1910, One hundred years ago this country was at peace, had no income taxes, not until 1913, no Social Security, even later than income tax, no Medicare, no federal welfare, no Medicaid, no housing subsidies, no food stamps, no clunker car rebates, no stimulus packages, no bailouts, not much help for the poor and downtrodden. Doesn't sound like a nice place to live for the average poor family.
But during this terrible time to live in the United States people were immigrating by the hundreds of thousands anyway. People were pouring into Ellis Island, New York to start their new lives in America legally, and they paid to get here too. Were they promised anything like food stamps, Medicare, welfare, etc? No, yet they came anyway. Must have come from worse places than here, huh?
Immigration was at a peak, people were clamoring to get into this country from all over the world. They wanted opportunity to improve their lives over where they came from. They wanted religious freedom from persecution, they wanted a chance to have their children have a better life than they did. They wanted out from under stifling, corrupt governments that promised to perpetuate their dead end lives. Some were just tired of being hungry all the time.
Today, we have all the things that should make the lives of the poor and downtrodden much better than a hundred years ago but if you listen to the liberal point of view we haven't done near enough. Federal and state governments need to do more, spend more, tax more, and spread the wealth more to lift the poor and downtrodden up to live better lives. Federal and State liberal governments have invented programs and have had a hundred years to tax and spend to improve lives in this country. They have failed miserably. We spend more to educate our children than any country in the world and still rank near the bottom among developed countries. Fortunately, we still have old fashion 'pay as you go' medicine like a hundred years ago that is world wide respected, (for a few more years). Ask the leaders of most countries where they go for critical medical treatment, the US of course. Now, that too is nearing and end as a liberal government takes control of the medical field for the first time. They are forcing every American to buy health insurance or pay a fine. Not satisfied that every American will have health care, they want control of the health providers, and what, how, and to whom they provide care, and what they can charge for it. The health care system will go the way of education, down, down, and down.
Over these hundred years people still come to America, but we are no longer a pioneer, freedom loving country. We have become staid, stale, and even regressive. Among peoples of foreign countries we still have the luster of a new, exciting, opportunistic country but in reality, liberal minded voters and legislators have torn away at Uncle Sam and what he has stood for. The coat of stars and stripes (freedom and independence) is gone, replaced with hand outs,(dependency) of other peoples money. The spirit(self reliance) of the American people is being replaced with anger, insecurity, fear, apathy, and ignorance, all of which, by design, makes for the perfect liberal voter.
Undaunted, immigration is still going on by the millions in 2010. We had stable immigration for years, every one entering the US was registered and was legal, eventually becoming proud citizens. Today, immigrants are coming in the back door and our government is turning a hypocritical, blind eye. Immigrants of today want the same thing immigrants of a hundred years ago wanted so why do they not come in legally? We have laws that say they don't meet eligibility rules so they can't immigrate. Wow how hypocritical is that? If we don't enforce immigration laws why do we have eligibility laws on the books at all? Why not just announce we are open for any to immigrate? If government leaders don't respect and follow the law why should the people respect their elected leaders? Why are laws ignored so flagrantly? This country and especially it's leaders must respect the rule of law or be guilty of the US being truly known as a decadent society. One that fosters fear, frustration, and disgust.
Immigration to the US is like a funnel, at the top everyone wants in, at the bottom only the few make it with the current rules, fences, officers, troops, and gates. The government seems satisfied with the current flow.
I'm not satisfied with the government.
