texas and I bet you will change your tune real quick. "

" (1) I don't see any army of brown skinned people running the show in this country, nor do I see a majority of hispanic people when I am out and about town. So this "taking over" statement is patently misleading.

(2) There is no such thing as "our jobs." Jobs are a contract between an employer and an employee and that agreement is (generally) at-will employment, meaning either person can terminate the agreement at any time. Nobody has a right to a job, period. Nor should anyone have a right to a job - it's a matter of contracts between private parties. You are right, though, that the so-called illegals do jobs most Americans won't. That is because Americans have grown fat, lazy, and entitled - a far cry from our historic Protestant Work Ethic. These illegals work hard and are efficient in using the money they earn; they build wealth in their home land. I have to give them credit for this very capitalistic approach.

(3) Jobs getting sent to Mexico is the result of inflated wages caused by unions in America, among other factors, such as reduced regulation outside the US. Labor unions inflate wages to insane level unsustainable outside government coercion. The reality is that most union jobs are unskilled labor being paid for in amounts well above the worth of the labor. Therefore, businesses rightfully look to places where labor costs match the labor value. America can expect to see this trend continue until most nations have stable economies, unless government interferes with the marketplace (a bad idea). Further, if we elect to punish businesses for moving jobs overseas, watch how fast they start dissolved and re-incorporating in friendlier nations - uh-oh, then who pays the hefty corporate tax that funds your social security? Donald Trump can't pay for everyone's free ride. Then we come to Walmart. Everyone loves to hate it, but they also like the ultra cheap everything that walmart sells, much of which is produced in China. Why? Because Chinese companies lower labor costs in China than they would if incorporated in the US. That means we get cheap(er) goods that in some cases are great quality. I don't hear anyone complain about that benefit of shipping jobs oveseas.

This letter to the editor is emblematic of the lack of critical thinking going on in this debate. Yes, there are people here illegally, but the reality is that you cannot prevent them from coming here because a border that is as long as ours is with Mexico cannot be contained - thus, we have another bad law from the government, one that cannot be effectively enforced (see also the war on drugs and the war on poverty). Laws that are generally unenforceable are a waste of taxpayer's money and should morally and ethically be disregarded and tossed aside. Further, we all enjoy the fruits of illegal's work habits, such as (pre-meltdown) affordable homes and construction work, cheap food at restaurants, and generally cheap manual labor - these benefits allow us to spend money on things like our children's college education, new cars, health care, and a variety of other very good things. "