The other day I was in the line at the grocery store and I heard the person in front of me asking for ten dollars cash back in English. Look- I'm not a racist, but I was slightly offended that the person in front of me hadn't taken the time to learn how to talk about money in Spanish. I mean, here we live in a school district where 70% of the population is Hispanic, and a county that has a clear Spanish-speaking majority, and some people can't even buy groceries using the language of the land. It's high time that we make Spanish the official language of los Estados Unidos.
It's also time we got serious about our immigration policy. Let's say one night un ladron (that's a robber for all of you gringos out there) broke into your house. It's a nice house with a full pantry and so the thief decides he'd like to stay awhile. When you awake the next morning and complain, he sends you to live in the garage. It turns out that he's a pretty industrious robber, and pretty soon he fills your house with some nice furnishings of his own- a big plasma screen TV, a remodeled kitchen, even a new Mercedez. The trouble is, with the new car and boat, there isn't much room for you in the garage anymore. It's time to send the encroacher back to his native land- Europe.
Some mornings, when it is my turn to drop the kids off at school, I see a sign proclaiming "this is a gun free zone." Let me tell you that this doesn't do much to reassure me. If you have to say it, it probably isn't so. This same principle applies to legislating an official language for the country. If you have to say it, it probably isn't so.
Do Hispanic immigrants spell doom for our borders, language, and culture? I hope not, because if they do, it is probably too late to do anything about it. We've simply had a porous border for too long. Our community is one that now has a Hispanic majority. Can we send them all home? By now, most of them are here legally. Many of our neighbors are Latino, and they seem like good hardworking citizens. Most of them value their families and religion. Most of them speak English. In fact, almost all second-generation immigrants speak English.
Ultimately, borders are really just lines on a map. We draw them, we fight over them because it is in our economic self interest.
Shared language is important, but I notice that most businesses are more than willing to hire bilingual employees if they see a profit in it.
Culture is in constant shift anyway. Can anyone argue that we have the same culture that we had in 1776 anyway? Do we have the same culture in rural Eastern Washington that exists in Savannah, Georgia? Culture isn't static, it is fluid- we've always borrowed from other cultures in an evolution from one generation to the next.
During my mission to Guatemala, I saw first hand the poverty that most immigrants are trying to escape. Let me tell you that I would do almost anything to not raise my children in those circumstances. I've heard the arguments for enforcing harsher anti-immigration policies. These arguments center around economics and politics. Mostly politics. In fact, it seems like the discussion always becomes a little more urgent during an election cycle. I'm more interested in hearing an argument based on values. Values such as faith, hope, and charity.
I think Hispanics are here to stay. And I'd like for us all to be friends.
3 comments:
I know we've talked about this extensively; I thought I'd put in my two cents. (It'll probably be more - I talk too much!)
*I don't think all the emotion surrounding this issue is very becoming of conservatives. You are right: where is the charity? We are all God's children and this is His earth. Who is to say this land is ours and we cannot share. What did I do to enjoy all the privileges associated with this great country. Why should I be selfish? Didn't a huge part of the United States originally belong to Mexico anyway?
You once pointed out something to me that I never noticed before and that is very profound.
As a child I never really understood the words to the primary song, "Book of Mormon Stories." (I probably didn't understand the words to most of the primary songs!) However, recently when I was rocking Derek to sleep the second verse had new meaning to me.
"Lamanites met others who were seeking liberty," The indigenous people of the promised land welcomed the Pilgrims.
"And the land soon welcomed all who wanted to be free." Soon Europeans were colonizing the New World.
"Book of Mormon stories say that we must brothers be," It kind of sounds like we should be friends - no, brothers and sisters - not enemies.
"Given this land if we live righteously." Could our selfishness and intolerance put us at danger from being worthy to enjoy the blessings of this land. I learned in my Book of Mormon class at BYU that this is the promised land and the promise is that it is our privilege to be here - "if we live righteously."
*For me the problem comes not from having immigrants here - it's from the social inequalities caused by politicians seeking the "majority" (Hispanic)vote. It doesn't seem fair that the school down town has a new play ground, computer lab, etc and we had to layoff the P.E. teacher my kids loved, the vice principal who was great, and were in danger of losing band at our school. Our new playground had to be earned by PTO fund raisers and the students selling those overpriced wrapping paper and Christmas candies. When I asked why, I was told that, because of boundary changes, we were losing a lot of our Hispanic kids and with them the extra money for them was going to the other school. (Sounds kind of racist to me.)
It made me kind of angry. I see all the new houses going up around our neighborhood school. It doesn't make sense! That's a lot of new property tax revenue! We can't keep specials at our school?
Or the stories we hear about people crossing the border in California and immediately being eligible for housing, food, medical care, etc. I can see how tax payers could be upset about that.
But instead of getting angry at people who are just coming to take part of the American dream, to work hard and make a better life for their family and decedents, instead of lining Minute Men up at the boarder, shouldn't we be trying to change the policies?
I agree that the borders need to be fixed. It's a national security problem and it's not fair for the people trying to immigrate here legally to have so many sneaking in.
Still, it kind of makes me proud. We live in a country where people are literally dying to get in, not dying trying to get out.
I don't mind people immigrating here. What bothers me is those who do it illegally, and then (like Christina said) get benefits that we aren't allowed to have because they can't get jobs because they're here illegally.
That being said, I read an article in the paper the other day about the new rules for the Oregon Health Plan. They made everyone already receiving benefits or applying for them bring in their real birth certificate to prove that they're a legal citizen. It turns out that there weren't very many illegals getting benefits in the first place, and that most of the people who had problems getting the documentation by the due date were real citizens.
I'm with Christina: that's not fair that the Hispanic kids get more funding for their schools just because they're Hispanic. That stinks!
Well said!!!! I agree! Of course, I've seen the poverty and learned the language and work with the kids... I think it makes a difference in my opinion. :-)
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