Far,
We've been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star
Free,
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream
On the boats and on the planes
They're coming to America
Never looking back again,
They're coming to America
Sorry about the ear worm, scratch it here. In most of the live versions I heard when he gets to the part in the song when he sings "My Country Tis of Thee" the crowds start echoing back one word: TODAY! Gotta get to America, TODAY! Life is gonna get better, TODAY!We've been traveling far
Without a home
But not without a star
Free,
Only want to be free
We huddle close
Hang on to a dream
On the boats and on the planes
They're coming to America
Never looking back again,
They're coming to America
Coming to America, that's the dream. It's better in America. I can make a life in, America. Life is good, in America. Just gotta get to America! It's America. It's beyond urgent that we get there.
Watch the video I linked. There are several old men in the audience. Neil Diamond is a pop/rock singer and there are old guys there to listen to him. At the end they are on their feet, TODAY! Proud? Of What? America!
Home
To a new and a shiny place
Make our bed and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Freedom's light burning warm
To a new and a shiny place
Make our bed and we'll say our grace
Freedom's light burning warm
Freedom's light burning warm
There is one old guy in the crowd. He is setting next to a women and wearing a Yakama. It makes me wonder, did he come after the war? Was he in a camp? Is that what the song means to him? He's here now. Good for him! He made it to America!
This song sparks a certain patriotic pride. Who wouldn't want to immigrate to America? It's better in America. Gotta get to America. On a gut level we get it, people want a better life. I was brought up to believe that life in the US is as good as it gets this side of heaven. Who wouldn't want that?
So we, a nation of immigrants, let them come. If some poor family sneaks in without the proper paperwork, because they just want to work and feed their kids, we don't give them the boot, we give 'em a wink and a nod.
I've met and like many immigrants. My surname is a very old one here in the states, pre revolutionary war. I don't hold it against anyone that they or their parents came after mine. If I was them, I'd sneak in too.
There is a problem. The people coming today aren't coming to build a nation. They aren't always even coming to stay. They're coming to get what they can. If things stay good they'll hang around, if not they're out of here. Some of them don't even bother learning the language. Billions of dollars earned here are sent home to other countries. Mexico alone expects to see $26 billion in 2014. That's $26 Billion dollars in private wealth that was earned here in the USA exiting our economy.
It's worse than that. According to this, 57% of immigrant families (legal and illegal) are on some form of welfare. This doesn't account for the unpaid medical bills or ER visits. How about the fact that 33.6% of people sentenced in federal court in 2002 are non-citizens?
Neil ought to change his song to:
Want stuff for free
Give it, give it to me
I don't know all the answers to this problem but it starts with closing the border, now. No amnesty for anyone in this country illegally and its time to kick people out. What about the kids born here? Kick them out too. But they are citizens by birth. Maybe, but as long as they have a right of return to their parents nation of citizenship, they are a dual citizen. Let their parents take care of them at home. IF they want to come back as a self supporting adult we can talk about it then. No student loans to attend college, no welfare.
The next part of the equation is language. English should be made the official language of the USA. In France they speak French. If you want to immigrate you have to speak the language. No exceptions. No multi-lingual government forms. If you can't function in English, get out.
Then we need to change some laws. If you are an immigrant, no welfare of any kind for 7 generations. No government loans. No critical worker programs. You pay taxes and you don't get squat from the rest of us. No more free ride. Any state that wants to do it differently shouldn't get federal funding for any project. Screw California.
Health insurance is the law. The rest of us have to have it and pay dearly to comply with the law. Immigrants should too. Can't pay for that ER visit? We've got one more freebie for you, we'll give you a free ride to the nearest boarder. You're outa here.
As for criminals I propose a two strike death penalty. Are you in this country illegally? Strike one. Did you commit a felony? Strike two. We'll give your remains a free ride back to your country of origin. Commit a misdemeanor? We tattoo your crime on your forehead and give you a swift kick in the seat of the pants as you go over the boarder.
I don't buy the argument that there are some jobs that American's won't do. There are some jobs that American's won't do, at a given wage. Maybe the employer could pay more. We don't need illegals to keep America's economy going. On the flip side of this argument is the point that minimum wage laws may be hurting every one. Why not let a low skill citizen employee have a job at a lower rate? We don't have to bring in a person to do that job illegally. Maybe the costs of doing business in America are too high and that's why we like illegal labor. Reduce the compliance cost and more people can afford to comply.
If your religion requires people to convert or be killed, you don't get to come here at all, ever, not even for a visit.
If your religion requires people to convert or be killed, you don't get to come here at all, ever, not even for a visit.
Immigration problems in the USA, whose fault is it? Ours. We know there are things we can do to fix it, but we don't want to.
ReplyDeletePlenty of good ideas you have, in general adding up to assimilation, the missing element all these years.
Once, I had no idea Neil D. was Jewish. You mention the yarmulke guy in the audience and it makes me think. And I think about this song, that I heard plenty in my youth, popular as it was, without thought, and I look at the lyrics now--the asinine lyrics. This strange reedy caricature of serious ideas about liberty. Christ--not even Puritans saw it as golden candyland, they saw it as serious work, just a shot and chance. The lyrics make it sound a spa hotel in shangri-la. "New and shiny place?" My God.
Maybe I'm being too harsh. It's just a pop song, and older people can be simple and sentimental. But I think, what if you took these lyrics too seriously, in their childish, simple extremism? You'd get modern-day immigration rhetoric, is what passes through my head.
In my mind, there is an image conjured up here of a non-American singing to a non-American, and the gullible take this as some kind of proper sentiment. But watching Diamond sing to the yarmulke guy, I wonder; is it like watching some Hispanic singer singing to Hispanics about how great America is? If I were to see such a thing, my emotion would be something like "I'm flattered, but something makes me uncomfortable here at the same time." "Thank you for the compliment, but please don't get yourself carried away here. You're missing some stuff. There's more than that."
Last idea: I glumly wonder, if it's all beyond even America's "freedom" as a rationalization now, because the talk is openly about how it's not about getting to America, it's just plain about making America and every European nation no better than anywhere else, so the "rest of the world" can "share in our wealth." Coming to America is bad enough, but that's our local problem; there's coming to England, coming to France, and so on. So getting swayed by the American special freedom idea is a real kick in the groin. It's like seeing a national food company put their local ads in your town. "Budweiser salutes Ohio! Go Buckeyes!"
Got a laugh from your added lyrics.
I guess "Diamond" is just as Jewish as "Goldstein".
ReplyDeleteI think everyone wants to be proud of where they are. The US was one great experiment. People from many lands, cultures and languages did come together and thrive in this land.
America has natural resources and that was a blessing. What made us great was America was good. We were a nation of morally, ethically, sexually etc good people. When good people agree to live in a society that respects the rules and the freedoms of others, that society will grow and prosper. Which is what we did.
When a society tries to "get my share" at the expense of others and breaks all the rules. That group of people will fall. That's what's happening now.
The song, America exemplifies liberal immigration policy. It's up beat, sounds good and has no meaningful substance.
Res OT,
ReplyDeleteIs this one Okay?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1418541680/ref=od_img_link_refresh_T1
1. Cut off all welfare. To everyone. It's going to happen anyway, the government can't pay for it.
ReplyDelete2. Prosecute employers who hire illegals.
3. Remove the requirement for hospitals to treat anyone who can't pay. Say cut them off at $2500 or something like that. Obamacare is just more redistribution and we can't afford it any more than any other welfare.
Do those things and illegals will leave on their own.
Outlaw,
ReplyDeleteStrongs is one of the most respected concordances available. For the money, you could probably buy a Bible soft program that includes the concordance and several other works. The benefit being that the software is searchable and will cut your research time down considerably, plus most of them have interlinear Greek and Hebrew. I don't know about Latin Versions but I suspect they are available. I use PC study Bible. I think it has a option to purchase a Vulgate module. Let me know which route you go.
OK thanks
ReplyDelete