So the internet is on fire over Trumps latest alleged "behind closed doors" remarks about immigration - and this post I did on Facebook today certainly drew the fire of the bleeding heart left. Following is my post combined with some of my replies to comments. Disclaimer: Trump is an idiot, but this nonsense is really not worthy of the amount of discussion it is getting and here is why:
1. Why is anyone surprised about what comes out of Trump's pie hole? 2. You can bet that over the years, all kinds of "cruel remarks" have come out of every president's mouth (behind closed doors). 3. While it may be difficult to hear about who we should welcome into this country...Trump does make a somewhat valid point. 4. The bitter truth is that immigrants from counties like Haiti do not necessarily add as much value to our population as those who come from countries where the people experience a higher level of education and economic stability. 5. In reality, when it comes to countries in the world that could be considered "shit holes" - Haiti ranks pretty high on the list.
According to a 2006 report by the Corruption Perceptions Index, the nation ranked first of all countries surveyed for levels of domestic corruption. Haiti ranked last among North American countries in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies. Due to the racial caste system instituted in colonial Haiti, Haitian mulattoes (comprising 5% of the nation's population) became the nation's social elite and racially privileged and remain so to this day. Seven out of ten Haitians live on less than US$2 a day. Haiti is among the poorest — and the most unequal —countries in Latin America with 6.3 million out of 10 million Haitians unable to meet their basic food needs. Roughly 75% of Haitian households lack running water. Unsafe water, along with inadequate housing and unsanitary living conditions, contributes to the high incidence of infectious diseases. There is a chronic shortage of health care personnel and hospital resources. The infant mortality rate in Haiti is approximately 60 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to a rate of 6 per 1,000 in other countries. Nearly half the population is illiterate. Over 80% of those who manage to graduate with a degree from a university in Haiti choose to live elsewhere because they know what a "shit hole" Haiti is. The simple fact is that immigrants were far more welcome in the 1800's only because we needed a cheap labor force to build this country. They didn't have to be smart...they just had to work hard and they were able to earn a far better wage here than they could from the shit hole countries they escaped. The problem is that if you look back at history you find that the rather large percentage of people who came to this country with little money and/or education HAD to work hard over time to build businesses, get an education for themselves and their children and become contributing members of society because there were no huge government handouts for them. With the amount of social programs we have now, there is far less incentive to do the work necessary or even learn the language for that matter, and we no longer have to fill nearly as many brute force labor jobs that don't require any education. Those who flock here now with no money or education simply (and willingly) become a burden on society and our national debt. FYI - Our country's motto in regard to immigrants was never "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". This quote comes from Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, New Colossus, which she wrote for a fundraiser auction to raise money for the pedestal upon which the Statue of Liberty now sits. The poem did not receive much recognition and was quite forgotten after the auction. In the early 1900's and after Lazarus’ death, one of her friends began a campaign to memorialize Lazarus and her New Colossus sonnet. The effort was a success, and a plaque with the poem’s text was mounted inside the pedestal of the statue.
