This morning, as I drove to work, I got a healthy dose of humility at a bus stop, of all places ...
It was overcast and in the upper 40's as I walked from my 5 bedroom, 4 full bath, 5000 square foot home, to the truck to begin my commute to work. You might ask why I felt compelled to offer up so much information about where I live. Read on. It definitely has plenty to do with this. And keep in mind, I live there with my Fiance', Kat and a few pets ...
So ... As luck would have it, about 2 miles west of Riverhead, I found myself behind a school bus. You know the drill ... Stopping every few hundred yards and waiting while children board the bus and find their respective seats ... Slightly annoying but nothing new. THEN ... I see the yellow flashers on the bus turning to red as it stops in front of a house ... A small house ... Two bedroom tops ... Dirt driveway ... 6 vehicles parked in a very orderly fashion in a semi-circle near the front of the house ... and EIGHT children making their way quickly down the drive to board the bus ... EIGHT. They are obviously of Hispanic descent. Clean ... Modestly clothed ... Ball caps and little jackets ... Hair neatly combed ... Orderly ... They moved with the grace that comes with youth and exuberance ... And at that moment, I was ashamed of my 5 bedroom house ... I was suddenly ashamed of every friend I've ever heard making an off-hand derogatory comment about immigration and/or immigrants ...
When I rose this morning, I complained inwardly ... silently ... about the distance I had to walk to the kitchen to get my first cup of coffee ... It's a haul from my bedroom to the kitchen at my house. That will never happen again. Even if I take a conservative tack and say each family in that two bedroom house had two cars ... That's still at least four families living there. And I'm willing to bet they ALL work. And I'm willing to bet they don't get paid anything CLOSE to what I make. But I'm also willing to bet, they don't complain about what they have. I'm willing to bet they don't have bad things to say about America. I'm willing to bet they work their respective butts off for every dime they are paid. I'm willing to bet they pack their lunches and take less than half an hour to eat them before returning to work ...
I'm willing to bet they believe in The American Dream with more reverence than 90% of the people I know ... Myself included.
And we ... as Americans ... Have toyed with the idea of building a wall. We actually employ people with guns and badges and uniforms to patrol the border between "us" and "them" ...
Yah ... I know the logistics ... They're taking our jobs ... They steal ... They don't speak the language ... Blah blah blah blah ... BULLSHIT! They believe in a dream most of us let go of within 10 years of graduating high school. And they're willing to work their keasters off in pursuit of that dream. Remember when "we" were like that? Remember how great America was when "we" all believed?
Maybe we should invite every last one of "them" in. Maybe they could dilute some of the jaded masses with their tireless optimism and belief.
I'm just sayin' ... I'm just sayin'.
Thanx for spending a little time with me.
I appreciate it.
Billy
When I was teaching I knew several similar families! I had several of those moments where you want to just slap your own face!
ReplyDeleteBilly while your daydreaming about how great illegal immigration is get out your wallet and throw down some cash.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way that the illegal immigrants pay enough in taxes to compensate for their cost to American society.
Each one of those kids for instance cost 7-10 K $ to educate each year.
Hospital costs to subsidise uninsured illegal immigrants are tens of billions $ a year.
Who pays for it? You and I in the form of higher medical costs.
Other costs to our society are food stamps,court system and prisons,Border patrol,Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE)the list jusy goes on and on.
I agree with the above comment. There are too many immigrants taking away jobs from the American people. Yes they work hard and for little pay, which is why they get hired. I think they need to keep them out of the US. Our so called "dream" as Americans is taken away by these immigrants with more and more being born here.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I'd like to address THIS comment, left by an anonymous poster:
ReplyDelete1. AnonymousNov 22, 2011 02:18 PM
"Billy while your daydreaming about how great illegal immigration is get out your wallet and throw down some cash.
There is no way that the illegal immigrants pay enough in taxes to compensate for their cost to American society.
Each one of those kids for instance cost 7-10 K $ to educate each year.
Hospital costs to subsidise uninsured illegal immigrants are tens of billions $ a year.
Who pays for it? You and I in the form of higher medical costs.
Other costs to our society are food stamps,court system and prisons,Border patrol,Immigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE)the list jusy goes on and on"
Huh?! Out of the entire post, I cannot remember putting the word "illegal" anywhere NEAR the word immigrant. I went back through my original post and the word "illegal" wasn't there a single time. AND ... Take all the money we spend on ICE and Border Patrol and it would more than cover the other expenses incurred by the "illegal" immagrant issue. Dig up some more stats. What do you think the cost is to subsidize all of the American citizens who have no insurance, are illiterate, steal from the welfare system, waste government dollars on special interest and $500 claw hammers for the military? Look up the numbers of who is actually being housed in our prison system ... CITIZENS. Illegals are deported, not locked up. Don't get me wrong, poster ... This is America and you have every right to your own opinion. So do I. In my opinion, your opinion sucks. But ... Regardless ... Thanx for spending a little time with me. I appreciate it.
Billy
Here's another anonymous post I'd like to answer:
ReplyDeleteAnonymousNov 22, 2011 02:28 PM
"I agree with the above comment. There are too many immigrants taking away jobs from the American people. Yes they work hard and for little pay, which is why they get hired. I think they need to keep them out of the US. Our so called "dream" as Americans is taken away by these immigrants with more and more being born here."
Wow ... Where to begin ... Ummm ... Which jobs are "they" taking? The ones we don't want! Yes they work hard. And THAT's why they get hired. Not because they work for so little. The jobs they get hired for just happen to be the really shitty ones that pay very little. And I don't know what your genetic lineage is, but unless you're a Native American, the only reason YOU have a shot at the American Dream is because YOU WERE BORN HERE. Somebody in your family came from somewhere else at some point. And lastly ... I am a little bent when I think about the fact that you and the other anonymous poster, managed to sift through a post that was rife with Pro-American sentiment and a positive message about hard work and appreciation for what we have ... and extracted something NEGATIVE about the modest, hard-working people described in it.See ... I made it in this country. Not because I had it made to begin with, believe you me. I was born to a single mother who already had 3 kids to feed. She worked her ass off just to keep us fed. I've had a job since I was 9 years old. And the only reason I have a proverbial pot to piss in is because I too believed in the American Dream where all you had to do was work your ass off and eventually you'd have something good to show for it. But I lose sight of that now and then. The ruun-in with the school bus this morning reminded me of some important stuff we all tend to forget now and again.
But ... Again, this IS America. Thank you for weighing in on this subject.
Thanx for spending a little time with me.
I appreciate it.
Billy
Thanx Anthony and April. I knew the two of you would "get it".
ReplyDeleteThanx for spending a little time with me.
I appreciate it.
Billy
I think I'll throw a little different take on it..
ReplyDeleteI take issue with the greed in America that prompts business owners (both corporate and small) to start marketing everything in spanish. Go to west Tejas; you can go into stores where everything is in spanish and "might" have english subtitles. My rant is, we are being forced to assimilate to their culture, by greed, instead of them assimilating into the US culture. I think a good start would be for them to throw the used toilet paper in the toilet, instead of on the floor next to the toilet.
I don't think they are taking jobs away from most (there are always going to be some exceptions) Americans; they are filing the jobs most Americans wouldn't do anymore; partly out of laziness, partly out of the fact more and more Americans are becoming educated at taking "white collar" roles.
When I have to press 1 for English, we can only blame ourselves; we are greedy enough to sellout our language, social norms and culture for a dollar.
I heard a rumor (I've not verified it for myself yet)that Tejas Gov Rick Perry signed a law in which provides reduced tuition for illegal immigrants. It this is true, I'd like to rant about that..coming from someone paying off student loans from a recent graduate degree..
A friend in Arkansas
Ummmm ... No offense intended, but until you have to press 1 for English becazuse the message is in Cherokee, shut the fuck up. EVERYBODY in this fucking country is a immigrant except Native American "Indians". I love it when I hear some redneck moron say "Learn to speak the language!". First ... 80% of "Americans" speak such poor english, they make a joke of the language. Secondly, English is NOT the native language of this country. So until you are all willing to learn Cherokee, shut the fuck up.
ReplyDelete