Get the ill out of illegal

Illegal Immigrants are a hot issue today, but I really don't see what the fuss is about. To be fair, though, I'm a white american male and that probably sums it up. But still, it seems pretty simple. On the one hand, illegal immigrants are simply that: illegal. So naturally, a law that makes being here illegally ... illegal ... makes sense. I'm actually surprised that the lawmakers from Texas didn't try to throw in the death penalty for good measure.

But, on the other hand, I'm all for getting the ill out of illegal. I'm not one of those elitists who think that all the mexicans, asians, canadians, and alabamans should be kept out. Let's just get them paying taxes to help the system run.

I'm aware that illegal immigrants are the root of a lot of problems. It's unfair to those who go through the process of getting here legally. It's unfair to the social services when they use the services without paying the taxes that support the services. It's unfair to citizens who can't get a job because the illegal immigrants are taking the jobs at a lower rate. Etc.

But - no matter how complicated the problem seems, I think there is a very simple solution. If the illegal immigrants want to be treated like citizens, let's treat them like citizens. They should be paying taxes, learning English, getting educated, having jobs, and sending their kids to school just like everyone else. Sure, the first generation illegal immigrants will cost society - a lot. Most won't be well educated at first and will thus be forced to look for lower-paying jobs. Perhaps society should be giving illegal immigrants education at society's expense so they can become better contributors and look for better-paying jobs. But immigrants' children should turn out okay. After all, that's what the system is designed for. We're not in any danger of running out of room for these people. The illegal immigrants should be allowed to easily become legal and become contributors to our society rather than liabilities.