Mon, 10 Apr 2006
Immigration, and illegal immigration in particular, is a hot topic in the US
Congress and among the population in general. Mark Trahant, in an editorial in
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, argues that immigration to the United
States is nothing new, and that the same issues which the country now faces
have endured since the founding of the country. These concerns are: the failure
of new immigrants to assimilate; the fact the new immigrants are entering the
country illegally; and that Americans' jobs are at risk because of immigration.
Although there are parallels to the past, it is undeniable that immigration is
now out of control in this country. Ninety percent of Americans consider
illegal immigration to be a problem.
These immigrants are bringing their foreign culture with them. The immigrants
that come from Mexico and Central America have two to three times the number of
children as native Americans. These children must then be educated at taxpayer
expense. The US cannot afford to feed and educate the world's destitute
masses. We must stop illegal immigration now. If we keep the current
immigration policies in place or further expand the decriminalization of
illegal immigration by granting amnesty to those who have already entered the
country illegally, the US economy will deteriorate until it reaches parity with
Mexico's.
In addition to the economic war US taxpayers are fighting against the onslaught
of illegal aliens, the United States is currently engaged in a war on terror.
Mexico may claim to be an ally of the US, but the lack of Mexican
troops in
Iraq shows that Mexican values are clearly not aligned with America's. Can we
really afford to let our enemies into our country?
Just as during the period following World War I, we must again stand vigilant
against those that wish to enter our country illegally. Those that spit in the
face of the laws of our sovereign nation must be treated like the criminals
they are. If one enters this country by trespass, they are criminals by
definition. With no respect for the law, they will surely have no qualms about
dealing drugs to our children and mugging our elderly.
It has been argued that the immigrants come here to do the work that Americans
will not do. In Los Angeles, move than 30% of students drop out of high
school. Certainly, these uneducated natives will do the low-skilled work that
it is claimed only foreigners will do. These Americans need to have jobs to
support their families. How will they be able to survive with immigrants
taking their jobs and driving down the wages in those few jobs Americans do
find?
Globalization may be improving the standard of living for the world's poor, but
we must not allow it to do so at the expense of good, honest Americans.
The above essay is an assignment for my philosophy class in which I am supposed
to use only bad arguments. I tried to avoid good arguments while, at the same
time, not letting my bad arguments become too absurd. Try to find the
following common fallacies of reasoning:
- Appeal to Popularity
- Stereotype
- False Dilemna
- Hyperbole
- Red Herring
- Begging the Question
- Slippery Slope
- Appeal to Pity
school | Permanent Link
