Immigrant? We're All Immigrants Here

Ever since Congress has begun the debate on healthcare reform Lou Dobbs has found a new topic and has backed off his ongoing crusade against illegal immigrants. Nevertheless, this is a subject that still divides the country along ideological lines, every bit as much as does healthcare reform.

This is a topic that is on my mind, specifically, because I am a teacher in a school that is 2/3 Latino. A great many of my students are new immigrants to the U.S. An unspecified number every year are what we in education refer to as "undocumented immigrants." For our purposes here, undocumented=illegal.

One of the things that I hear most often from the uninformed is that illegals are coming here and getting free healthcare and government assistance. I ask these people to think for a moment what they are saying. If a family is here illegally, they are ineligible for any government assistance. They don't get access to healthcare any more than anyone else in this society. What do we think the hoopla in D.C. is about anyway? Further, if an illegal were to apply for government assistance, it would come to light that they are illegal and they would be deported. Get real people.

Another objection to illegal immigrants is that they are taking jobs away from American citizens who were born here. I don't think so. Illegal immigrants come here to live a better life than they had wherever they came from. The fact that they do live a better life here than in the countries of their origins is testimony only to the fact that they had a pretty miserable existence before. Most find work that pays pitifully low wages and live below the poverty line. Unscrupulous employers provide them with work while paying below scale, below minimum wage, because they know they can get away with it and increase their profits.

What this essentially means is that the illegal works and spends and becomes a positive force in the economy while flying below the radar. Their lives are generally better here than it was where they came from, but is still pretty miserable by American standards. Who do we think is picking the fruits and vegetables that go to our grocery stores? Who are these people who mow lawns and clean houses? Who buses the tables and washes the dishes in our restaurants? Hard-working people who just want a better life for their families.

The sad thing is that when their children do well in school, they often can't go to college to move up the socioeconomic ladder and achieve the American dream. They aren't here legally. Their parents can't afford to pay for college tuition. They can't apply for financial aid. If they did they would get their families deported. They may be better off in the U.S., but they aren't allowed to fulfill their potential because of immigration laws.

Often when we hear people speak of illegal immigrants, what they are actually saying is code for Mexican. There is a lot of anti-Mexican sentiment in the U.S. Anti-immigrant sentiment is a disguise for ethnic discrimination. It is true that we have a large number of illegal immigrants in this country who hail from Mexico. It is also true that we have illegal immigrants who come from Ireland, Poland, China, and who knows where else. I don't hear an outcry about illegal European or Asian immigrants, though.

People complain about immigrants not speaking the language, about not being socialized into the American way. Working in a school with large numbers of immigrants, what I see is that the first generation struggles with the language, struggles with the customs. Then the successive generations become just as American as the rest of us. This has always been the way. In the late 1800's there were huge German neighborhoods in Chicago where you would be hard-pressed to find an English speaker, and where you were more likely to find a restaurant that served schnitzel than beef stew.

I suppose the point of all this is that if a person is working, if they are a contributing member of a society they should be given a green card. They should be made legal. Then they can pay taxes like the rest of us and contribute to society fully. Honestly, I'm far more concerned about people who are born in the U.S. who won't work and who engage in criminal activity. Can we deport them? No, but we want to deport people who will obey the law and work hard. The U.S. is still a place where an immigrant can get ahead. Just remember that almost all of us are immigrants here and the Native Americans must have been pretty annoyed when all of the white guys started showing up. "There goes the neighborhood."

Fall has Fell

Today is Friday, the last Friday in August, the beginning of the last weekend in August. Next week it will be September. Summer is gone and fall has arrived. It is currently 65 degrees under partly cloudy skies in Streeterville.

Although the official beginning of autumn (fall) isn't until the 22nd of September, I have begun hearing a lot of TV meteorologists referring to something they call meteorological fall, meteorological winter, meteorological spring, and meteorological summer. As best as I can tell, what I think they mean is that the first day of the month in which the change of seasons occurs is really the beginning of said season. Next Tuesday is the beginning of meteorological autumn.

Mind you other people use other markers for the change of seasons. Ask any student or teacher when fall begins and they'll tell you that officially it begins around about the 21st or 22nd of September, but fall really begins when school begins again. For those of us in the Chicago Public Schools that means fall begins with Labor Day. For some fall means that both the Cubs and Sox have been eliminated from any possibility of going to the World Series and it's time to focus on the Bears football season.

There are those who actually look at things like autumn weather patterns, and believe me, by that standard fall has already arrived in Chicago. The sun has just emerged for the first time in 3 days. It has rained on and off for these last 3 days, and I don't believe the temperature at the lakefront has gotten out of the 60's for these last 3 days. Looking at the extended weather forecast, we don't expect temperatures out of the 60's for the next 4 days and not above the 70's for the next week. Temperatures are trending downward and fall weather has arrived.

Some people judge summer to fall transition by the activity at the lakefront and on the lake itself. I went for a run today and while the professional beach volleyball tour has arrived at Oak Street Beach, for the most part the beaches are beginning to look deserted. The running and biking path is in use, but the numbers are dwindling. Looking out the window I can see that there are no boats in Streeterville Bay this Friday afternoon. There are a few triathlon trainees swimming their laps next to the shore, but even those numbers are shrinking. (A few days ago there were so many swimmers that they were swimming into each other.)

All of this evidence is pretty serious evidence that summer has indeed passed us by once more, but I have to point to the most serious evidence there is, the meteorological observations of Larry the Doorman. Larry does not lie. Larry is rarely wrong in these matters. He has beaten that other weather forecaster, Phil the Groundhog, 3 years running, in the matter of when spring is coming. Now it appears that Larry also has pronouncements on the arrival of fall.

Larry the Doorman has told me unequivocally that fall begins when the last airplane in the Chicago Air and Water Show flies away. Larry assures me that this has already occurred and I should note that the temperatures have begun to go downwards. There may be one or two odd days in the low 80's yet, but they will be an anomaly as the world drifts through fall and prepares for winter. Put your shorts and t-shirts and flip-flops away ladies and gentlemen. I expect you're getting tired of that summer wardrobe anyway. Get out your long pants. Put on some real shoes. Get the sweatshirts and sweaters ready. It won't be long until you'll need light jackets. Larry the Doorman has proclaimed it to be fall.

Ode to a Lifelong Liberal

A great man just died, and with him went a tremendous positive force in the U.S. Senate. Ted Kennedy was the kind of liberal politician who could bring out the worst in the conservative elements in this country, the attack mode. He was not perfect. A lot of things about his personal life left something to be desired. Yet he qualifies as a truly great man.

In spite of being a part of a very wealthy family, he devoted a life to bringing equality to all Americans, regardless of income. And perhaps more importantly, he was never ashamed of who he was. He was never afraid to stand up and proudly announce to the world that he was a liberal, a man who cared about all Americans, not just those of a certain income status, not just those of a certain ethnicity, not just those who have the same religious beliefs as you do, not just those who have the same sexual orientation as you.

Just caring about Americans, just holding a certain belief system, however, does not in and of itself make one a great man. Ted Kennedy knew how to act on those beliefs and make something happen. He knew that in order to make positive things happen in our society one must actively engage the opposition. One must persuade. One must cajole. One must compromise. He was stellar at all of the above. He made things happen.

When the Civil Rights Act of 1963 was being debated in the Senate, it was Ted Kennedy who championed the cause and saw that it happened. When the Voting Rights Act was being pushed through Congress it was Ted Kennedy who saw that it got through the Senate and in the process added the amendment that lowered the voting age to 18 so our soldiers in Vietnam could vote for the people who decide whether or not to go to war. It was Ted Kennedy who championed the Americans With Disabilities Act. As late as 2007 it was Ted Kennedy who tried to re-introduce the Equal Rights Amendment, guaranteeing equal rights for women.

Let us not forget, though, that it was Ted Kennedy who for the last 40 years has been fighting for healthcare for all Americans. It was he who was responsible for expanding Medicare and Medicaid benefits. It was Ted Kennedy who saw that free clinics for the poorest of Americans continued to be funded despite efforts by the Reagan administration to cut that funding, in their "Government is the problem," binge.

Further, in our last election, it was Ted Kennedy who endorsed Barack Obama and gave it the boost that helped it reach The Promised Land. It was Ted Kennedy who endorsed and helped shape the legislative agenda the Obama Presidency brings to the table. John Kennedy shaped a legislative agenda of the 1960's that he was unable to complete because of his own untimely death. Lyndon B. Johnson, with legislative aid from Ted Kennedy made that agenda reality. Now the man behind the "liberal agenda," Ted Kennedy will be unable to make his agenda reality. Let us hope that the man he helped become President can follow through on this agenda as LBJ did when JFK died.

Ted Kennedy never became President, but as a 40 year veteran of the U.S. Senate and a man who has had a hand in shaping every piece of liberal legislation in the last 40 years, he is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all Americans, certainly one of the greatest 4 or 5 legislators in U.S. history. It was he who was the true believer. It was he who was the person who always pressed forward. It is not for him, but perhaps in honor of him, that we need to see his agenda to fruition, for the good of all Americans. Who will now step forward and fill those shoes? Who will become a champion for us all?

Cheering For the Home Team

I saw a list today of the 100 best high school football teams in the country. No doubt the students and parents and faculty of these schools are very proud and have a great deal of school spirit. The funny thing is that if you made a list of the worst 100 high school football teams in the country you would probably find that a great many of these schools have a lot of school spirit. The students are still proud of being a student at their school. The parents are proud of their kids. The faculty are proud to a part of the school as well.

The funny thing is that the same can be said of nations. Doesn't matter where you come from. You have a connection to the nation that gave you birth. People in Russia are just as apt to believe their nation is the best place on earth as are those in the U.S.A. People in Uruguay are just as likely to believe they hail from the best place on earth as are those in France. It's just the nature of the beast.

The thing is that with all the rah rah sentiment regarding one's country, quite often people forget that maybe it could be even better yet. People start believing that their country is the best and no other country could touch it and part and parcel of that belief is the conservative notion that it needs no changing.

I love the U.S.A. as much as the next guy. I was born here. I have spent most of my life in the U.S. I think it's a great place. Oh I spent a couple of years in Guam, but that's a U.S. territory. I've traveled to a great many places outside the U.S., Morocco, Iceland, Australia, Thailand, Belize, and the island of Yap to name a few. These trips were merely vacations, though. I'm an American to the core.

Yet I can't help thinking that a few things could be better. Part of this thinking is, in all probability, due to the fact that I have seen a lot of the world. I know it's not absolutely awful everywhere else in the world. Some are awful, but a lot of places are pretty nice places to live.

Yet there are scads of people who seem to have the notion that our current way of life in the U.S.A. is the very best in the world and everyone else's way of life is terrible. Take the healthcare debate. (Please) There are a lot of Americans who seem convinced that the way we do it now is the best possible alternative. Yet the U.S.A. ranks 50th in life expectancy. The U.S.A. ranks 33rd in infant mortality. How is this possible in a country with the best health care system in the world? (Hint: It has something to do with the millions of Americans who don't have access to adequate healthcare. Rich people get good health care. Poor people don't.)

Okay, the health care system may leave a little bit to be desired, but we have the best technology the world has to offer don't we? Do we? Do we really? Apparently, when it comes to average broadband internet speed, the U.S. ranks 17th in the world. Ouch! Then there are huge chunks of rural America and in poverty-stricken neighborhoods in urban America where internet access is limited or unavailable period.

This country still has the largest GDP of any nation in the world. This country is unquestionably the greatest military power on the face of the earth. This country offers unparalleled freedoms, unavailable anywhere else in the world. Could we just have a rational discussion for once, though? Can we logically discuss areas where we could use some improvement. If we fall behind in health care, in technology, we inevitably risk falling by the wayside as a second-rate nation. If there are people out there promoting change, it doesn't mean they're evil, or a communist, or a Nazi. It means they care about their nation, and its people. Rah rah! Go U.S.A.

Pet Peeves, Everybody Deserves One

When I was a kid the joke around my house was "Our family is so poor we can't even afford a pet peeve." Then the follow up line was, "We're so broke we can't pay attention." There were, no doubt, others that escape my memory, but the pet peeve line has always stuck with me.

Now I'm older and I've managed to raise my status to somewhere in the neighborhood of middle class and the line just doesn't seem apt any more. Furthermore, my new found status gives me leverage that I didn't have before. I can now afford a pet peeve, and I have several.

It may seem like the pet peeve line is just a throwaway line that is just there for the play on words and a little humor, but if you think about it, when you're poor you just can't afford to be as picky. Your status has dictated that you can't dictate to others and you pretty much have to accept whatever is thrown your way. With cash comes power, and with power comes the right to show annoyance at others.

Ain't capitalism grand? Poverty=Groveling obsequiousness and Wealth=The right to speak your mind. Middle class (Neither poverty-stricken nor truly wealthy, but in between)=The right to speak your mind to people with less power and cash than you. Not sure where you stand with some people? Speak your mind at your own risk.

All of that being said, know what really annoys me? People who can't spell and don't give two hoots. I'm not even talking about words like obsequious or making sure you get the right number of c's and m's in accommodate. I'm talking about people who don't know the difference between there, their, and they're. I'm talking about people who have the unmitigated gall to go online and publish blogs, to write in newspapers and magazines, and they don't even do spell checks. Jesus, get a proofreader people.

Don't get me started on people who use the number 2 instead of to or too, who use 4 instead of for. Okay for text-messaging, but not for other media. While we're on the topic, LOL and TMI are one thing. There are some people who use little abbreviations for all their communication and some are so obscure I quite often find myself wondering "WTF?"

Now these things may seem just a little picky to you, but everyone has their own pet peeves and these are some of mine. I earned them. I also don't like people who try to go around you on the right at the traffic light and then cut in front of you. I can't stand people who think they know everything when they know damned well I do. And then there are people who bring every conversation around to themselves because they are absolutely sure that the most exciting and important things in the room are themselves.

I could go on, but then you might get the idea that I've gone far beyond pet peeves and have shown myself to be just one more cranky individual. Furthermore, based on my previously stated theory regarding money, power, and the right to be cranky about people, it might seem that I need to seriously consider making a lot more money before claiming all of the above as pet peeves. Perhaps I should leave you today, then, with a quote from one of my favorite intellectuals, Charlie Brown. "I love humanity. It's people I can't stand."

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Naming Rights

School is almost back in session here in Chicago and with the new school year comes the usual questions of "Where will all the money come from?" Only this year it's worse. The economy is in a downturn. The state and local lawmaking bodies are all looking for ways to trim the fat, to make the budget a little less unbalanced. Duly noted that some of the lawmakers themselves may need some balancing.

There are a number of ways to balance budgets and cut expenditures. Fire a few people. Make the remainder do twice as much work. That will cut expenditures. Borrow scads of money and make our children's children's children pay it all off in the year 3225. That might work. Get rid of all those benefit things like health care. That would save a bunch of money. Sick days? Get rid of them. If they can't work, hire someone to replace them. That'll cut costs and help the unemployment problem. Maybe we could shut down a bunch of schools and put all the kids in overcrowded classrooms in overcrowded schools. That will save money. Better yet. Let's just shut down all the public schools and turn them over to private education companies. Can you say Charter Schools? I bet you can.

The problem is, ladies and gentlemen, we haven't been thinking creatively. Why not sell naming rights to our schools? It brings in lots of money for sports franchises. This goes back to the 1920's when the Wrigley family of gum fame built a stadium on the Northside of Chicago for the Cubs. Of course the concept turned out to be a bit of an embarassment when the Enron scandal hit and the Houston Astros had to resell the naming rights to Minute Maid. Small setback.

Just think of it. Instead of having schools named for heroes, we could sell the naming rights to corporations. Instead of Marie Curie High School, we could have Abbott Laboratories High School. Instead of Abraham Lincoln Middle School there could be Exxon-Mobil Inc. Middle School. I couldn't wait to get my kid in Wells Fargo Bank Elementary School. How about the Blue Cross Blue Shield School of Insurance Studies? The possibilities are endless.

The cafeterias could be sold to food service companies and restaurant chains. What kid wouldn't want to eat lunch in the Olive Garden cafeteria or perhaps the Pizza Hut Food Court. The school sports teams could be sold to corporate sponsors. What kid wouldn't want to play for the Boeing Jets? The New York Stock Exchange Bulls? How about the Geico Geckos? The money would come rolling in.

And that's just the public schools. We could do away with the national debt by selling naming rights and sponsorship. Exploit the continuing competition between Coca Cola and Pepsi. We could have the Coca Cola Congress. We could have the Pepsi Presidency. Get the Supreme Court in on the action with the Subway Sandwich Supreme Court. Sub-group naming rights with the International House of Pancakes House of Representatives and the Seven-Up Senate. Every department in the government could have its own corporate sponsor, from the Department of State to the Department of the Interior. This country could be back in the black in no time.

Now if there are any corporations out there who might be offering a reasonable sum, Views From the 14th Floor could be sporting a new name in no time. Don't like R.D. Ray? For the right price I might be willing to become YOUR NAME HERE!

Autumn's a Coming and the House is Full of Loons

The Air and Water Show is over and done and Larry the Doorman assures me that this is the first true sign of autumn, or autumn to come. As we have seen before (See Larry the Doorman vs. Phil the Groundhog.) Larry is very rarely wrong in matters of meteorology. Labor Day will soon come a knocking and the slow cooldown will be rocking. Next thing you know we'll be viewing the Chicago Marathon. Then it'll be Thanksgiving. Next thing you know you forgot to buy your wife a Christmas present and it'll be the last minute. Thanks for the update Larry. The skies and the lake are looking a little gray at the moment. Currently it's 81 degrees under mostly cloudy skies, with a chance of a thunderstorm later. This, from the Streeterville Weather Service. Neglected to ask Larry about specifics.

Even as summer winds down and autumn tiptoes in, the weird season endures. My favorite story of the day involves yet one more fiasco of a townhall meeting, this one being held by Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts. Townhall meeting organized in a Senior Center in Southeastern Massachusetts, a quiet respectful exchange of views and information, right? Wrong.

A woman holding a picture of Obama with a Hitler-style mustache stepped up to the microphone and demanded to know why Frank supports what she called Nazi policies. Representative Frank looked at her at that point and asked, "On what planet do you spend most of your time?" He went on to say, "Ma'am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it."

Apparently the meeting progressed with various loonies yelling and booing when people attempted to express real thought and when faced with the prospect of taking the next question from the audience Frank said, "Which one of you wants to yell next?" You go Barney. Got to like that guy. This country could use a little more smart-ass in the dialogue when the opposition to your policies resorts to tactics from the lunatic fringe.

It's just frustrating to attempt to have a real debate about healthcare, or anything else for that matter, when those who disagree with you begin making up facts, resort to name-calling, and plain old shouting you down to shut you up. What that means is that no one gets the actual facts. No one hears a reasoned response. It makes for entertaining shots on the evening news, but not much more. It obfuscates the real debate.

Sometimes I find myself pining for those quick-witted sorts who had the ability to put people in their place, who had the ability to make people feel about 3 inches high. Where are those quick wits and sharp tongues when you need them? Barney Frank got a couple of shots in, but for the most part the quick wits are too civilized to resort to barbs even when the opposition is calling them really rude names. The opposition is busy being shouted down by orchestrated groups of loonies. At this rate, American politics is going to devolve into something akin to the circus that is Italian politics, a sideshow including strippers and porn stars who get elected to the national legislature. Well, at least they have something to look at while the yelling and screaming is going on.