Stormy debates often blow across the landscape. Extreme edges of thought contend for victory, but common wisdom says the practical solutions usually lie somewhere on middle ground. The particular argument I have in mind is that of illegal immigration. We're told that 12 million illegal immigrants live within our borders. One side of the argument says they burden our social systems, resist acculturation with our general population, traffic in drugs, etc. The opposition says they are needed to provide labor that Americans are unwilling to do, enrich the culture with diversity, exhibit strong family ties, etc.
The people we send to Washington show little backbone. They have not taken much action to set policy on the matter. In fact, the politicians seem to be part of the problem instead of the solution. I confess to having had the strongest feelings on the matter when I saw a television news piece showing unharvested crops in Oregon and Washington. The farmers simply did not have enough laborers to bring their harvest in. To be sure, I also have sympathy for the other viewpoint. That's why this is a quandary.
When I was a teenager and wanted to make money, the only work available was farm labor. I earned my first paychecks working fields, harvesting grain, and hauling hay bales. I wish I still had those hard, strong muscles gotten from loading thousands of bales and stacking them in high, neat piles. I never thought manual labor was beneath me. Maybe some of the solution can be found here. The good ole boys in Washington always solve a problem by throwing money at it. They could establish incentive to employers to hire young people and let them experience hard labor. As it is, their work experience now often consists of frying hamburgers and waiting tables.
Of one thing I am certain. We'll never be able to expel 12 million illegal immigrants.
