It’s no secret that times are tough. Jobs are scarce. Personal debt across the country is high. People are using more government aid then they have in a long time (e.g. Welfare, Unemployment, Section 8, WIC) to help pay the bills or feed the kids. We’ve even seen more people using government programs to go back to school in hopes of broadening their lives so they can take on new career paths. For those using these programs it must be a great relief knowing that these programs are here for us to use. It must feel wonderful being able to take advantage of the opportunities our ancestors risked their lives coming to this country for in the first place. So it makes me wonder why anyone who wasn’t born here but chooses to live here and use these programs talk bad about the hand that feeds them.

In 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau listed Hispanics as the largest minority group now living in America with the largest subgroup being from Mexico (63%). Following subgroups included Central and South Americans (13 percent), Puerto Ricans (9.2 percent), Cubans (3.5 percent). And remember, this was in 2010 so it’s not like the days of slavery where people were brought here by force. These people consciously made the decision to come here. Whether they did it legally or illegally, they did it. And those who did it illegally must have really wanted in bad because they risked their lives and freedom to get here.  You don’t take those risks unless things are really, really bad.

Personally, I find that the majority of immigrants from this region to be great people. They haven’t been corrupted by the greed and laziness most people who were born here or brought here as kids take on due to not knowing what a tough life really is. They can care less about stuff like iphones, trendy cars, designer bags or sunglasses because they’re more concerned about important stuff like sending money to their loved ones they left behind in Mexico or saving that money so they can bring their families over here for a better life. And that’s the one thing you hear every immigrant answer when you ask them why they came to America. They wanted a better life.

Visit any big hardware store or moving truck office. The first thing you see when you pull into the parking lot is a sea of cowboy and trucker hats. They all have that “pick me” look on their face that reminds you of visiting an animal shelter.  While Americans stand on street corners with “will work for food” signs, every day, rain or shine, blazing hot or freezing cold these immigrants stand in these parking lots HOPING to get work. There isn’t even a guarantee they’ll make any money at all and with the rise in prejudice against Mexican immigrants there’s the added danger of jumping in a truck thinking they’re going to a job site only to never be seen again. And yet this is a better life for them? Instead of staying in Mexico where they’re legal citizens getting legal jobs making guaranteed legal money, they consciously choose to do this. Either Mexicans are incredibly stupid or life in Mexico isn’t that great.

If they’re lucky they’ll get a job as a landscaper, janitor, fry cook or any other job that Americans are too snobby to do themselves and that leads to bigger and better things. I personally know a man who got picked up to clean up a bar before the bar opened to the public. He now runs that bar. The bar owner even paid out money so the man can be certified by the state to serve food legally. I also know a family who did all sorts of odd jobs (e.g. minor construction, painting, care giving to spoiled brats whose American moms don’t want to be mothers) and now they own restaurants, apartment buildings and most importantly land. They did it in a generation and they didn’t go back to Mexico. In fact the majority of success stories I personally know still live in America. They still have land and family in Mexico but they live here. So what does that tell you?

I’m sure Mexico is a beautiful place and I’m sure the people there are great. I’m also very confident that many Mexican’s would never leave the country but there is no way you can tell me that many of them don’t wish they had they freedoms and opportunities we take for granted every day. The only American’s you see sneaking into Mexico are criminals and the only American’s moving there are retirees who purchase property so they can live out their golden years like millionaires since the peso is MUCH weaker then a dollar (currently $1 = 12.7975 pesos).  You don’t hear about shipping containers filled with Chinese trying to get into Mexico either, which tells me it’s not just American’s who think Mexico isn’t exactly the ideal place to live.

If a young adult didn’t respect the home they resided in they would be asked to leave. They don’t have to like some of the rules of the house but they should respect it because no one is forcing them to live in that house. They have the choice to go anywhere else yet they choose to live there. And if they can’t afford to go anywhere else they should be grateful for the opportunity they’ve been given. I view America as our house. We all live under the same roof. Sure it’s not perfect but it’s obviously a lot better then other places in the world otherwise people wouldn’t be risking their lives and freedom to get here. If your homeland is that great and America is that bad stop using our services and programs and go back to where you come from. No one is forcing you to be here and no one would stop you from leaving. Otherwise shut the hell up and be grateful for what this country has given and continues to give you and everyone else who has entered this country since it was founded.