What happened to the immigration thread?

[KUTradition]

but, it’s just reality, Fish

[MICHHAWK]

ship em off to canada.

[JKLivin]

Which is a better response:

to make some point about how people have been invading this country for centuries before Orwell was a thing?

Or to make some Jesus point like, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you said, “no way bro, I couldn’t possibly welcome you, not if you came here illegally!

I liken it to a lifeboat that is already overloaded and is in danger of sinking. Do you keep allowing people to get out of the water and into the boat because you feel bad for them, which guarantees that everybody will end up in the water, or do you encourage them to find another boat?

Last year was an eye-opening experience for me. My wife and I decided to see what it would be like to teach at a State university, so we lined up visiting professorships at a school in the Texas A&M system located in Laredo. It was by far the worst place I have ever lived. Laredo is right on the Mexican border, with thousands of people coming over from Nuevo Laredo every day to work and shop and live during the work week. The infrastructure is overwhelmed, everything is crowded all the time, and the utility system is continually in overload.

We rented a house in what used to be a nice neighborhood, where we were an anomaly. It was the two of us and our infant in a small three bedroom two bath house. All of our neighbors had six to eight cars in their driveways and lined up along the streets because they had ten to twelve people crammed into their similarly-sized houses - many of whom I'm sure were there illegally. They had people living in their garages with rigged up window A/C units running non-stop. The power went out on a regular basis, and the temperature was always at or near 100. As the other faculty at the university told us, we were technically in the United States, but in reality, we were living in Mexico. It was one iota above a Third World country in most respects.

Here's my point. We left because it was a horrible place to live, and the university continues to have difficulty attracting, hiring, and retaining faculty for that reason. I don't want to live like that, but if we continue to let uncontrolled streams of illegals come across our border, we will all be living that way eventually.

There are other countries to go to. We are at capacity. It's just reality.

At capacity?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... on_density

One of the things we’re RICHEST on is the clear capacity for more people.

Capacity is a subjective construct. Are we talking capacity by First World or Third World standards? Personally, I'm not down with living at Third World capacity. Been there, done that. It sucks.

[jfish26]

I liken it to a lifeboat that is already overloaded and is in danger of sinking. Do you keep allowing people to get out of the water and into the boat because you feel bad for them, which guarantees that everybody will end up in the water, or do you encourage them to find another boat?

Last year was an eye-opening experience for me. My wife and I decided to see what it would be like to teach at a State university, so we lined up visiting professorships at a school in the Texas A&M system located in Laredo. It was by far the worst place I have ever lived. Laredo is right on the Mexican border, with thousands of people coming over from Nuevo Laredo every day to work and shop and live during the work week. The infrastructure is overwhelmed, everything is crowded all the time, and the utility system is continually in overload.

We rented a house in what used to be a nice neighborhood, where we were an anomaly. It was the two of us and our infant in a small three bedroom two bath house. All of our neighbors had six to eight cars in their driveways and lined up along the streets because they had ten to twelve people crammed into their similarly-sized houses - many of whom I'm sure were there illegally. They had people living in their garages with rigged up window A/C units running non-stop. The power went out on a regular basis, and the temperature was always at or near 100. As the other faculty at the university told us, we were technically in the United States, but in reality, we were living in Mexico. It was one iota above a Third World country in most respects.

Here's my point. We left because it was a horrible place to live, and the university continues to have difficulty attracting, hiring, and retaining faculty for that reason. I don't want to live like that, but if we continue to let uncontrolled streams of illegals come across our border, we will all be living that way eventually.

There are other countries to go to. We are at capacity. It's just reality.

At capacity?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... on_density

One of the things we’re RICHEST on is the clear capacity for more people.

Capacity is a subjective construct. Are we talking capacity by First World or Third World standards? Personally, I'm not down with living at Third World capacity. Been there, done that. It sucks.

This is just detached from reality. I assume you've spent time abroad. Even setting aside gobs and gobs of space out west that are self-evidently NOT supportive to being major population centers, we simply do not have capacity problems to worry about.

[KUTradition]

some might argue that based on infant mortality rates, the US is very much already on par with “3rd World” nations

(pro-tip: that terminology is outdated and generally considered offensive)

[MICHHAWK]

lots of untapped capacity in canada.

[MICHHAWK]

if "3rd world" is considered offensive. what can we call them. "$#!tholes.

[KUTradition]

proudly ignorant, as always

[jfish26]

lots of untapped capacity in canada.

I would think that someone concerned with inflation would encourage growing our domestic workforce.

[MICHHAWK]

i am ahead of the curve. i pivoted from "3rd world" to "$#!thole" some time ago.

i am ahead of the curve. always have been.

[KUTradition]

yet slow on the uptake, apparently

[jfish26]

i am ahead of the curve. i pivoted from "3rd world" to "$#!thole" some time ago.

i am ahead of the curve. always have been.

Like this.

[JKLivin]

At capacity?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c ... on_density

One of the things we’re RICHEST on is the clear capacity for more people.

Capacity is a subjective construct. Are we talking capacity by First World or Third World standards? Personally, I'm not down with living at Third World capacity. Been there, done that. It sucks.

This is just detached from reality. I assume you've spent time abroad. Even setting aside gobs and gobs of space out west that are self-evidently NOT supportive to being major population centers, we simply do not have capacity problems to worry about.

You're assuming that the immigrant population will spread out to those low-density areas. Reality is that they tend to congregate in larger metropolitan areas where they are more likely to go undetected and can live with family and friends. Laredo and San Antonio both theoretically have room for more, but I can tell you from driving the roads and living on the power grids, it ain't true. You couldn't pay me enough to go back there.

[MICHHAWK]

toronto is beautiful in the winter.

and if they think our teet is supple. uncle joe got nothing on that trudeau cat.

[Sparko]

"They" are people. Looking to live with dignity and respect. Spain created a lot of colonial misery they exploited for their European luxury. Worse, we contributed to the climate emergency in a huge way that is adding to the immigration numbers. And it will get worse.

[MICHHAWK]

i am ahead of the curve. "they" is MICHHAWK using my pronouns.

i am ahead of the curve. always have been.

[Sparko]

I am glad you are using better pronouns on the board. I seem to remember other ones by your peer group. "They" are us. Schnitzel didn't pop up through random physics in Michigan.

[JKLivin]

"They" are people. Looking to live with dignity and respect. Spain created a lot of colonial misery they exploited for their European luxury. Worse, we contributed to the climate emergency in a huge way that is adding to the immigration numbers. And it will get worse.

So, because of what Spain did centuries ago, I owe it to other people to sacrifice my standard of living? That's ridiculous.

[twocoach]

Which is a better response:

to make some point about how people have been invading this country for centuries before Orwell was a thing?

Or to make some Jesus point like, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you said, “no way bro, I couldn’t possibly welcome you, not if you came here illegally!

I liken it to a lifeboat that is already overloaded and is in danger of sinking. Do you keep allowing people to get out of the water and into the boat because you feel bad for them, which guarantees that everybody will end up in the water, or do you encourage them to find another boat?

Last year was an eye-opening experience for me. My wife and I decided to see what it would be like to teach at a State university, so we lined up visiting professorships at a school in the Texas A&M system located in Laredo. It was by far the worst place I have ever lived. Laredo is right on the Mexican border, with thousands of people coming over from Nuevo Laredo every day to work and shop and live during the work week. The infrastructure is overwhelmed, everything is crowded all the time, and the utility system is continually in overload.

We rented a house in what used to be a nice neighborhood, where we were an anomaly. It was the two of us and our infant in a small three bedroom two bath house. All of our neighbors had six to eight cars in their driveways and lined up along the streets because they had ten to twelve people crammed into their similarly-sized houses - many of whom I'm sure were there illegally. They had people living in their garages with rigged up window A/C units running non-stop. The power went out on a regular basis, and the temperature was always at or near 100. As the other faculty at the university told us, we were technically in the United States, but in reality, we were living in Mexico. It was one iota above a Third World country in most respects.

Here's my point. We left because it was a horrible place to live, and the university continues to have difficulty attracting, hiring, and retaining faculty for that reason. I don't want to live like that, but if we continue to let uncontrolled streams of illegals come across our border, we will all be living that way eventually.

There are other countries to go to. We are at capacity. It's just reality.

Much of what you just described would improve if more government regulations that Republicans are so against were allowed and more government officials were hired to enforce them.

Desperate people don't simply turn around and walk 1,000 miles back home because of a "sorry, we're full" sign on the border.

[twocoach]

"They" are people. Looking to live with dignity and respect. Spain created a lot of colonial misery they exploited for their European luxury. Worse, we contributed to the climate emergency in a huge way that is adding to the immigration numbers. And it will get worse.

So, because of what Spain did centuries ago, I owe it to other people to sacrifice my standard of living? That's ridiculous.

Did you not look around the neighborhood prior to renting that house? Sounds like you chose that standard of living (if this happened).