Immigration Myths

Many people get upset at undocumented immigrants because they supposedly mooch off of tax money that should rightfully go to the rest of us. The truth is, undocumented immigrants often own their own houses or rent their own apartments, and so they end up paying a lot in property taxes. Additionally, those who work under false identities, with false social security numbers, are paying a lot of money for unemployment benefits that they will never be able to collect. So in reality, they are subsidizing the system, not stealing from it. So why do we get so worked up about illegal immigrants? Often it is because we are afraid that they are stealing our jobs. However, in an economy like the one we've got right now, it is the most vulnerable who suffer, and right now, undocumented immigrants are the most vulnerable. They are the ones losing their jobs, and are getting cheated by employers who take advantage of their undocumented status. We are also ignoring the fact that we are the ones who put them out of jobs in the first place. We created thousands of unemployed Mexican farmers by flooding Mexican markets with cheap US corn. We subsidize our exported corn so much that there is no way Mexican farmers can compete. So, since there is no point in growing crops at home, they come across the border and help us harvest our crops here. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Yet we make it nearly impossible for them to come legally, and when they attempt to come illegally, we build big walls which force them to go through the often lethal desert in order to get around. The border between the US and Mexico has claimed thousands of lives. All because of greed and fear.

School

I think that I take a lot of things for granted. Not on purpose, obviously, but just because I get used to having certain things. Sometimes this could be something like having my own car, a roof over my head, a family who loves me and that provides me. Sometimes it is the fact that we have running (and clean) water, indoor plumbing, television, Internet access, and freedom of speech.

One of these things that I am currently taking for granted is school. I know that I am extremely blessed to go to a school like George Fox. I am extremely blessed to come from a family who supports education and supports my quest for further knowledge in a journalism field.

But right now, at 9:55 pm on Sunday night. School. Is. Awful. I have had an extremely busy weekend and just sat down to do my homework--which I thought I didn't have too much of. Turns out that I have two exams, two blog entries, one quiz, five papers, one presentation and 10 chapters of reading to accomplish this week...most of which are due on Tuesday.

I know that I am extremely blessed to be in school and I know that this is one amazing privilege of living in America. We have so many opportunities for school and schooling. I wouldn't trade that for the world. I just do not understand why ALL my professors decided this week would be a good week to pile on the work...

Olympics

I love the Olympics. It gives the world an excuse to stop for a few weeks and focus on their national pride. We sit and watch citizens of our nation compete for gold and it spurs such pride within us. It's a topic you can discuss with any person walking down the street. It gives us a common bond. I love that.

When Sept. 11 happened, something similar occurred. We all stopped worrying so much about ourselves and we were able to treat each other as neighbors and comfort one another in that tough time. Now, while the Olympics is something to be happy and excited about, it bands us together as people advocating a common cause. The Olympic competitors are our hometown celebrities, and we love to see their faces shining on the fronts of newspapers. It instills loyalty in our hearts.

When our competitors win a medal we scream and jump up and down with excitement. The great thing? You can be assured your neighbors and friends are doing the same thing. We support our nation by watching the Olympics and cheering for those competing.

During those weeks we put our worries on hold. Well maybe not completely, but the Olympics is something that helps pull us out of our rut. Our depression about the economy, finances, and depletion of the Ozone layer is eased just a bit. Our spirits are lifted up and we look forward to the next day of competition.

Maybe I am idealizing the actual situation, but this is the vibe I feel during these Olympic weeks. Support our nation by watching the Olympics and cheering our competitors on to gold.

No silly, hot dogs were not invented by the Pilgrims

My quest: Find the origin of quintessential American food

My tools: The library, Internet, and The American Café in Lafayette

The food: This is my list of American food so far, if you think of some I left out, feel free to leave a comment and let me know.

• Pot Roast
• Hot Dogs
• Hamburgers/Cheeseburgers
• Pizza
• Bacon
• Ribs
• Doughnuts and coffee
• Milkshakes
• Fried Chicken
• French fries
• Mac-n-cheese

America Bashing... Not So Happy

When I remembered that I had to blog I asked all my friends what it means to be an American, and they immediately spurted out all these negative answers! I was a little mad, because regardless of whether what they said was true or not we have too many blessings in America to immediately start complaining. This country isn't perfect, I'm not saying that. We have our fair share of issues, but we also have a lot of things to be grateful for and how can we get so caught up on the bad things that we forget to see all the great things around us. 

I've noticed that lately its been "cool" to bash the states. I can't think of a more lame thing to do. Its fine to have productive discussions about why and how American needs help, but just straight tearing up your own country is lame, especially when you're sitting pretty in the USA. Let's be honest, most people in America have houses and cars, making them richer than a significant percentage of the rest of the world! Really? Really you can't find ONE thing to be grateful for? The first thing you think of is something you think you're lacking?

I'm not saying we should pretend like America has no problems. I am saying you need to recognize your blessing before you start listing the things that bother you.

Government of the People, for the People

I have to wonder with all of the bail out moneys, why Americans who lost their 401k's aren't thought of? I'm not saying we should secure them like a checking or savings account is with the FDIC, but if a company fails or is closed by the Government, there should be something in place to guarantee the moneys invested. If the accounts are losing money it should be based on a current value of what was invested.

I have heard of people losing their retirements, but never understood the cause. In the case of a family member who lost over $120,000, this was brought closer to home and makes me question the policies in place regarding it.

Let me first thank the Government for bailing out banks, the auto makers and all of the bonuses that have been paid out with taxpayer money.

Now let me ask why pay a bonus when you take away a person's investment? How ridiculous is this? This is simply another case of the rich taking care of the rich and chopping the hands that give them their wealth. Is this really how misguided Americas Government is? A rhetorical question does not summons a response.

When a bank is closed by the FDIC, said bank pays off all it's debt. Any outstanding loans can then be purchased from the Government. I have to wonder and I am asking what happens to all the money the Government made from the sale of those loans? Surely they didn't help any of the employees with their 401k's!

GREAT JOB!!

Indigenous People

by: Lia

Native Americans are the only ones who can rightfully call themselves American. This was their land until the “white men” took everything from them. We took their homeland, their pride, their lives, and in return we gave them diseases, reservations, alcohol, and casinos.

Native American substance abuse levels are higher than those of any other group and
the death of Native Americans due to alcohol is three times higher than everyone else.

Their propensity to alcohol, that we introduced them to, along with their lack of pride, we stole from them, has lead to a great amount of physical and sexual abuse.

Native American women experience the highest levels of sexual and domestic abuse of any group in the United States.

According to Amnesty International, "Many experts in the movement believe that Native women are raped more often simply because there is very little done to stop it. Tribal courts and tribal law enforcement agencies have not been provided with the resources necessary to provide sufficient protection from sexual assault."

What are we doing to change this?

In a monologue a Native American woman tells her story of abuse, ending with, “They took our land. They took our ways. They took our men. We want them back.”