Back in the 90s, I was at a meeting with a politician who said that by the year 2030 Hispanics would be in the majority in the United States. I was appalled when she said “we’ll be a third world country.”
It’s not politically correct for a conservative to say we need to show a lot more compassion when it comes to the issue of immigration. People are, after all, like our ancestors merely searching for a better life. That, more than anything is the American dream.
At the same time, I understand the reasons we cannot and should not just open the gates. Immigration should be a legal process. But it should also be an easier process.
Close the borders, yes. But make coming to this country an easier process to do legally.
And no we can’t, or more correctly won’t deport some 20-30 people who are currently in this country illegally. It’s just not going to happen. Heck, we couldn’t even get INS to round up the illegal aliens who sat in on the State of the Union.
I understand that from an electoral standpoint this could and likely will be a disaster for Republicans and conservatives. It shouldn’t be because in reality Hispanics and yes, African Americans should be in the Republican party. That’s another argument/post. But when you consider shared values, it’s the truth.
Sadly, the Republican party, the party that freed the slaves, gave women the right to vote and passed the Civil Rights act, let the Democrats co-opt that message.
That doesn’t change the fact that the right and moral thing to do for people who want to become Americans is to help them find a way to do so.
365 Things I Believe is a revisioning of a year long web project. I initially launched the blog 365 Things I Believe because I think there are important things I have to say. There are eternal truths that are non-debatable, although I realize they’re not universally accepted.
So for a year I did a daily post of one thing I believe to be an indisputable truth. I’m relaunching here at The Write Side of My Brain and will continue through the next year to re-post (mostly) from the original project.
This time graphics and commentary are included. You can buy today’s print here. And, by the end of a year, if not sooner, you’ll be able to purchase the entire series in ebook format.