An Idea. . .

Most observant people would admit that America does actually have problems. Well, the same can be said for any country, but living here makes these problems just a little bit more important to us. We hear about these issues consistently. The media likes to throw all of these problems up, displaying them in all their polluted state, so we don't ever really forget it at all. Thankfully this impels us to think about solutions, and maybe we can come up something good.

For a long time the media focused on the problems surrounding illegal immigration. It truly is something that must be addressed. For the sake of my own sensibilities, I will refer to this problem as the problem of undocumented residents. There are some inherent issues whenever there are undocumented residents. Beginning with an atmosphere of distrust. Not only do the undocumented distrust most people that aren't or haven't been in a situation like them, those who are already a part of the system distrust undocumented immigrants. This distrust foments the formation of gangs, leading to further crime, misunderstanding, and a lack of cooperation.

Another problem we face is that undocumented residents have accessibility to emergency health care. I believe that all humans should be treated where possible, but I do not believe that there are people who shouldn't have to pay anything for it if they have the capabilities. People who are not taxed, and do not pay up front for health care in fact get a free ride at the expense of the tax payer. Government procedures sometimes help people in this situation, but that is when the person is actively working to get into a situation where they can pay for their own health care.

Yet another problem is that the children of people who are undocumented receive many of the consequences of the situation. Because of the situation, their children may be out of school when they could be in it, learning. The lack of education means future difficulties obtaining good employment, which becomes a vicious cycle of poverty.

Obviously, there are problems involved with having undocumented residents. I've heard two solutions that are opposite and nature. One, find them all and get rid of them.

Imagine the consequences of that action. Families of partially legal residents would be torn apart; the expense to the taxpayer, through the expenses of the law enforcement, would be astronomical; our would image would be seriously damaged, not to mention our political relations with Latin America countries; and our society, our culture would be less diverse.

The second, opposite solution is to grant amnesty to everyone who is currently here. While this takes care of most of the negatives of the other option, it ignores the fact that undocumented residents have, in one way or another, taken advantage of the system and do have a debt to society, as does any legal resident.

I have an idea that I think deserves discussion. An idea to improve not only the lives of the undocumented residents, but the mutual feeling of trust as well. I hope you will read the entire idea before forming an opinion. This idea is focused toward those who are already here, and does not go into the lengthy discussion required for actual immigration law reform.

Conditional amnesty would be granted to those undocumented residents living in the USA. I'll discuss the conditions in a moment, but this amnesty would grant that they could remain in the USA legally. Special immigrant status could then be assigned. Those in this bracket would have protections, as does any legal resident of the USA, extending to limited health care and an assurance to quality of living. Included in this would be mandated minimum wages they would receive from employers. Politicians can work out if this should be the same as for a citizen of the USA. They would be assessed taxes to pay for this "assurance to quality of living" that would help cover the cost of emergency health care, law enforcement, and basic municipal maintenance required wherever there are people living.

The condition to this amnesty is that they show a good faith toward becoming contributing members of our society. This could be accomplished in a variety of ways, such as the payment of a fine (which seems more like a punishment then a show of faith), mandatory classes in English (if necessary), and my personal favorite-service to the community.

While fines would be a short term resolution to our problems with the expense of health care and law enforcement, that would not address the real problem, an attitude of distrust and misunderstanding. I believe that offering the option of service to the community would promote an appreciation among any people for the society that they live in, and a desire to protect it's beauty. This would help the immigrants trust and protect the society that they are working toward being a member of.

The positive consequences of this sort of action would be extraordinary. Trust and appreciation between members of the community would increase. The beauty and functionality of our cities would become greater. As a society, we would be more capable of dealing with problems, with unforeseen catastrophes that plague us. We would have lower crime rates as gangs were replaced by serving communities. We would be able to give all the members of our community an opportunity to live the American dream.

It was pointed out to me that mandatory service for immigrants looks like indentured servitude. That is an image that ought to be avoided at all costs. We know how ugly slavery is. We wouldn't want to be like that, we wouldn't want to be seen in that light again.

I invite an open discussion about this idea. I would love to refine it to such a degree that it could be presented to President Barack Obama, or some other political figure who could then work out a way to implement ideas to help reform immigration law.

Degradation

I believe that one should support his president. Oddly enough, that might make me a hypocrite for what I am about to say. That being said, I continue on in my current train of thought.

I recognize President Obama's amazing story as one that epitomizes the American dream, a man being able to become anything he works towards. The mere fact of his being the first African American president makes him noteworthy, and that accomplishment should stand recorded in history throughout the ages. Having said that, I become increasingly concerned about the world society, and what is being lauded as heroic. As I understood it, the Nobel Peace Prize is something that has stood as a symbol of the heroes that often go unnoticed, ordinary people who have done extraordinary things to further the cause of humanity and peace.

Words, for me, and especially words that have had little time for impact, are nothing if not backed up with the action required to make those ideas become actual results. Awarding President Obama seems to be awarding words, not actions. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. The Nobel Peace Prize committee awarded that illustrious prize to Al Gore in 2007. It was rumored (apparently the nominees are kept secret for fifty years) that at the same time Irena Sendler had been nominated. Al Gore made a movie. Irena Sendler was instrumental in smuggling out or assisting over two thousand Jews to escape the Warsaw ghetto in Nazi occupied Poland. If the Nobel Peace Prize committee truly chose Al Gore over Irena Sendler, it would be a clear message that merely talking about current "popular" issues is a much better thing for humanity than saving thousands of children.

I believe President Obama could do great things in his presidency. I believe that many of his ideas could become very positive policy for America, and greatly influence the world. What I am sad about is that a prize that I saw as something special for heroes who have done great things is becoming a lip service for popular politicians.