Viva the American Republic!
By Randall Nunn (04/08/06)
Last weekend, a photograph in The Dallas Morning News showed a group of flag waving high school student protesters in El Paso carrying a homemade cardboard banner saying “#1 - Viva Mexico”. In addition to alienating almost everyone except illegal immigrants with their chants and Mexican flag waving, these students demonstrated their lack of understanding of the country of their residence as well as the inability to think logically. If Mexico is “number one” in anything, why are they here in the United States instead of their supposedly top-ranked country of origin? It is obvious that the reason Mexicans are streaming across our borders is because their country is near the bottom in all categories that make life enjoyable and rewarding. Until they and/or their government decide to take some action, their country will continue to be a very undesirable place to live.
People living in a wonderful country do not swim rivers, climb fences and cross miles of inhospitable deserts in order to escape. Instead of waving the Mexican flag and chanting anti-American slogans, these students and their supporters ought to be waving the American flag and chanting “U.S.A. #1”. Instead of showing themselves to be prime examples of those who bite the hand that feeds them (literally), they might form discussion groups to debate the reasons for their country’s failure to provide the essentials for a decent life for its citizens. Mexico is not “number one” and they know it better than anyone.
Perhaps the protesters should compare the way their native country treats its own citizens with the way illegal immigrants are treated in the United States. Even better, compare the rights of illegal immigrants in Mexico with those of illegal immigrants in the United States. Such a comparison would highlight the hypocrisy of the statements coming from Mexico’s president and others, who suggest that the illegal immigrants benefit the United States and that increasing border security is “shameful”.
Despite the massive propaganda campaign in the mainstream media to convince Americans that illegal immigrants only take jobs that Americans will not perform and that we must accept 11 million illegals because there is no practical way to have them removed from the country, many Americans realize that illegal immigration is a net drain on this country. Mexico receives between $15 and $17 billion or more in annual remittances from legal and illegal immigrants in the United States. While this money is flowing back to Mexico, the illegal immigrants are depending on state and local governments in the United States for supplemental housing, medical care, education and food aid. In fact, Mexico’s second largest revenue stream, after exports and oil sales, comes from money sent home by legal immigrants and illegal aliens working in the United States. This is a massive transfer of wealth from the United States to Mexico. When the expenditures made by state and local governments for illegal aliens are totaled, the amounts are equally staggering.
A number of studies in the last few years have concluded that illegal alien households use thousands of dollars a year more in services than they pay in taxes, creating a fiscal burden on the American taxpayer. Many Americans intuitively know this and are rebelling against the use of their tax dollars to subsidize illegal immigrants.
The demonstrations by those supporting illegal immigration are nothing more than efforts to intimidate the opponents of amnesty for illegal immigrants (which is what the so-called “guest worker” program really is). Most of us think of “guests” as someone invited, not uninvited trespassers. When these uninvited trespassers not only take the benefits from living and working in the United States but demand the “right” to be allowed to stay and be treated the same as legal immigrants, Americans justifiably react negatively. And when these uninvited trespassers wave their flag in our faces and shout at us, with the active encouragement of their corrupt and incompetent government, it should surprise no one that Americans are angered. Taking the bounty of this country while sneering at those honest and legal residents who pay the costs is not likely to endear illegal immigrants to anyone except pandering politicians. It is time for Americans, and particularly legal immigrants, to stand up and say “Viva the American Republic!”
Randall H. Nunn
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