Hyphenated Americans

With all the discussion and debate surrounding the illegal immigration issues, one thing stands out: the continued use of hyphenated-American as a descriptor of the people who may be affected by these laws.

When this country's first immigration policies were established, one of the provisions was that immigrants assimilate themselves into the American culture.

In fact, as early as 1906 a requirement to speak English as the language of America was enacted, and has yet to be rescinded.

And, in that early immigration legislation, it was established that the final comment in the citizenship ceremony would be: "Congratulations, you are now Americans."

Not Jewish-Americans, Polish- Americans, or German-Americans.

Just "Americans".

In 1917, illiterates (those unable to read or write English) were added to the list of excluded immigrants, a requirement thta is still on the books today.

In the fifties and sixties, additional immigration reforms were enacted, but the common theme among immigrants continued to be wanting to become Americans.

Not an Hispanic-American, Irish-American, Black-American, or Japanese-American.

Just an American.

America was built on immigrants.

They are the fundamental component of the blended fabric that has made America a strong, unified, nation.

Immigrants who followed the path to legal immigration, meeting the criteria, complying with the laws of this country.

Those immigrants rapidly assimilated into American society, mostly becoming productive, patriotic supporters of their new, beloved, adopted country.

It was a two way process: America adopted them as citizens, and they adopted America as their country.
But now, large numbers of illegal immigrants want recognition as Mexican-Americans and Hispanic-Americans, even though they are here illegally, and are not, in fact, Americans at all.

They want full benefits of being American without making the full commitment to be Americans.

In short, they want the protection without the effort, the social benefits without the contribution.

Being American requires assimilation.

That means speaking English.

Saluting our flag, not the Mexican flag.

Observing our holidays with the same enthusiasm as theirs.

Playing by our rules, not theirs.

In short, being an American requires becoming an American, not just talking the talk.

The sad thing about the illegal immigration problem is that many of these illegals want only to be a Mexican in America, not to be an American in all that they do.

And there are literally hundreds of thousands of people who want to immigrate here from other countries who are willing and able to enthusiastically and fully assimilate into American culture.

They want to become Americans, not some type of hyphenated American.

So here's a tip to the illegals: If you want to be an American, you better be prepared to do the whole course, and become an American, not just a pseudo, hyphenated American.

Because when it comes to immigration, you're either an American or you're not, you're either legal or you're not.

And if you're not, your time is becoming more limited every day.

America is historically a tolerant, benevolent country.

But that benevolence requires constructive actions on your part as well.

Do not mistake tolerance for weakness, acceptance for apathy.


“From the fact that people are very different it follows that, if we treat them equally, the result must be inequality in their actual position, and that the only way to place them in an equal position would be to treat them differently. Equality before the law and material equality are therefore not only different but are in conflict with each other; and we can achieve either one or the other, but not both at the same time.”  ---- Friedrich August Hayek


“As long as I have any choice, I will stay only in a country where political liberty, toleration, and equality of all citizens before the law are the rule.” ---- Albert Einstein


PORK OF THE DAY:
$11,000,000 for the East-West Center in Hawaii. In a moment of rare candor, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) admitted in 2007, after receiving an award from the East-West Center, that there were no congressional hearings before it was created in 1960. The State Department, which was given the responsibility and funding for establishing the East-West Center, knew nothing about it, the senator said, and for years tried to kill it by putting no funding for the center into its budget.