Thread: Ways to Get the Family Involved Against Illegal Immigration

Ways to Get Your Family and Community Involved Against Illegal Immigration:

I. Your Teenagers and College-Aged Kids: Force them to get part-time jobs during the year and full-time employment during the summer, doing odd jobs from house cleaning, babysitting, dog-walking, and mowing yards, to jobs in stores, restaurants, hotels, and landscaping/construction. Explore the work-study programs of your local high schools. See if you can contact local businesses in your community who will "partner-up" with local high schools and community colleges, to employ local students at local businesses. (gee, I keep using the word "local.")

2. For adults: I know it's extremely difficult in many cases, but when time allows, take on a blue-collar part-time job (bussing tables, prepping food, clerk at a store, part-time housekeeper.) You're earning extra money, you're not forgetting what's it like to be blue-collar if you're white collar, you can be a shining example to student workers who may goof on the job -- you can be an example of what hard work and integrity is about. I like seeing older workers at restaurants and stores, because they don't fool around and the kids can learn from them.

3. For Seniors: Kind of the same as the adults, with more of an emphasis on receptionist/clerical work (as health issues will play a more dramatic role as the years go on.) Part-time, unless you have the desire to do full-time work.

4. Churches: As with the high schools and colleges, see if your church can provide labor to local businesses. See if your local congregation has people, especially young people, who need jobs, and try to partner them up with local businesses in need of labor.

How are we going to create future generations of productive people if our kids today are going home to empty houses, with nothing to do except video games, possible sex with classmates, getting in trouble with bad kids, etc. Get them working.

These are some ideas towards building stronger character in kids, stronger communities, and actually linking schools, churches, and businesses together. In other words, the more businesses are dependent on the local people, the less likely they'll need or want to hire illegals.

I was riding through a poorer section of Alexandria, VA earlier in the week, through a "project," and I saw a number of young males just hanging out. Now, maybe they work and go to school...I don't know... but this was at 4:45pm, and at the full-service car wash across the street, four Latino men were busily washing cars. Are these Latinos illegals...I don't know, but I'd say there's a good chance that at least one or two of them are. My point is, what is wrong with this picture...you have a bunch of young men just sort of hanging out, and several people who don't even live in that neighborhood, who might not even be in the country legally, working across the street. The problem isn't always with the employer, sometimes it's with our own people (of all races, by the way.)

So, while we need to continue to spotlight bad employers (there's alot in Alexandria, trust me) who hire illegals, we need to look at ourselves, too. Are we doing all that we can to encourage our own people to work, and are we encouraging our own businesses to hire Americans? If a business says, "Why should I hire an American over an illegal" we have to give them more of a reason than "Because it's against the law." Employers are also looking for quality. When I buy a car, I'm looking for quality. When I hired people to do my Air Conditioning, I was looking for quality.

We can create productive, high-quality young people if we make it a priority, is what I'm trying to say. I guess what I'm trying to say is that while we are focused on shutting down day labor sites, exposing corrupt businesses, and getting local towns to enact anti-illegal legislation, we also have to be cognizant of our own citizens and legal immigrants, because we're the ones who are going to do the work after the illegals are kicked out, and if we don't have that drive and ambition to do the work, then everything we worked for will have been for nothing. The way I see it, it's the other side of the equation. The side that people don't talk about as much, mainly because we're still trying to win the first side of the battle (as I discussed in the first couple of lines of this paragraph.)

Thanks for listening, and I hope that I've stirred some thinking and creativity on your part.

Ostrich

O - IMO you make very good points. There is much work to be done in addition to the legislative/political part of it. How did we get here in the first place? At least part of it, if not a large part of it, is what you bring up here. We have lost something. I think we have become a nation that puts too much value in entertainment/relaxation. We encourage our kids into many extracurricular activities and ignore/forgot the values provided of manual labor/working other then dollars. Character building absolutely. We can't expect our leaders to be honest and committed unless we too are those things. It needs to come from the ground up. Working a job and being relied upon helps to move in that direction. We must all live it so we can expect it of our leaders. I would also add we seem to value the idea self reliance less then we used to. When I was a kid my dad, who only got through the 8th grade, could do and fix just about anything. I grew up in a big city suburb but we still fixed the lawn mower or the hot water heater or the car or painted the house etc. There really was little we could not do ourselves. The amount of self confidence and pride is immeasurable. Not to mention what you learn to do. I hated it as a kid but now realize the importance of it. I dare say that is largely not true today. Not that we should all be car mechanics or that technology hasn't changed repair on most things but we as citizens I think have become too dependent in a general sense. We have forgotten the values some things help to encourage and provide for. IMO these are things that help a community.

How are we going to create future generations of productive people if our kids today are going home to empty houses, with nothing to do except video games, possible sex with classmates, getting in trouble with bad kids, etc. Get them working.

These are some ideas towards building stronger character in kids, stronger communities, and actually linking schools, churches, and businesses together. In other words, the more businesses are dependent on the local people, the less likely they'll need or want to hire illegals.

Stronger communities. I can't stress how much IMO this is very important to what we are faced with here. We have by and large lost the sense of community I know I grew up with. I'm sure you could point to a myriad of reasons why that is. I don't pretend to know them but am nevertheless convinced this is true and not a good trend. Illegal immigration and massive immigration in general exacerbate this problem. As part of that trend we as a country have become too focused on Wash D.C. and reliant on the Feds. In international/globalist and multiculturalism. In addition the multi-national/international corps who come here into our communities or even started here have no true "American" or community interest. As an example and just one facet of this problem. The prices may be cheaper but what do we give up for the "bargain" at places like Home Depot and Lowes? They displace the local community hardware stores. The local hardware store served as more than just hardware. You'd run into your neighbor and probably know the owner you got to know not just your immediate neighbors but many people in the community. Much more business was in a locally owned and neighborhood shopped stores or establishments. It helps in being a strong community. Not generally so with the box stores or shopping in general today.

Another thing about growing up and being real communities. I not only knew my immediate neighbors but could go many miles in all directions and know quite a few people. I also felt very safe doing it. Stark contrast to today. As a kid this was not only comforting but helped keep me in line as well. I knew I couldn't act up because i was mile or two from home. Mr Fairfax my barber or Mrs Westinghouse my principle or Mrs. Goff my pack leader would see me and do two things. First would call me on it and then would follow up with calling my mom and dad about it. That's not to say it was a tattletale neighborhood or I was a hoodlum but that is part of what real & strong communities enforce. I think what you touch on here is well worth much discussion. This whole illegal immigration debacle really helps to highlight issues that have for too long been ignored or even thought archaic perhaps. It really gets to the heart of what we as Americans value.

Excellent Post!