Trying to find a place for everyone....

Amnesty? Utah Could Be First State to Permit Illegal Immigrants

abcnews.go.com

Utah could become the first state in the nation with its own guest worker program that would grant permits to undocumented immigrants and allow them to continue living and working in the state legally.

What a heated discussion so here I go! .....This is MY OPINION so try and be nice people! lol Let me first state that I am all for Legal Immigrants my Mom is one of them. I am all for people wanting a better way of life, BUT there has to be rules to everything or it just gets way out of hand! Let me say that I work with some of the best Hispanic people I have ever met! My Older co-workers appreciate every opportunity that is given to them in this country, we appreciate one another and have a mutual understanding that we are here for the same reasons.

I have a very close friend that is from England. Her sister is still there and has been waiting years to move to America. How does it make those people feel to hear this now?

WHY IS SOMEONE THAT BROKE THE LAW ORIGINALLY NOW BEING REWARDED??? Contact the families waiting to come to this country....reward them for obeying the system and give them the permits!

I know it's harsh, but families that are being split up are not the fault of any State. These families are well aware of what they are going into when they come to America. ....In my opinion how many will really go about all the steps that are needed to get the permit. Fees, back ground checks, and Insurance....I don't know? And why is not learning some English part of it? I can't even talk to half of the people I work with and then I am told that I need to learn Spanish??? I guarantee NO ONE would bend over backwards for me if I was to go to another country and try and only speak English.

If Utah is one of the only States providing this opportunity where do you think the majority will go?

It's really hard for me to be supportive when I have had experiences that make me feel like the minority! .....Living in my little Ut County sheltered environment I NEVER thought I would ever be faced with the issue of racism! When Hunter started school years ago I asked the teacher why no homework was being sent home and why a reading program was not in place? She had told me that it was because the "majority" of the class was non-English speaking students and their parents did not speak English so it was impossible to send work home. My first response was WHAT??? My ancestors paved the roads in this State and now my son is being "held back", in a sense, because of immigrants (legal or not)???

My second encounter was while serving in the Young Women's presidency. Now I will say that I have never understood the whole "English" and "Spanish" ward thing. I understand it for language purposes, but doesn't God want us to love one another, be unified and learn and grow from each other? This really bothers me! People fought for Whites and Blacks to use the same bathroom, but yet Americans and Hispanics in our church can't worship together? While serving I felt it really put a void in our Stake! Meeting times, camp, and activities were always divided by the two "groups". How silly does it look to outsiders. Here is the church and it is divided into English speaking members, Spanish speaking members, and Tongan members. How can I learn from my other members, be there friends, serve them, include them if I don't even worship with them on Sunday???

I have to say that when I started my job I had never worked with anyone form a diferent country and was eagar to get to know them and their way of life. They had such a easy going, simple, enthusiastic way of life about them that I liked! Most of my co-workers and I greeted eachother with a "Hello" each night if not followed up with a hug and kiss on the cheek! I felt we had a good working relationship and still do to this day! I will admit that even though I felt a deep love for my friends, the language barier was hard for me to deal with. Not so much that we couldn't communicate , but I felt that it was to their advantage at times to talk with each other in front of others that did not know their language, about other co-workers and with one of my Team Leads. If I was to talk about them they would know what I was saying, but if they were to talk about me, I had no idea of what was being said. Even the men would talk, laugh and then say, "right Suzanne" and laugh and tell me that I should learn Spanish. I don't hold many grudges so I just played along with it.....

That was until someone had called in and said that I was Racist? ME? ARE YOU KIDDING!!! I took it very personlly and it really bothered me that I had gone out of my way to include them into my life and then to be labeled like that it was a slap in the face!!! After interviews with myself and co-workers, my work did see that it was a false statement, but I felt that nothing was said to my co-workers to reassure them that this was a false statement. I felt it needed to be done at the time!

Since my Husband has been in school and his employer does not offer benifits I was told that the State offered Inurance, "Chip", to chidren that were not insured. I am not a fan of help from the State and am a firm believer that there is always someone out there that needs it more than I! for the sake of my kids, I went through the rigorouse process to try and get benifits for them. Benefits for Kenton and I were totally out of the question. If you have ever done this you know what I mean. It's probably easier to sneak into a Hannah Montana concert than get benifits! As I was told that we would probably would not get any benifits I looked to my right and overheard the conversation of the family next to me. There was a family of 5 of a different nationality recieving, medical, Dental, food and houseing assistance. Not that I didn't want them to get benefits!!!......I couln't help but feel a little cheated out of the systym! My husbabnd and I both have worked since 15 and now I can't even get a little help so that my kids can get check ups and shots? It was very dysparing for me and I guess this brings me to my conclusion on the matter....


I don't know what it is like to live in another country where there is war, sever poverty, hunger, and homelessness, and I'm sure that I would want a better way of life for my family if I were in a situation like that. But we as a people will continue to compare, to divide, to argue and continue to practice racism if there is not some unity in out community and a fair and just conclusion! God wants his people to learn and grow from one another, and to respect and love each other, but how can that happen when threats are being made and people are not responsible for their actions? And what about the people in our own backyards, homeless, jobless, father or motherless, and starving?

I do hope that there is a solution that will benefit everyone involved! Here's to unity and a better way of life for everyone!
This was not to bash, or offend anyone. If it did I am sorry!....you know me I am always honest and true to who I am when sharing my thought......and living perfectly imperfect!