Thread: Misguided propositions

Opinions: Misguided propositions
by Joshua Spivak
published on Tuesday, September 18, 2007

http://www.statepress.com/issues/2007/0 ... ons/701808

Adios amigos, a change is among us. A change that has been coming for years as a tidal wave of misplaced rage, fear, and intolerance against Hispanics and other immigrant cultures in this country and this state that could be held no longer.

In the years leading up to your arrival here and to the events which have been and will continue to unfold over the next few months and years, bilingual education was outlawed throughout the state (Proposition 203), bail was denied to any undocumented citizen (Proposition 100), undocumented citizens were forbidden the right to seek punitive damages for any reason (Proposition 102), undocumented citizens lost their rights to receive in-state tuition, financial assistance for school, or to take place in any instate literacy program (Proposition 300), as well as the state officially declaring English as its official language with Proposition 103.

This has all culminated in the latest of such laws, which has already passed the Arizona legislator and is awaiting battle in court. House Bill 2779, the Fair and Legal Employment Act, requires all Arizona companies to strictly verify the citizenship of every employee, threatening unheard of sanctions if a company is caught using an undocumented immigrant, intentionally or not.

Under the Act, companies must hand over identities of in-question employees and may lose their business license if they are found to have hired an illegal immigrant. Repeat violators automatically lose their license and a third strike results in the complete loss of the business license.

And you thought three strikes in California was rough.

It should be noted as well that immigrants aren't stealing your jobs either. According to the Bureau of Labor, the Arizona unemployment rate as of July 2007 was only 3.7 percent, down from previous months and years.

What the hell is it about immigration that scares us? According to the New York Times, state legislators across the country proposed and passed more laws involving immigration in the last year than ever before. Do we really think the countries of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and the like are going to take over?

All these fears that soon there'll be more Hispanics in this country than, well, white people. And if so, then let em' take over, lest we have all the spoils. I know damn well my heritage isn't English. (And it's certainly not Native American!)

It's such a common cliché that Hispanics are law breaking desert crossers who only do harm to the economy. They aren't! The Bureau of Justice Statistics report far less crime is being committed by immigrants than by native U.S. citizens, per capita. In addition, the crimes being committed typically fall into the "non-violent" category. Immigrants, legal or not, don't usually come here to break the law, they come here to work.

The strain on the economy over immigration is real and has been debated for years, with contradictory conclusions. In the end most studies that weigh immigrant benefits to the economy (increased real income due to lower wages for products/services), against the cons, (increased reliance on state funded programs) usually come to a push, that is to say, the pros and the cons balance each other out.

However, pro or con is not the point. Obviously there are ups and downs to immigration, but because immigration has both a pro and a con on our economy, and because fears of a criminal society of immigrants are just stupid, then immigration could be reduced to only a good thing (a pro). That is to say, eliminate the bad and you have only the good.

This should seem obvious, but it's not. Outlawing bilingual education and other laws in the same vein has done nothing to counter the actual problems of immigration. I would be stupid if I tried to argue that illegal immigration doesn't put a strain on tax payers for services some feel they don't deserve or if I tried to state that immigrants all have health and car insurance. (But do you?)

But of the laws and propositions discussed in this article, which of them are actually educated, logical responses to the true and real problems created by immigration in general? English as the official language?

I think the Spanish words for scared American are americano espantado, but it might as well be americano estúpido.

We pass these laws which have no bearing and no place. How many students, raised here on the American dream had to withdraw from universities across this state? How many Hispanics suffered from lack of education and legal rights while members of their families worked endlessly in hopes of giving them those very liberties and dreams?

If we as a society can acknowledge the hardships and dangers faced by this country and this state from immigration, then why can't we actually respond accordingly?

This new law is merely a little icing for a big cake as very little is being done to answer the truest of the issues.

Pass laws allocating certain funds for hospitals, make driving without insurance nearly impossible. Just respond to the issues! Create a way that maintains the benefits and eliminates the rest. This isn't an anti-biotic where you have to kill everything.

You can maintain the beauty of the Hispanic culture and their desire to find prosperity here while also securing the success of the country and the state. Let us not make this culture impossible, let us embrace their culture as has been done so many brilliant times in history and in this country, and let us share the cake that we so eloquently protect.

Gracias.

Reach the reporter at Joshua.spivack@asu.edu.

All these fears that soon there'll be more Hispanics in this country than, well, white people. And if so, then let em' take over, lest we have all the spoils. I know damn well my heritage isn't English.

Playing the race card. Original.

Generally that means they have no argument based on logic or reason. It's "I feel, therefore I am."