<p>It will be interesting to see them try to college these loans from people who have no SSNs, no bank accounts, and no legal jobs after graduation.</p>
<p>"In remote areas some Indians cannot understand or speak the Spanish language. "
This is exactly what we are dealing with now. When I say that people with no history of literacy in any language are almost impossible to assimilate, that can be hard for many Americans to really understand. It’s not what we generally think of as illiterate, it is far beyond that. The concept of a letter representing a sound or a word representing something specific is completely unknown. We absorb those concepts organically from early childhood, even in challenged households, but that isn’t the case for many of the recent immigrants from Central America. Also, their language is often not Spanish and we have the devil of a time translating for them. The best of intentions don’t help these people to have a life of dignity and security. That can only happen when their own governments learn respect and take responsibility for them. People here who truly believe they are being compassionate are simply more of the problem and that is hard for people to accept about themselves. Unfortunately, there are many on both sides of the border and both sides of the political divide who benefit from the exploitation of vulnerable people and the destruction of their communities.</p>
<p>Well, to continue the insanity…the illegals should go to UCB…with their expected low income we can now add medical marijuana as an additional free benefit…</p>
<p><a href=“Berkeley Dispensaries to Provide Free Marijuana to Low-Income Members – NBC Bay Area”>Berkeley Dispensaries to Provide Free Marijuana to Low-Income Members – NBC Bay Area;
<p>Gotta love this…can’t make it up.</p>
<p>There is so much WRONG in that CA * loan * program for low-income students…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Who here thinks it’s a good idea to saddle low income students with $6K a year in loans? Either give these kids a state grant to replace the Pell grants, or push them towards the CC’s and then a local CSU (where the gap, and hence the loans would be much lower than at the UC’s).</p>
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</p>
<p>I certainly don’t share this mindset.</p>
<p>So Sally, you agree that open borders are not compassionate and that the right (albeit impossible) thing would be to pressure their own countries to do right by them by providing services and education in their own languages and respectful of their own cultures? Awesome! Please spread that message. Real people are suffering every day on account of others’ shared delusion that leaving immigrants no choice but menial labor and poverty and isolation are somehow marks of their personal goodness.</p>
<p>Florida is close to getting its first “Dreamer” lawyer. Jose entered U.S. from Mexico years ago with parents when he was 9, family over stayed tourist visa and remained in U.S as undocumented immigrants. He is an Eagle Scout, graduated from Tampa’s big Armwood High School as valedictorian, graduated from FSU Law School and passed bar exam in 2011. He was turned down from Florida Bar admission initially, was referred to Fl Supreme Court for a review which denied Bar admission because he was not a U.S. citizen, court suggested he work on getting Fl. law changed, helped get law in Fl legislature allowing him to practice law, governor signed bill into law recently. Jose got employment authorization from immigration, got SSN, registered with selective service, is working…for all intents and purposes, he is an American.</p>
<p>What is interesting is that the one Fl Supreme Court justice whose family fled from Cuba as refugees, said in court he had a hard time distinguishing between his family who fled to America as refugees from a communist dictatorship, and Jose’s family who fled as refugees from poverty.</p>
<p><a href=“http://flaglerlive.com/68291/jose-manuel-godinez-samperio-attorney/”>http://flaglerlive.com/68291/jose-manuel-godinez-samperio-attorney/</a></p>
<p>You know, one success anecdote is really rather irrelevant to what is essentially an intentionally-caused, politically-motivated humanitarian crisis. People who refuse to see that for some reason are just being willfully blind, imho. And, yes, our poverty is obviously better than their poverty but we already have way too much of it, too. More every day.</p>
<p>@lizard,
</p>
<p>Big whoop… My kids also spent most of their lives & education abroad. Both are top notch students & athletes. Our host country is still going to kick us all out when my work visa expires.</p>
<p>Perhaps we should take these words off the Statue of Liberty:</p>
<p>Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!</p>
<p>Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning,
And her name, Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome;
Her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor
That twin cities frame.
“Keep, Ancient Lands, your storied pomp!”
Cries she with silent lips.</p>
<p>Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free;
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless,
Tempest-tossed to me
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!</p>
<p>lol. That’s a poem, not a law. omg!</p>
<p>zoosermom, please stop trying to speak for me. It is frankly astonishing how much you seem to be reading into the few things I have said on this thread. I grew up in a place that experienced a lot of immigration during the time I was there (Miami). I have seen firsthand how government policies have helped some but not others. The disparities are incredibly stark today, particularly between the Cuban and Haitian immigrants and their children and grandchildren. I do not believe that all potential immigrants are destined to achieve the “American dream,” or that we should encourage or allow all of them to come in the first place. (It’s hard enough for our own native-born citizens these days.) Nor do I believe we can solve the world’s problems by invading other countries to impose our supposedly superior way of life on their people. But of course you don’t really want to know what I think–you have already made up your mind.</p>
<p>I do think it’s interesting when Americans want to criticize our “supposedly superior way of life” which apparently is still somewhat superior in the eyes of the migrants flooding in here by the thousands. So, yeah. And, this issue has nothing to do with any invading unless you are talking about the despicable situation on our border.</p>
<p>I am well aware that it is not a law. But it is a poem that was written in appreciation for this country’s openness to people with needs and dreams. A sentiment that is no longer appropriate for the majority of the citizens of this nation and therefore is a bit hypocritical to keep mounted on the monument.</p>
<p>Many of our ancestors came with nothing but a dream and a willingness to work. Quotas now keep similar people from entering legally. It is nearly impossible to become a US citizen by going through proper channels if you are citizen of a Central American country - it is easier to do it by entering illegally.</p>
<p>Well, obviously it’s easier to do it illegally. Good grief. It’s easier to do a lot of things illegally. What is the point? I happen to be married to someone who did it legally and went through the whole process so I am very familiar with what it involves. It’s not impossible at all and people do it everyday, btw. We could enforce our laws. That would be a good start to making it less easy to do it illegally. Just a thought.</p>
<p>Actually, Sally, I do want to know what you think when you post interesting, thoughtful, insightful things such as your experience in Miami. I have already made up my mind about my experience, but my experience is not about Cuban or Haitian immigration. </p>
<p>Actingmt, our way of life is superior for us, but it isn’t better for everyone in the world. Education, security and dignity are valuable in all cultures and languages and it is an outrage that so many people don’t get those things in their own countries. If we aren’t careful, our way of life isn’t going to exist anymore, and I am scared to death of the illnesses coming across the border right now. Very disheartening.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, I think we agree on this one.</p>
<p>Some of you might be coming down with a case of xenophobia. Diseases like measles, chicken pox, and lice can already be found at many American schools.</p>
<p>zoosermom, I know your experience is different from mine. And I do think we agree on some things. </p>
<p>I too am worried about our “way of life” not existing anymore–but primarily because of the decline of the middle class and the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of a few. I don’t think illegal immigrants are the biggest threat we face, although I share the concern about what to do with them and how much obligation we have to help. The disease issue with the border crossers so far seems to be a story that’s being blown out of proportion to scare people, although I think we need to keep our eye on it. The bigger concern health-wise right now seems to be the anti-vaccine people around the country whose stubbornness is contributing to outbreaks of diseases we haven’t had to worry about in a long time.</p>