Today I want to talk about withholding social services from drug addicts and illegal immigrants. These are super hot buttons for much of the country because they feel that both populations do not deserve help or they take help away from those who really need the help. I believe that these populations do deserve help.
This plaque sits at the base of the Statue of Liberty. There was a time that America held open it's arms to those of the world who wanted to start a new life. Most of America's population were immigrants at one point in time. The country is just over 200 years old. How could we forget and how could we deny future Americans the same opportunity that we were given? On top of that, no one points out how many Americans are illegally living in other countries. It's tough to come to America. We have made it nearly impossible for people to start over here. So they have to come in illegally so they can care for their families. Most people think of Mexicans as the only illegal immigrant and they are the most persecuted but they are not the only immigrants in our country (illegal or legal). We get Canadians, Africans, Europeans, Australians, Asians who stay in the country. If they are white and speak decent English, they can't really be here illegally. Aside from that, many illegal immigrants that come into our country take the terrible jobs we believe we are too good to do. Because they are not here legally, they work long hours for a lot less pay and are grateful. Some come here slaves and we pretend it doesn't happen until they want rights and then we throw a fit about them taking jobs and resources that should be ours.
I think about a scene in The Big One by Michael Moore. He's talking to Phil Knight, CEO of Nike. Michael Moore wants Nike to open a factory in Flint Michigan and Phil Knight says he won't do it because Americans don't want to make shoes. As sad as it is, it's true. I hear people complain that they deserve a better job. The economy is tight but minimum wage jobs are still in need of people to fill them. People do take the job with gratitude, for awhile. Then they move on to something better, something that pays them more. In advanced societies, this is a common trend. However, there are plenty of countries where people work long, hard days for little money and are so grateful. They live in barely adequate housing, no electricity, running water or cable tv. Americans wouldn't put up with this. How many people think their life is over when they can't get on facebook?
We have jobs in America that only immigrants will do. It's sad that they are not treated better but we, Americans, have screwed the entire system. We want to pay as little as possible for things and yet we want to make good wages so we can buy more stuff for as little as possible. Companies can not make profits off of what Americans want to be paid. Granted there are some out there but it's a situation we got ourselves into. It makes for great situations for those who are willing to work hard for what they get paid and don't feel they need a lot. So many immigrants work to send money home to family members still in their country of origin.
Most illegal immigrants come to this country to work. Don't they deserve help to keep those jobs? Help to make a better life for their families? If you don't want illegal immigrants then we need to help them be here legally not return them to their country or treat them like second class citizens.
There are a lot of fears that immigrants equal drug dealers. That may be true for a small percentage but our approach to drugs is beyond stupid. Countries in Europe have had great success legalizing drugs and monitoring them but not in America. We don't even allow farmers to grow hemp because it's too close to Marijuana. If the country took over the drug trade, there's be a lot of positive changes but our "values" don't allow for that. Look how hard it's been to legalize marijuana for medical use. Want a solution to our financial situation - legalize pot and prositution and then tax it. Yes, it does mean a certain amount of approving the behavior but those who are going to do it anyway might as well have some of their money go to benefit the country.
I like to compare the abortion laws to drug laws. Making abortions illegal didn't prevent women from getting them. What it did was force them to take unnecessary risks. Many women died from these abortions. The things they did were just bizarre and dangerous. Legalizing abortion meant the women who were going to do it anyway would have safe places to go. They'd walk out healthy with doctors to follow up to make sure they stayed healthy.
In England, they did the same thing with drugs. They gave the addicts a safe place to go and doctors to watch over them. They had to maintain jobs and be good citizens. Here in America, we ostrasize drug addicts. We turn them into criminals. If we don't give them any support, then they have to turn to crime. Prostitution, theft, drug distribution are some examples. I heard a case recently of a young man who would get his girlfriend drunk so he could talk her into smoking meth. He made her an addict because he didn't want to be alone. I share this because becoming an addict isn't always a choice and some addicts need help beyond the addiction because their reasons for starting have to do with underlaying problems.
It's important to think about a bigger picture. What happens to the addict if they have nowhere to live or food to eat? What happens to their children? Their families?
I'm not going to argue for legalizing drugs but I will say that there are so many things we could be doing to help people but instead we try to sweep it all under the carpet by making it illegal and unacceptable. We have more problems than just money - we have a crisis of morality. It's easy to stand on the soapbox and preach against sin, it's tougher to accept that sin exists and we should love the sinner.
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