First and foremost, I'd like to thank Xpress for printing the July 6 article on immigration and education [“Stymied”]. I found it to be informative. I'd also like to ask Miss Ginocchio-Silva to perhaps reconsider the kind of education she will get in our state's system, if we can infer anything from the anti-immigrant sentiments included in the article. Perhaps we should start with privilege, whose derivation is “private law,” a different set of rules for an elite group, originally used to describe the law of feudal nobility.
To hear an idealistic and hardworking woman like Silva derided as “privileged” by white Americans whose forebears depopulated this country, after immigrating, is galling and historically ignorant. Should Silva be forced to return to Honduras after a right-wing coup supported by Obama? Why are all these immigrants here? Could it be that major companies in collusion with government forces impoverished Latin America and imported an extralegal workforce in order to drive down the wages of less-recent immigrants and secure “free” markets for their subsidized goods in foreign countries? I wonder if Silva's detractors study on computers manufactured in Chinese suicide factories operated by American businesses or enjoy designer clothes at low, low prices made by people who look shockingly similar to Silva and her parents? We've overthrown more than one country over the cost of bananas.
I say, admit Silva; her intelligence will no doubt raise the bar. Surely there are people out there who would see her turned over to Halliburton's private immigration prison system and many more that would like to see anyone who looks like her deported, despite the fact that your article points out that four-fifths of our Hispanic population is legally in the country. I wonder if they read that far.
To be sure, our privileges in America are deteriorating, but it is not because of immigrants, teachers or unions. It is due to corporate oligarchs pouring acid on our democratic institutions, generation after generation. As privileged Americans, it would be easy for us to cast blame on the immigrants for showing up and taking all those high-paying roofing and dishwashing jobs from legal, “native” Americans, but then we'll just be fighting the war our masters want us to fight: the poor versus the poor. Miss Ginocchio-Silva, you have an ally in me.
— Martin Ramsey
Asheville
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I know this is a really difficult point of distinction for Martin, but most of us only want the illegal immigrants deported. Illegal, get it?
By indy499
07/20/2011
I don't. I'd like them, in most cases, to have their immigration status resolved so that they are legally here. Bad laws should be resisted and thrown out, not hysterically obeyed like they are some sort of holy writ.
By Johnny Lemuria
07/20/2011
Perhaps Johnny Lemura would like the undocumented immigrants to have his job in this Obama economy? Oh no, it's the other person Johnny thinks should be impacted?
By Bill Miller
07/22/2011
And I'm sure everyone against immigration is pure 100% Native American. Right?
Maybe we can all open our eyes and see a little further on this one. Even if your ancestors came over on the Mayflower, they were immigrants. And so is every single person after them, so lets legalize everyone so they can get an good education and a good job so they can pay good taxes and support our economy and defend the ever disappearing middle class so we can have a fighting chance against the goddamn 1% of our population that controls 36% of our countrys wealth. The next 19% own 51% of the wealth. These would be business, managerial professionals and some small businesses. So that's 20% of our population that controls 85% of all the our wealth. That leaves 15% for the rest of us. We could organize and change this. Instead we get caught up with petty issues and fight each other and not get anything accomplished and the Elite Upper Class can peacefully continue on with their rule.
By Natalia
07/23/2011
"the Obama economy"--yea he totally owns it now, nothing to do with the Bush wars or the Bush tax cuts for the rich. He's been in office for three years and you expect him to fix everything while congress can't get a bill through if their tea bags depended on it. Bill Miller you are truly insightful, is your brother Dennis?
By Ashevegasjoe
07/25/2011
Bill, I'm in favor of the best candidate getting the job. If that is an immigrant, undocumented or otherwise, more power to him or her. You know what our immigrant system really is? The most egregious, lest defensible example of affirmative action I have every come across. Are the native born in America so pathetic in your eyes, Bill, that they need all these special privileges to get and keep a job?
By Johnny Lemuria
07/25/2011