This is the story of Cuenca and Murrieta — a tale of two cities receiving refugees
Cuenca is the number one retirement place overseas, due to its moderate climate and quality health care. The currency is the dollar, and most important, it has a very low cost of living. The retirees are Americans living on an average amount of $1200 of social security retirement benefits. They’ve been called “recession refugees” — Americans who left the country in search of a more affordable, yet still rewarding life.
The locals embrace these American expatriots, welcome their contribution to the local economy and social scene, and call them “gringo” as a term of endearment. They enjoy the same discounts received by the native senior citizens. They have had to adapt to the vicissitudes of their new environment, such as the late partying habits of the locals, especially if they are your next door neighbors. Cuenca is in Ecuador, South America.
My friends from Ecuador, many of whom came here as unauthorized immigrants themselves, could not believe the type of protest that took place in Murrieta last week. The protesters must have known that the buses carried mostly children. They did not consider the presence of the children in the buses, already traumatized by their journey escaping the violence and poverty of their countries. I don’t question their right to protest, it’s their disregarding the presence of the children which made this protest an ugly, shameful act.
The broken immigration system is creating a stalemate in which nativism, an irrational prejudice against immigrants, is getting the upper-hand against federal policies. The sight of the buses being turned away from Murrieta was reminiscent of Cliven Bundy’s ranch standoff. The mass mobilization of anti-undocumented immigrant activists and the Obama administration’s appeasement of the GOP on immigration reform are creating a volatile environment. The scene of Lupillo Rivera, brother of the iconic Jenni Rivera and a popular singer himself, being spat on, and the scenes of mostly pro-immigrant demonstrators being detained in several States, are signs of escalating bias against immigration supporters.
Immigration opponents are chiefly using the economic decline argument to foment an extremist attitude. The analysis of economists and the AFL-CIO which represents the workers carry no weight with them. We could concede the nativists a few points: unauthorized immigration may undercut wages; there may be an initial negative assimilation such as overcrowding and other temporary negative impacts on the social infrastructure; countries generating emigration should be more proactive in preventing its causes.
Needless to say, we desperately need a reasonable, human policy to deal with the current reality of undocumented immigrants. The Obama administration and our friends in both Parties need to address this issue NOW.
how about: if you are an illegal alien here we will leave you alone. However, leave us alone too. You may not work here, get welfare here, go to school here, drive here, etc. or you will be a violating a law that we will deport you for.
Now, if you want all the above, not face deportation, become a citizen and get to vote for Democrats too, then you have to get in line and follow our immigration and naturalization laws. Millions do it this way !! People will welcome you instead of looking at you like invaders or La Raza members. very simple really.
Getting in line is the ideal course of action, but the reality is different for many reasons. We can say you may not work here, but work has been available and may or may not be anymore. The terms to deal with the new realities of immigration and employment need to be established. Enforcement only approaches has not solved the problem.
One does not have to be a Democrat to pursue sensible immigration reform. Even the Fox Latino TV is calling for donations for the unaccompanied children.
How would people welcome me instead of looking me as an invader or raza member? By the color of my skin?
Of course DWM’s Modest Proposal makes no sense. “Illegals” COME HERE TO WORK. And they come here BECAUSE WE NEED THEIR LABOR. And they pay taxes. And I want ’em driving with licenses and insurance if they’re gonna be working in my town.
many come here to work and they work hard. others wait in to come here to work. I choose the latter. I don’t want them driving at all, too many drunk hit and runs already. we always need their labor, the farmers always need their labor. what the heck happened to all the ones who already came to supply the labor? they keep wages down too. but you have to admire that they work hard and still manage to send billions back to their home country while some people, like in Detroit, don’t even pay their water bills.
also, when did retirees with a disposable income become refugees? lol
uh… yeah… that one was a little hard for me to wrap my head around too.
A refugee is someone who seeks refuge. That can be political asylum — or, for example, for economic reasons. I don’t expect to be able to retire in Orange County, for example; if I’m lucky enough to retire at all, I will have to seek refuge elsewhere. One can still have disposable income and not be able to afford living in a given place.
Ricardo: “How would people welcome me instead of looking me as an invader or raza member? By the color of my skin?”
No – by your spoken words.
Really, skally? No Latinos face prejudice until they speak out loud?
Only white people face prejudice any more. White people, men, Christians, and straight people. Isn’t that right, skallywag?
don’t forget all the great dead white males who are increasingly being ridiculed and having their history re written by la raza professors.
Who gives a flying hoot? We all know the standard versions of their stories. How many people listen to “La Raza professors,” and nobody else? People like you are such victims, and the sky is always falling above you.
Two studies, one each from UCLA and USC, examined the effect of undocumented immigration on our state. Facts, figures, charts, research, everything. The conclusions? Immigration from Mexico and the rest of Latin America, documented or not, was a net positive for California. The sales tax they pay greatly contributes to the state budget. Moreover, the immigrants were no more criminal than any other group and certainly not disease ridden, as one of the bozo protestors in Murietta displayed on her crude cardboard sign.
Those are the facts. Which utterly knock the props out of ANY opposition to immigration. Which also means that any opposition is pure racism. Which it always has been anyway.
And the reason the “can’t they just follow the law” argument doesn’t hold water is that it comes from many of the same people who are perfectly happy to see someone like Cliven Bundy refuse to follow the law.
Give ’em all the facts you like, it still will “not compute.”
fail Anita. illegal aliens are not immigrants. you are confusing two groups.
Then how are they illegal immigrants? Then how is there illegal immigration? You lose us with your angel pinhead dancing.
Maybe it is time to sit back and reflect on karma, and it’s true meaning. I could give a history lesson, and waste a majority of your time; yet the majority here are educated, so Cliffs Notes version it is…
We are today’s version of Native Americans.
The undocumented arriving are today’s Pilgrims seeking refuge and trying to make life better for themselves.
After all is said and done, I hope I don’t get small pox, be forced to change my spirituality, be forced to build missions or walk a modern version of a Trail of Tears.
Maybe this is what society needs to learn from and provide empathy to the ones whose tribes did experience such horrible actions. Providing a brown card and some land with gaming rights and water rights in the middle of Nowheresville is not a way to provide restitution.
Once the karma points have been restored to the positive, maybe we won’t have the same experience.
Right now, history is repeating itself in front of your very own eyes.
Karma? History repeating itself? What the hell is that gibberish? Science or something? So it’s OK then for the Minutemen assholes — the guys with beer bellies, Walmart shotguns, and IQs the same as their shoe size — to declare themselves Guardians of the Border and blast away at anybody trying to get across? It’s OK then to scream at a bus full of kids already scared shitless because they’re being sent back to tsurris you can’t imagine? All OK because we’re caught inexorably in some metaphysical force of history? This, sir, is consummate, Grade-A bullshit.
Theory proven to be correct.
To quote John Wayne, “Thank you Pilgrim.”
P.S. I hope you are earning your fifty cents worth.
Who proved it correct? The rest of your post is more gibberish. Trot out some facts, Pligrim.
Anita, you proved my theory to be correct.
I’m not going to go into the history of America with you. If you honestly think the tribes gave up their land peacefully, a refresher course in college US History should help out. And maybe a refresher course in physics to help out with the understanding of logic and absolutes.
“You reap what you sow” is not just an old timer quote.
Violence is never the answer, and the mere fact you took all that from my little post is astounding.
You choose to degrade my thoughts and tried to make them wrong, which is what the missionaries did to the Native Californians when they forced to give up their spirituality.
too many bonghits for Anita apparently. mind gone.
Native Blood and deadwhitemale, you are both idiots. Let me save you the trouble, you will not agree and you will not be helpful.
And please change your unsettling names because the impression they give is driving down hits on the blog. So swap phone numbers just in case you want to run though your cliche meaningless discussion, and good night.
Mr. Lamb,
I have respect for your writing, especially after the last post about the fifty cents commentators. Hence, my P.S. comment.
Here’s a good piece of advice giving to me a while back: “One must think before they speak. No one enjoys eating crow.”
Thank you for your tidbit of wisdom, and have a good night yourself.
What part of ILLEGAL don’t you understand? NO country in the world allow ILLEGALS to cross its borders with impunity. ONLY traitor Barack Hussein Obama would allow it!
ONLY Barack Obama?
You mean no President before him has allowed immigrants to flow across the border unchecked?
You know, you lose all credibility with asinine comments like that.
Thanks for being part of the problem.
(Eddie — by the way, the story you are preparing on this theme should be set to post tomorrow or Sunday. We usually try to hold it down to no more than four posts per day so that they don’t scroll away too quickly.)
Gee, wonder what he’s going to have to say?
Blah, blah, blah. Yada, yada, yada.
It does beg the question about why even have borders at all.
However, why blame Obama and why call him a traitor? That’s just dumb. There’s already enough to blame Obama for, most notably being Bush Lite.