Immigration: a no brainer

All this talk about immigration, i just don't seem to understand. The United States is a country of immigrants, each citizen with his or her own history of discrimination. These people, at a minimum, are merely pursuing what we all desire for ourselves, what we call The American Dream. Why is it so wrong for other people to want that too? Not to mention the immense contributions immigrants make to our economic development and progress.

I would like to see an end to such things as immigration quotas, that say only so many people from this country or that can become Americans. I would love to see an end to passports, visas, and border checkpoints. But even more, why not help these people make their own countries more desirable for their citizens, so they don't have to come to America to achieve their dreams in the first place.

Now, having said that, this is not an easily managed task. I am certainly not suggesting that we import American "culture" (AKA commercialism, consumerism, capitalism, consumptionism... and of course all of that really fast and cheap). What i am saying is that we need to provide opportunities for people to develop in their own way, rather than robbing them of their futures by stealing their mineral and agricultural wealth, then selling it back to them at 10 times the price. (Starting to get into political economy a bit there... but hey, it is all interconnected!)

We should be embracing these individuals who come to our country to do the jobs we don't want to do. Someone has to! We should also remember that they are human beings, too! That at the most basic level, we are all the same, brothers and sisters. It doesn't matter if we speak different languages, practice different cultural rituals or religions, or come in different colors. Fundamentally, we are all the same, and we need to remember that. All people simply want a better life for themselves and their families. Let them!

Peace