DILUTION OF THE BENEFITS OF CITIZENSHIP
Illegal Aliens and Their Demands
The Value of Citizenship
While most people don’t stop to consider the value of their citizenship, it’s in part due to the fact that our “membership fees” or taxes aren’t voluntary. We don’t subscribe to be a citizen year-to-year. But as a former board member of computer organization, I was challenged to grow the membership. We took a look at what we offered to our members to get them to pay nearly $200 in annual membership costs. If they attended our annual conference, they got a big break on the cost, but if they didn’t/couldn’t, it was challenging to determine a value. This meant that fewer people joined than we would have liked, so it was my job to come up with some ideas on increasing the value.
For citizens, we have the opposite problem. We belong to a country that will help us out if we come upon hard times (welfare), that takes money from us, but redistributes it out at retirement (Medicare and Social Security). Other benefits are listed below, which are quite substantial. Many of them do not readily exist in other countries:
1. The right to vote
2. Freedom to travel including protection at our embassies abroad through your US passport
3. Citizenship for your children
4. Protection from deportation
5. Family reunification
6. Access to more jobs including government jobs, which leads to higher pay than for non-citizens
7. The chance to run for office
8. Disability support
9. Pride in your commitment to our country.
You also incur certain responsibilities:
1. Swear allegiance to the US and give up allegiance to another country
2. Support and defend the Constitution and the laws of the country
3. Serve the country as required.
The Problem of Illegal Aliens
We have an immigration process which many, including my grandparents and my father, took seriously. They followed the rules and after arriving, took on the challenge to become citizens. But throughout time, the government, driven either by the desire to gain votes or to have cheap labor, has cut illegals a break. And yes, I call them illegal aliens, not immigrants. Immigrants obey our laws and wait their turn.
But now, cities, counties, states and even the Federal government are taking our rights as citizens and giving them freely to illegals without a requirement for them to pay the cost and do the hard work to actually become citizens. In fact, in many cases, illegals are doing better than citizens. In what situation could you arrive here, be transported where you’d like for free, be provided food, health care and shelter gratis? Where else could your crimes be brushed off as inconsequential? People have kidded about renouncing their citizenship to get the goodies even citizens don’t get but which are freely distributed to illegals? And people wonder why we are seeing herds of them arrive.
Misplaced Incentives
Want someone to do your work on the cheap? Sponsor their work visa and bring them over temporarily, house and feed them. Want more votes? Start saying and doing things citizens actually want you to do. The country doesn’t want massive transformation. Yet, when you give so many attractive benefits to illegals, not only do many more arrive, but citizens start wanting some of the largess themselves.
Want to board a plane? You’ll need your RealID or a passport; they only need an arrest warrant. Want to buy a house? Prepare to save for years and qualify. Vote? Prove you’re a citizen, unless you don’t speak English, at which point, we’ll get you all the information in your language of choice and help you vote illegally. Want to eat? Get a job and work hard to provide for your family. Want to fly? Get an expensive Covid test, unless you’re illegal, at which point, we don’t care if you and your family arrive here infectious and deathly ill. We have made it so attractive that I hear from people of 1st world countries saying they’re thinking about coming over illegally. That has to stop. The entitlement mindset is the reason so many are here.
Entitlements Must Stop
As attractive as our country is as a final destination, we need to retain the right to bring in only those who benefit our country, and then, only by invitation. Guest workers, sure. For a limited time, you can come here and go to our schools and work for a while. But your large family stays back home and you have to reapply if you want to come here permanently.
Stop giving away anything when someone breaches the Rio Grande. Starve them out, run them off when they try to camp on private property. Deny them health care. Stop making them feel so “special” and we can go back to the right every other country has—of selecting people we want and need to live here. It’s our tax money being spent to support them. We should have a right to a say in who gets help.
