Barack Obama: 44th President of the United States of America!

Today is the day, November 4th, 2008. Election day. If you haven't already, go out and vote! For many people, like me, who just turned 18, this is a monumental election that we have the honor of taking a part in.
When I woke up this morning and got on Facebook I noticed something great. Whether supporting John McCain or Barack Obama, everyone of my friends had something to say about the election. Whether it be a new display picture profiling their favorite candidate, a status update proclaiming their support for their candidate, or simply joining groups that favor their candidate. It's an exciting time, a great moment in history for people my age. I've never been through an election like this before and for once I actually feel like I have a say in the next president of the United States. Campaign signs are plastered everywhere, students are in the pit reminding everyone to vote, Google has a voting makeover, front pages of newspapers are being taken over by the election. Now, more than ever, it seems like all of America is behind this election and is ready for change.
2004's election didn't seem nearly as involved as this one. Maybe it was because I was younger then, or because everyone wasn't thoroughly sick of George Bush yet. Whatever the reason, this year's election definitely seems different.
In a way I will glad when this is over. I'm sort of tired of politics right now and I just want to know who the next president will be. I'm tired of hearing about the latest presidential scandal or hearing someone preaching about how one candidate is better than the other. Let's all try to remember that whoever the next president is, they are working for us and that whatever they do is for the good of the United States. I really hope this process goes smoothly and we don't need a recount, it would be nice to know who our next president is by tomorrow. Well, that's all for now! Very soon we will have a new President of the United States, and that's amazing!

Here is some surprising news discovered just days before the election. According to the Associated Press, Barack Obama's aunt is living here illegally. Apparently, four years ago, Obama's Aunt, Zeituni Onyango, was refused a request for asylum by an immigration judge, and she has been living illegally in Boston ever since. In Obama's memoir, he refers to her as "Aunt Zeituni". Obama claims he did not know his aunt was living here illegally. Not much more is known as of now, but it does raise a few eyebrows about the legitimacy of Barack Obama. Could this affect him in the polls? I guess we will find out soon...

Many employers today, from small farms to huge corporations, hire illegal workers to do the job Americans don't want to do. These businesses lure in illegal workers desperately seeking to feed their family. The relative ease of getting a low-paying job in America attracts thousands of illegal immigrants every day. These businesses rarely go unpunished by the government, so their use of illegal labor continues. As long as employers are willing to hire illegals, there will be new illegal immigrants crossing our border everday.
The government has done little up till now to penalize employers who hire illegal immigrants. Worksite enforcement programs were scaled back 95 percent between 1999 and 2003. Also between this time period, the number of businesses prosecuted for hiring illegals went from 182 in 1999 to only FOUR in 2003, and the fines collected from these businesses dropped from $3.6 million to $212,000. The government also issued fine notices to only three employers in 2003 compared to 417 in 1999. The gradual step down in enforcement of employers who hire illegals came with the move of President Bush into the White House. The more relaxed enforcement has also been caused by immigrant rights groups, business lobbies, and members of Congress. Recently, however President Bush has improved the E-verify system (formerly the Basic Pilot/Employment Eligibility Verification Program) which is an online system that verifies the eligibility of a potential employee. The system is run by both the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. The system works by comparing the employee's I-9 form against the SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases. More than 87,000 employers are currently enrolled in the program. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have also recently arrested seven current and former supervisors of IFCO Systems North America, who were accused of transporting and harboring illegals. If convicted, the company executives could face jail time and a $250,000 fine. Hopefully, this is a positive sign that the government is cracking down on companies like IFCO.
This aspect of illegal immigration promises to be a hot topic for the future president, either Barack Obama or John McCain. Both believe that a stronger crackdown on employers who hire illegals is needed. Whoever is chosen as our next president needs to be prepared to enforce all regulations that will decrease the attraction that immigrants feel for the United States.

Before beginning this blog I considered myself well-informed on the issue of illegal information, and I believed my opinions were set in stone. I also assumed that I had an accurate view of Obama's view on immigration, when I fact I had a few details wrong. I knew I had a basic idea that I didn't like the border fence, but I wasn't really sure why.
First off, I must declare that I am now so much more informed on this issue than I was previously. I was unclear as to each president's views on immigration, and I just assumed that since Obama was a Democrat, he believed the same as I did. I now am confident and informed on the issue of illegal immigration and was proud when I casted an informed vote in this year's election.
I never fully realized how similar Barack Obama and John McCain's views were until I did the research. In nearly every aspect they are similar which caused me to rethink my candidate for one sad day. However, after doing more research I realized that Obama was still my candidate of choice. Every reader should know by now my position on the border fence, but they also understand that toward the beginning of the blog, I believed that Obama was against it. But, McCain and Obama are both in favor of the fence. This caused me to stop and think , "maybe I should research the independent party candidate?". So I began my research on Ralph Nader.
Nader believes in the basic human rights of all Americans and wants to raise the minimum wage to 8 dollars an hour, then raise it again to ten dollars an hour. Like Obama and McCain, Nader also wants to crack down on employer's who hire illegal immigrants, and certify a guest worker program. But unlike Obama and McCain, Nader believes in giving driver's licenses and all benefits to illegals. He also believes in enforcing a Canadian-type temporary permit system for immigrants. Nader definitely is taking a personal approach to this issue as his vice-presidential candidate, Matt Gonzalez, is an activist for immigration and is of Hispanic origin. However, casting a vote for an independent party candidate seems like a waste of a vote.
As for the border fence that I was against, I had no reasons as to why I opposed it. However, now I can firmly say I am against the border fence because it's an environmental, personal, and agricultural hazard.
I also could not comprehend the price that illegal immigration is costing us every year. The numbers are outrageous. But as much I believe in the good of our economy, I also believe in the welfare of every human being. Every person deserves "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and immigrants are no exceptions. The naturalization process is ridiculously long and tedious and it just discourages illegal immigrants to actually become documented. As I have stated before, what's the point of waiting 5 years to become a citizen when you can work illegally right now?
Class-wise I found this project to be very helpful in not only getting to know my classmates, but also discussing important topics with them. Commenting on each post also forced me in a way to learn even more about my topic and go beyond the realms of everyday thinking. The relaxed, no-pressure environment the internet provides allows for comment replies that are well thought out and constructed. Public speaking is hard for many people and, when put on the spot, an answer can be uninformed or short. By writing on the internet, an individual gets better information.
Towards the beginning of the project, with the first few posts, I found it extremely difficult to come up with a topic for each post. Therefore, the blog was slow to get started and I really didn't enjoy it initially. It was a chore to google possible topics and then research them. As the weeks progressed though, I found it easier to take a suggestion from someone's comment or delve deeper into a different aspect of immigration. I realized that these posts don't have to be specifically about immigration, they could be about the effects immigration has on society or the naturalization process. Once I got into this mindset I found the whole process easier.
This blog also allowed me to examine my preconceived notions on illegal immigration. Before starting this project I based most of opinion on my conservative parent's opinion, my job, and the place I lived. My parents are pretty strictly Republican and believe most of the things that go along with that. As I listened to them discuss illegal immigration and all the negative effects it has on society, I began to agree with them. I also worked at my town's grocery store and sold food to many Hispanic people. I found it difficult to converse with these people or tell them how much their order was if they didn't speak English. So then I began to think that illegal immigrants (although I can't assume all of the Hispanic customers are illegal) would benefit from learning English, and I still do. I grew up in a town that has quite a high percentage Hispanic population. Again, I can't assume that all Hispanics are illegal, but I began to relate Hispanics with illegals and always saw them in the bad part of town or being convicted of murders, so I also related illegals with crime. I didn't even realize how biased I was until I started doing this project. Although experience is good to shape an opinion, it can also alter the actual reality of an issue.
Other student's blog helped me to become informed on issues ranging from global warming and oil to healthcare, the economy, and the situation in Iran. More than likely, I would not have chosen to research these topics on my own, and the fact that I had to comment on the information I was reading helped me connect more the material.
In summary, my views have stayed relatively constant. I still believe that all illegal immigrants in our country now should become naturalized and learn English and I still believe in stronger security at the border (which doesn't include the border fence). The only true thing that has changed is that I now am considerably more informed on the topic.

I have included in this blog some links to other sites that will better inform on the topic of illegal immigration.

American Heritage: History: This website gives an in-depth look at the history of illegal immigration. It's always important to the know the history and facts on a subject before beginning a series study or forming opinions.

National Public Radio:This site gives a brief and easy to understand list of the pros and cons of illegal immigration. This website is good if an individual wanted to take an initial stand on the issue.

Different Views: This site explains the different views that Republicans and Democrats have on the subject of illegal immigration. Very good site if you want to figure out what party holds your ideals and values.

Barack Obama's view: Obama's own website which details his stance on illegal immigration.

John McCain's view: McCain's personal website that explains his stance on illegal immigration.

Washington Post: A discussion on the fact that Americans are very split on the issue of illegal immigration. It explains the idea that no one is actually totally democratic or totally republican on this issue. Gives an interesting account in to personal lives of Americans.

Huffington Post: Written on a liberal website, John Ridley discusses why illegal immigration is no longer an important issue to the candidates. He ponders whether it's because of the current economic situation (but isn't immigration connected with the economy?), or the similar candidate's views on immigration. He discusses these issues and more. Simple and informative.

Obama's Immigration Reform: A transcript from a floor statement made by Barack Obama about immigration reform. This is a very good speech to read as it gives a person an idea on what exactly Obama means when he says America needs immigration reform.

McCain's Immigration Reform: Article about the immigration reform views of John McCain.

Border Fence: Basic information and pros and cons of the border fence that is currently being constructed. Both candidate's have voted for the border fence, so it's Americans duty to understand what that will mean for the environment, land, and immigration all together.

Most of my posts deal with the facts of illegal immigration and the pros and cons. Today, however I'd like to discuss the steps that Hispanics go through to become a US citizen after they have immigrated. Keep in mind, this is for legal immigrants only.
To be eligible for naturalization a person must be 18 years old, live in the USA for 5 years, be a lawful permanent resident, and be of good moral character. If a person is eligible, they must begin a series of tasks. The first being completing an application for citizenship called N-400. The second is to get two passport-like photographs taken, collect all necessary documents, and then send in the application along with fees. The fees include 320 dollar application fee and a 70 dollar fee for fingerprinting. After sending in an application it may be 5 months to more than 2 years before the immigrant is requested for an interview. However, considering the number of applicants that apply each year, the application waiting list can be more than 10 years. After waiting, the applicant goes through a series of interviews and tests (English and civics test). The test itself is quite difficult and many Americans can't even pass it. Here's some sample questions to test your patriotic skills (scroll toward the bottom of the page). If the immigrant passes the test, they are asked what they have been doing since the interview and then take the oath of allegiance before finally becoming a US citizen. The whole process is very long and tedious.
Given that the naturalization process is so long, many immigrants find it easier to just cross the border illegally and work right away instead of waiting 5 months to 10 years just work legally. In a way, the naturalization process encourages illegal immigration. What is needed is a total reform of the naturalization process. Less expensive fees for application, more employees to help sift through the pounds of applications, and a simpler test. Hopefully, if the process is simplified, many immigrants will see the advantages of becoming a US citizen, instead of the disadvantages.
Until next time...