U.S. Border Control

The problem is impact, not race

By Sandra Page
August 24, 2007

The issue of illegal immigrants has certainly become a hotbed of discussion. I personally have accused people of ignorance, and in return been called a wag for doing so. A word new to me, which I had to look up. I must admit my reaction was amusement.

But aside from all of that, the one part of the discussion that causes me to call people ignorant is when they cry racism. Ignorant does not mean stupid, but means uninformed.

It is certainly a legitimate part of the discussion to address the impact illegal aliens have on our society. The fact that they are the focus of much animosity does not mean people are racist. What it means is their frustration level has risen, and the illegal aliens are the closest target. A legitimate target considering the cost of medical insurance, the poor quality of educational systems, the impact on our legal system, the jobs being lost by documented workers and legal citizens, etc. Now I truly believe the color of skin has nothing to do with who the target is. It all has to do with the impact the target creates, and that only.

I do not think that only blaming illegal aliens for this impact is accurate. It is a small part of the problem. The major part of this problem is our fellow countrymen and our government. The major part of this problem is greed.

Who benefits from illegal workers? Some would say we all do, because produce is cheaper. To me this shows a lack of knowledge (ignorance). I buy maybe four heads of lettuce a month at approximately $1.60 a head. So I spend $6.40 a month on lettuce. My medical insurance is more than $900 a month. I just bet you if we did not have the financial impact of this huge influx of illegal aliens I could pay double for my lettuce and be very happy, because my big expenses would be way down. To say we all benefit because produce is cheaper shows me that the people who believe this have no idea what the financial impact is on our country to subsidize illegal workers. We pay for this. The middle class. You and me.

So who benefits? Well the employers of illegal workers certainly do. And it would seem our government must benefit, or it would step in and enforce the current laws.

What I don’t understand is why the people who cry racism don’t seem to hold big business and our government responsible for this mess. What I don’t understand is why they are so short-sighted that they cannot see the long-term impact this has on our country. Instead, I hear things like this state belonged to Mexico first. “Undocumented “ workers are desperate, and want a better life. We have cheaper produce. No one will work the jobs the “undocumented” work.

While some of these are true statements (I take exception to the last one), I have to ask, what in the world does that have to do with the profit big business makes off of desperate people, and why are you and I expected to foot the bill in the subsidies they collect? Shouldn’t the businesses that hire them subsidize them? Why doesn’t our government step in and fix this? What is going on behind the scenes that the cries of racism detract from? This is what people should be wondering about.

I think our educational system has truly gone down hill. People do not seem to have the ability to think critically. They are not being taught how to use their brains and analyze a problem. Instead they are being told what to think. And what many seem to think is racism is the answer to what ails us. Never mind that legal worker’s restaurant jobs are disappearing. Never mind that people are losing their jobs because they cannot speak Spanish. Never mind that field workers no longer have any rights. Never mind that the middle class is being unfairly burdened by all of this. Never mind that a new poor class of people has come into being so big business can laugh all the way to the bank.

Nothing closes off a discussion more than to say anyone who is against illegal aliens is racist. You have to know that the businesses that hire illegal workers love it when people cry racism. It certainly takes the focus off of them. And that is right where the focus should be.