Moi? En el periodico again?

The final straw that broke my procrastinating back was an article in The Examiner last week about a man who was arrested for threatening to strangle the governor because he's lost his business and then home from being undercut by illegal immigrants in the constructions business. And about Governor O'Malley's push to give $200 million to CASA, a program that houses, prepares, sets up jobs, and generally helps immigrants (no ask, no tell) integrate into American society. As a liberal and a Democrat (the only realistic choice in my opinion, otherwise I'd be a Socialist), I generally go along with throwing money at a "problem" but this is a lot of money and we still have a lot of bridges that need mending, etc. We have so many challenges in this country that could have used all those billions of dollars we've spent on Iraq on things like health care, starving children, schools without trailers (but trailers in Louisiana and Mississippi where they are still needed), music teachers and librarians in schools again, the real estate crisis, and on and on. You can click on the copy of the article below to enlarge so you can read it. Here are a couple of, what I thought, were important opinions of mine that were edited out: Over 25 years ago I worked in restaurants in California and Texas and there were always illegal immigrants working in the kitchens and no one said a thing. It seems to me a lot like wagging the dog since this issue seemed to come out of nowhere a couple of years ago as though, "Iraq? Look-there's an illegal immigrant!". Could just be coincidence but why now, why so long? I am in favor of amnesty and especially for any political or otherwise refuge seeking asylum in this country for fear for themselves and/or their families. I do, however, vacillate when it comes to immigration in general. I certainly can’t judge as I am privileged enough to not be able to imagine what I would or wouldn’t do to have my family survive in the same circumstances. The discussion that Paul and I had before marrying in California started as a disagreement regarding an upcoming proposition in an election proposing English and Spanish be required on all state and federal forms in California. It led into educating illegal immigrant children which my side was that who would benefit by not educating a generation of children becoming members of our society illiterate and unprepared. Even looking at it from a selfish point of view, the benefit of educating every child is better for everyone and society in general. Please excuse how it sounds like I come from a family who owned an escort service! It wasn't supposed to sound like the way it does to me. "Hospitality Professionals" may catch on now as a new p.c., gentler/kinder way to address hookers but for us is was being waitresses and innkeepers-really, we never took money for anything fun!