If you had to immigrate to America

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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Funny how the US ignores illegal immigrants but can be 100% assholes to those who choose to enter the country legally. But it is your country, you can do whatever it is you want to do there. While I miss Colorado, I can still lead a decent life up here in Alberta. The USA needs to get their economic act in order before I consider moving down there again. But Colorado did rock!!! It is an awesome state!!!

Almost everything makes sense once you understand that America is a bureaucratic oligarchy.

Laws and their enforcement (or lack thereof) are about moving money to wealthy business people (especially bankers) and gaining or maintaining power.

The agricultural industry is built on top of low-cost labor. Ignoring "illegal" immigrants provides that labor without the obligations that go with "legal" immigration like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. It makes financial sense.

Making regulations and applying them with close scrutiny requires employees, who require managers, who require middle managers, who require executives, who gain power by having bigger fiefdoms. Being efficient about things like legal immigration would mean that a large portion of our 2,768,886 federal government employees would be out of work, making for fewer middle managers and less power.

That count comes from here http://www2.census.gov/govs/apes/08fedfun.pdf as of December, 2008. It appears to exclude military service people, since there are a lot more active duty military personnel (1,137,568 as of December 2009) than the Nat Defense/International Relations (7223,820) listing.

If Canadian software engineers were sneaking in to work for half the price of US citizens you wouldn't have had any problems coming here illegally.

As a foot note Colorado does rock.

[Channman 2]

I can Mow and Edge real nice, that has to mean something.

[BikerBabe 0]

I have an engineering degree.

Not entirely sure I'd want to immigrate to America right now. Way too much stupidity and the lionization thereof.

Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

I don't know what's happened here, but sometime during the last decade, the idiots have taken over our society (notice I didn't say government). Anyone following the Miss USA "controversy"? People are upset because the daughter of immigrants won. Not just any immigrants... MUSLIM immigrants! *gasp* She MUST be a terrorist!

heaven for-fucking-bid that an american who doesn't have blonde hair and blue eyes win a pageant.

Fear of what's different can lead countries down some very dark and dangerous paths. Godwin's Law be damned, just ask Anne Frank...

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[BillyVance 34]

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I'm a German Nazi Rocket scientist - so piece of piss to get a Full pardon and visa

My English Literature teacher in my senior year in high school was the son of one of the original German rocket scientist team members to emigrate to the USA. Damned good teacher with perfect spoken English. Georg Von Tiesenhausen is the name. Just a little tidbit I thought I'd share.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[virgin-burner 1]

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Fear of what's different can lead countries down some very dark and dangerous paths. Godwin's Law be damned, just ask Anne Frank...

just like the US way into the sixties.. darn negros!

that was well after anne frank, but americans seem to have a tendency to forget about their own - uhm - "heritage"..

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[redlegphi 0]

I can speak English and I'm willing to be a bullet magnet for Uncle Sam. Therefore, I can totally immigrate.

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Alien Recruited Outside of the United States Who Has Served or is Enlisted to Serve in the U.S. Armed Forces;

[Andy9o8 0]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch have kick-ass chocolate, and pretty good beer.

[shropshire 0]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and pretty good beer.

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[christelsabine 1]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[CanuckInUSA 0]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

I like Germany ...

You make the best cars in the entire world and you let your people drive those cars very fast on certain sections of your Autobahn. To top it off, if the Autobahn isn't enough for some, Germany has Nordschleife at the Nuerburgring. I would relocate to Germany if I knew the language and was allowed to play on Nordschleife with Sabine Schmitz who is not only an awesome driver, but she also holds a helicopter pilots license endorsement. You have to like a woman who can drive the rubber off of a car on Nordschleife and then ferry you up to altitude for a jump in her helicopter. I am in love, well maybe just lust.

Try not to worry about the things you have no control over

[virgin-burner 1]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

swiss chocolate blows the shit out of belgium one, our beer is stronger than the german pisswater, plus, we have the alps..

cant beat the most beautiful country in the world!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[popsjumper 2]

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And sometimes, we have hot summers

I call BS on that!

But I DO so love Deutschland.
I'd immigrate there if I could.

Say... I wonder if there is such a thing as DZ Bum status for getting a visa...Hmmmmmmm. Every DZ needs a live-in bum, right?

My reality and yours are quite different.
I think we're all Bozos on this bus.
Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239

[christelsabine 1]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

swiss chocolate blows the shit out of belgium one, our beer is stronger than the german pisswater, plus, we have the alps..

cant beat the most beautiful country in the world!

Slowly there, Mr. BigMouth: You and I just share parts of the Alps, our chocolate is much better than yours and nothing beats German beer.

OTOH: I'd invade Switzerland within a second, if I only could and they only would let me in - it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

dudeist skydiver # 3105

[Andy9o8 0]

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I'd invade Switzerland within a second, if I only could

(Just preserving this for the record.)

[masterblaster72 0]

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I have an engineering degree.

Not entirely sure I'd want to immigrate to America right now. Way too much stupidity and the lionization thereof.

Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

I don't know what's happened here, but sometime during the last decade, the idiots have taken over our society (notice I didn't say government). Anyone following the Miss USA "controversy"? People are upset because the daughter of immigrants won. Not just any immigrants... MUSLIM immigrants! *gasp* She MUST be a terrorist!

heaven for-fucking-bid that an american who doesn't have blonde hair and blue eyes win a pageant.

Fear of what's different can lead countries down some very dark and dangerous paths. Godwin's Law be damned, just ask Anne Frank...

Great post, and I agree with all of your points. America today is not the same country my parents immigrated to in the '60s...it's gone *way* downhill since, in good part for the reasons you stated above.

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.

[masterblaster72 0]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

swiss chocolate blows the shit out of belgium one, our beer is stronger than the german pisswater, plus, we have the alps..

cant beat the most beautiful country in the world!

Damn straight...I love this country too.

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.

[BikerBabe 0]

...I wouldn't come to Costa Mesa

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0520-costa-mesa-immigration-20100520,0,5482036.story?track=rss

my real question is this: WTF does "limiting the number of soccer fields in parks" have fuck-all to do with it?

Sorry, but if that doesn't scream "racism" to you, then I don't know how much more blatant it has to be. What, white upper middle class kids can't play or enjoy soccer, too? Nope, apparently soccer is a sport only brown people enjoy, so we have to limit their access...

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[kallend 1,646]

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...I wouldn't come to Costa Mesa

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0520-costa-mesa-immigration-20100520,0,5482036.story?track=rss

my real question is this: WTF does "limiting the number of soccer fields in parks" have fuck-all to do with it?

I guess they don't want any English influence. Damn Anglo-Saxons!

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[shropshire 0]

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swiss chocolate blows the shit out of belgium one

That's bollocks

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our beer is stronger than the german pisswater, plus,

Stronger isn't better

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plus, we have the alps..

So do the French and Eyetalians

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[redlegphi 0]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

swiss chocolate blows the shit out of belgium one, our beer is stronger than the german pisswater, plus, we have the alps..

cant beat the most beautiful country in the world!

Slowly there, Mr. BigMouth: You and I just share parts of the Alps, our chocolate is much better than yours and nothing beats German beer.

OTOH: I'd invade Switzerland within a second, if I only could and they only would let me in - it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I've never had Swiss beer, but Belgian beer definitely crushes German beer (though I do find German beer to be quite good). And the Swiss and Belgians both have the Germans beat on chocolate, though I'll say it's a toss up as to who's on top.

[virgin-burner 1]

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Show me a country where it's celebrated to be educated and intelligent, where people have reasoned, informed debates with OPEN MINDS, where facts aren't ignored out of convenience, that's where I want to live.

Problem is, Sweden's too goddamn cold. On the other hand, the Dutch Belgians have kick-ass chocolate, and the Germans have the best pretty good beer ever.

And sometimes, we have hot summers

swiss chocolate blows the shit out of belgium one, our beer is stronger than the german pisswater, plus, we have the alps..

cant beat the most beautiful country in the world!

Damn straight...I love this country too.

good man!

“Some may never live, but the crazy never die.”
-Hunter S. Thompson
"No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
-Yoda

[futuredivot 0]

Where's the "stay in my own country and build the best life possible" option?

You are only as strong as the prey you devour

[Andy9o8 0]

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Where's the "stay in my own country and build the best life possible" option?

That really only applies to the 2% of the American population whose ancestors emigrated to North America via the Siberia-Alaska land bridge about 5,000 years ago.

[mdrejhon 8]

I have often wanted to get a job in the United States when I was offered a good one or a good contract. I even had the opportunity to do so last year, despite the recession, but was stuck in Canada between jobs part of the time. I have actually done this pre-9/11, before moving back to Canada. It's much tougher now. Unfortunately, I do not have a university/college degree. Therefore, I do not qualify for a H1-B at all! Which means I have to go through much more complex visa routes (i.e. TN-1 visa) and even so, it's extremely difficult. Yet household income is 6 figures, and we'd benefit the U.S. economy quite a bit if it ever ended up being a permanent relocation.

There's a way for people to sorta 'buy' (er, 'invest') their way into the states. If I quit skydiving, it'd be much easier to save up an $X amount (I think it was $250,000 when I did my research years ago, before it went up) to 'buy' my way into USA (Basically starting a business in U.S.) -- I am incorporated as a consulting business and could theoretically invest in running a U.S. business just by moving my business over. That is a potential loophole (from needing a university degree) available to me, if I had that money, but I don't even have a significant fraction of a million dollars available to me.

I would have to get an equivalency degree from a reputable university using the skills I already have, and back it up with some recurrency studies (which may still take me a year or two). At this time it's not practical, and there is plenty of work in Canada that's almost as good paying, to the point where it is not worth the time and effort for me to go retroactively back to university. The U.S. does not easily allow Bill Gates style immigration. (Although Bill Gates, did, indeed, later get a degree retroactively)

During last year's recession to fix my cashflow problem while staying in Canada, I let myself become flexible (accept any job from Ottawa-Toronto-Montreal, major cities all within 5 hour drive of each other). Nortel's bankruptcy really hurt Ottawa at the time, but Toronto and Montreal have massive job markets.

Instead of considering America, me and my spouse are relocating to Toronto as of June. We have some great opportunities we're starting next month, that will almost double our combined average household income (becoming DINK's), although offset somewhat by Toronto's higher cost of living.

U.S. remains a fun vacation destination that will receive a lot of tourist dollars from me, and skydiving dollars (and the occasional business trip I get sent on in my lifetime), but from an immigration perspective, I fall through the cracks even though I would have more net-benefit to U.S. than most immigrants...

That's my "stay in my own country and build the best life possible" option.

[GeorgiaDon 340]

How long has your family been in the US? Why didn't they "stay in their own country"?

Don

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Tolerance is the cost we must pay for our adventure in liberty. (Dworkin, 1996)
“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” (Yeats)