Si Se Puede…

I’m all for immigrants. Hell, I live in Sonoma County…A place that wouldn’t EXIST without the hard working people that make it thrive. But I also am “all for” some other things.

When my grandmother was born here in the U.S., her mother (an Italian immigrant) went out of her way to learn English. She may not have been a pro, but she understood that was the lay of the land. When my grandmother was at school she spoke English, and at home spoke both Italian and English. They didn’t have any resources available (like English classes that are offered for free now) but they still made the effort. Is that too much to ask? Why should public servants have to learn 2 languages and why should people who ARE bilingual get paid more than someone who just speaks English? If I moved to Germany I would assume that I would have to learn German…Plain and simple.

The argument that “California used to be part of Mexico” is SUCH a cop out. Yes, lands were conquered and boundaries were changed, but shit happens. Fact is, countries and continents were made what they are through war and bloodshed. We can’t change history. And no one who is alive today was part of this “Old Mexico”. Since the U.S. was pillaged from the Native Americans, should we all start speaking THEIR language? Get over it already. I don’t see people whose homeland was taken over by the Romans hundreds of years ago trying to get reparations now. They moved on and so should we.

The other issue is health care. In some areas, over 50% of people going to hospital emergency rooms are uninsured. Since hospitals are forbidden to turn patients away, every child who is born to an illegal immigrant gets paid for by us…The tax payer. When my grandmother was recently hospitalized, her bill was for over $60,000 and it was less than a week long stay. Luckily her insurance covered it. But health care costs are what they are because of the uninsured that the hospitals MUST treat. However, there are also many others of different nationalities that pop out kids like it’s a fuckin’ contest, so I’m not placing sole blame on the immigrant population.

I was born and raised in Roseland. And from my experience, the majority of immigrants who lived in my neighborhood were hard working, honest people. Most just want a better life for their families and I can’t blame them. But there needs to be some SERIOUS reform to immigration policy. Otherwise we’re screwed. I don’t have a solution, but isn’t that what we pay public officials for?