Our Government needs some

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Here another rhetorical in a similar vein - My wife volunteers at my son's elementary school 5 days a week during the school year. Part of her day is spent working with what they call around here - ELA's (english language learners. These are children who speak spanish at home and are seriously behind english speakers of the same age. For example - She has a group of four third graders who speak, read and write english at the first grade level. More often than not their parents live and work in the US illegally.

Should we allow those children to fall behind because their parents are illegals? Of course not. No sensible person would say so. The thing is Old Glory Red, White and Blue blustering "Fuck them and their kin" bullshit is unrealistic and fails to consider the bigger picture. In fact, I think I like the idea of having greater opportunity and access to educate because my tax dollars pay mom to stay home. Maybe that's where the potential for leverage lies.

Of course I'm not sensible so I'm just guessing here.

At the risk of completely blowing my crazy liberal image with Dick, I'd like to point out the other side of that discussion. Should the kids be penalized because their parents came here illegally? No, not necessarily. But to the extent we provide education (and even special education) to children of illegal immigrants, to what degree are we actually encouraging them to attempt to come here illegally? I see that as something of a magnet. The other issue is, how much money and resources are spent to try to bring children of illegal immigrants up to speed in education? I live in California and I know, as do you, how strapped the school system is. I'm sure the data is out there but I imagine we spend a staggering amount of money on children who are here illegally.

I support an easier path to citizenship and I've said before, our economy would tank (quite honestly) without some of the labor that is provided by illegal immigrants but...I think there are way too many in the country.

I've also mentioned before that it's the illegals you see out on the street looking for work and the whities holding signs asking for cash. I'd like to deport some of the whities and keep some of the hardworking immigrants.