HispanicVista Columnists

Only in America

 By Domingo Ivan  Casañas/HispanicVista.com

    July 11, 2005

 

   It is amazing to me how easy it becomes for anyone to get a fake California I.D., one only needs to go to Google.com and look up fake California ID and you have several to choose from.  I am talking about excellent replicas.  What this means is that it becomes easy for an Illegal immigrant to do just that and be able to be younger or older as well as any 19 year old or 20 year old to get an ID that shows that he or she is now 21 years old.

With an estimated 10 million undocumented workers in the U.S. most executives, small business owners and many homeowners who use gardeners, nannies or a maid now see the hiring of the undocumented worker as going seven miles over the speed limit on the freeway-“No Big Deal”. 

Now, we have the President of the United States George Bush putting together a plan to reform the U.S. immigration policy.   Is this a courageous, smart, compassionate and fair plan?  It depends who you might ask.  The extremes hate it.  The far right thinks the Bush plan goes too far by giving amnesty to illegal immigrants and reward law breakers.  The far left complains that the plan doesn’t go far enough and that this is just an election-year gimmick. 

In my opinion both extremes are wrong.  Americans don’t need the Bush plan to reward lawbreakers or encourage illegal immigration.  Only in America they do that every time they hire an illegal immigrant to work for low-wages as a nanny, gardener, cook, laborer, etc.

The Latino community is not even embracing the Bush plan, when I hit the streets with the question most did not know about it.  And the ones that did, like Ana Cortez who told me that “I should have the right to stay here in America because I work hard, and I provide a service to the citizens of this country”.  That is the mentality out there.

The Bush plan allows the 8 to 12 million undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States legally for three years provided they pay a $1,000 processing fee.  The additional details need to be put on paper by Congress.  Mr. Bush said that he thinks immigrants should have the option to extend their stay for another three years, apply for legal residency, or return to their native land.  The plan would also allow guest workers to do the jobs Americans won’t do by matching any willing employee with any willing employer. 

We must understand that for many Americans there are score of jobs that they feel are beneath them.  To this date I have not seen Americans champing at the bit to do the worst, dirtiest, most dangerous, and lowest-paid jobs.  There is no waiting list in America of native-born workers eager to pick lettuce or pack meat, or pound nails for near-minimum wage under harsh, unsanitary, and sometimes even dangerous conditions. 

Will this plan worsen unemployment?   Not in America!  The good news is that in America, those who look for work- and who are willing to go to where the work is- will find it.  It is the lazy and government dependent ones that keep unemployment statistics high. 

The Bush immigration reform plan isn’t perfect.  I myself have problems with offering illegal immigrants amnesty because doing so absolves individual immigrants of their responsibility to do what it take to live here legally.  However, the plan is a big improvement on what we have now- an underground system where illegal immigrants are, at times abused, cheated and preyed upon.

Only in America!

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Domingo Ivan Casañas is a Contributing Columnist for HispanicVista.Com (http://www.hispanicvista.com/).  Domingo was born in Cuba and is a Proud United States of America Citizen.  Domingo is the Author of: CUBA THE TARNISHED PEARL, you may read excerpts of his book at: http://www.cubanbook.com/ You may email Domingo at: LatinoAchievers@aol.com Domingo also writes Faith Page articles and is available for speaking engagements. 

                    CUBA: The Tarnished Pearl

                                  By Domingo Ivan Casañas

                    

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 Experience firsthand the story of a family’s struggle to escape the rule of Fidel Castro in Cuba.  Not only is Cuba: The Tarnished Pearl a tale of a flight to freedom, but also a historical account of Cuba before and during Castro’s reign, The Bay of Pigs and much more.  This book highlights the true story and real facts about how Communism has failed in Cuba.

 Cuba: The Tarnished Pearl also includes the memoirs of the author’s father that were kept in a journal beginning in 1917 and ending in 1976.  This provides eye-opening insight into the personal thoughts and feelings of a man who endured so much pain and hardship.  Cuba: The Tarnished Pearl is a must-read for those seeking truth through history.

 Domingo Ivan Casañas is currently a column writer for HispanicVista.com and several local newspapers in his hometown Antioch, California.  He is an American citizen and a proud single father of three.  Cuba: The Tarnished Pearl is his first published book but definitely not his last.

For more information on purchasing this title and excerpts please click on: WWW.CUBANBOOK.COM  or Write to: ASM P O BOX 8427 PITTSBURG, CA 94565

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