Vermonter.com

“Since when is it legal to do a damn illegal thing?” Dr. McCoy, Star Trek

Governor Douglas is taking the heat recently because his relatives are using undocumented immigrant workers on their farm. He side stepped this one rather conveniently by placing the responsibility at the national level.
Nut case Burlington Mayor Bob Kiss wants to make Burlington a safe haven for illegal immigrants, yet supports gun control. So in his mind, it appears ok to open the doors of Vermont to criminals while taking away guns from law abiding Vermont hunters and sportsmen. No wonder Bill O’Reilly and the rest of the USA consider Vermont a laughing stock and potpourri of weirdos and oddballs.

Ok, so back to illegal immigrants. Notice the word “illegal”. That’s right, “illegal. When we drive to fast on the interstate or run a stop sign, we have to pay a fine because we broke a law and guess what? That’s “illegal”. Somebody robs a bank or mini-mart. Well, that’s illegal too. So is cheating on your income tax and a plethora of other things. If we can allow immigrants to run around our country illegally, why can’t we just ignore all of the other laws too? I mean, fair is fair, right?

Illegal immigrants are also a slap in the face to people who have immigrated here legally. To become a citizen of the USA and work here, legal immigrants must pass a number of requirements and literally pay their dues, which can be a costly affair. When you stop and think about it, people who are here illegally are often taken advantage of by the criminals who employ them. That’s right, the people who employ them are criminals too and should be fined heavily. Asian restaurants traditionally hire a number of illegal immigrants who work “under the table” for cash. On many occasions, they are cheated out of their tips and taken advantage of in other ways, as the business owner knows there is no one they can complain too.
As a matter of fact, in many countries such as Thailand, if you overstay your visa by just a day or two, you are subject to a hefty fine and/or imprisonment. I spoke with someone from England who was unlucky enough to overstay his visa by just one day. He was brought to prison for the day and put in a crowded cell where they had to take turns standing up and sitting down, until his paperwork was in order and his fine was paid.
God forbid that you get caught working without a visa and a work permit. A Thai prison is a place no one wants to experience.

In the days after 9/11, everyone thought that the US borders would be tightened up and people who weren’t here legally would be thrown out. Unfortunately, that has not happened and it seems to be getting worse instead of better. I personally know several illegal immigrants who have been living and working here for years. They are good people but they are criminals. Just like the guy with good intentions who must rob a bank to pay for his wife’s cancer treatment. Yes, we feel sorry for them but they still have to pay a penalty for breaking the law. As the saying goes, “there is a right way and a wrong way to do something”.
Oddly enough, we’re involved in a war to help another country and telling other people how to live. Isn’t it about time that we all take a good, hard look at the USA and cleaned up our own problems first?