Some Sunday Thoughts

Christmas is over - REALLY over, as last week marked the end of the it. Epiphany is the start of Ordinary Time. The American Catholic Calendar (set by the bishops) shows that it was also National Migration Week.

Wonderful. A week to celebrate a trend that is bankrupting our country.

When the Church talks about migration, they are not talking about those immigrants who exercise the option to apply for a visa, undergo the many tests and inspections that precede that legal process, and abide by the established rules.

They mean, get here however you can, and anchor yourself like a stickleburr on clothing. That's a picture of them below. Once you brush by the plant, they attach themselves, and you have to work hard to get them off. Polyester knits are their favorite attachment fabric.

I wrote the explanation of how illegal immigration works when I was responding to a FB post I saw. When I realized how long my comment was, I copied it, cancelled the comment, and decided to post here.

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The people arriving - either without visas, or over-staying their tourist/student visas - are not necessarily horrible people. What they are, are people who were not specifically invited to stay here permanently.

It's like this - your cousin is broke, and shows up at the door. Your spouse invites him in, and sets up the spare bedroom. After a few months, that cousin brings his girlfriend home with him, explains that she is pregnant, and has no other place to go. You sigh, but try to be gracious about her presence.

Naturally, you can't kick out a pregnant woman, so the two have months to continue lounging around. Oh, did I mention that neither will lift a finger around the house?

Your cousin works a part-time job, but it doesn't pay for all their expenses, so you pick up the remainder. Both you and your husband have to work part-time jobs to cover all of these new expenses. The cousin and his live-in sign you up for satellite TV, with the FULL package. When you call to cancel the service, you are told that the fee will be more than the cost of the service. You add it to your list of bills. You seldom use it - you're too busy working, and cleaning up after your "guests".

About six months after the birth, you set up a meeting with your cousin and his gf. You point out that your house is crowded, you are paying for many of their expenses, and that short-time opportunity to stay has expanded to 3 people living with you, with no plan to leave.

Your cousin yells at you that you are heartless, kicking out a helpless family, and a baby, as well. He says he is a worker, and it's not his fault that his boss doesn't pay him enough to get another place to live.

You point out that he could get another job or work more hours. He says you are trying to make him a slave. You are puzzled by that characterization, as you and your husband are already working second jobs to pay for his expenses.

He says if he has to leave, he will end up on the streets. He threatens to bring in reporters to trash your reputation as a heartless monster.

He does call a lawyer, who shows up and threatens to take you to court. Before the lawyer leaves, he presents his bill - to YOU! When you protest, he goes to court, and the judge sides with the lawyer, who proceeds to slap a lien on your house. By the time you settle this case, you have lost your house, been forced to pay for your cousin's purchase of another house (well, he can't live on the street, can he?), and still owe the lawyer and the courts.

And, you're still paying for your former guests.

Your children have to leave school and get a job to help out. The cousin's children (he had 5 more kids with different women) will attend a private school. YOU will pay the tuition. Fortunately, the school decides to charge less for the cousin's children, and raises the tuition of other students to pay for the difference. Fortunately, your kids are no longer in school, so miss this increase.

When you talk to other people about this, you are lectured about your hostility towards the less fortunate. You are told the only reason you are complaining is that you are a racist. And a Nazi. One of those former neighbors contacts your employer to ask how they could give a job to such a horrible person.

You lose your job. All your social media kicks you out, as you are obviously guilty of - something nefarious.

Your spouse and children leave you (they fear the same fate unless they do). You are tossed into jail for non-payment of court costs. When the other inmates find out what your background is, they beat you up.