The morning paper

Here’s my morning look at The Daily Herald…
Above the fold on page one is an article called, “Are Spanish-speaking students ‘coddled?’
The school board president down in West Chicago explains that he learned English through immersion because it was required just to get by. He’s afraid that we treat Hispanic students as though they were stupid and spend 4-5 years teaching them English.

So that was a pretty good article, especially since there is a federal grant in motion in our area to slow down the bilingual programs. Now THAT doesn’t make sense.

Then on page six there is an AP article called, “Caught in the Middle” about Marshalltown Iowa. They have a Swift meatpacking plant in town and this article focuses on the poor victims of the ICE raids that separated families.

They interviewed one fellow that was caught in a raid ten years ago and came back. He was caught again in the last raid as well, only this time he has two children and tells the reporter, “I’m not a bad guy.” Yes, Francisco, you are a bad guy. Your second illegal entry into the United States makes you a felon and you’re barred from coming here for ten years and you fathered two children into this mess of your own creation.

Enter Professor Mark Grey of the University of Northern Iowa. He says that the illegals are part of the community and they are here because they are destitute and we are benefiting from their presence and the community would not be the same without them and they contribute to the economy and….Spare me.

Then there is little Elizabeth who was born here but who’s parents are both illegal. She fears that the day will come when she will be forced to live in Mexico in order to stay with her parents. Don’t tell me; tell your parents.

Back in the Opinion Section is a letter from Mr. Carrozzo who says that the government ought to go after the churches that sheltered Elvira and the companies that hired her. He’s also pleased that Immigration finally did their job.

This immigration debate is a debate about ideas. There are some serious questions about assimilation (or the lack of it) and whether or not we should wink at the fact that one third of the foreign-born are here illegally.

School teachers have been telling our children to accept everyone regardless of the impact on our society. The great social sin in their eyes is intolerance. But it ignores the costs as well as the deterioration of society as third world immigrants continue to practice their ways. They don’t like to talk about that part.

But our nation must talk about those issues before we decide to legalize a few million more people.