I went to dinner with Mel tonight and had a completely random thought. Mel is 13, soon to be 14, and we've known each other for going on five years. Mel is my Little Brother. I am his Big Brother.
His dad is a first class loser. He disappeared, for all intents and purposes a dozen years ago. His reappearances every 10 months or so are now more an annoyance than anything. Mel needs a good role model of what a man is as he fights through life in a gang infested area near Crenshaw and Slauson. Sad as it is, I was more a role model for him during my year in Iraq than his father will ever be.
Anyway, so while I was driving, I made an interesting connection.
Mayor Villaraigosa was in the Times this morning, making a big stink about high school drop outs being the next frontier in the civil rights war. What a bunch of political BS. This is a huge concern to me because Mel is in one of those statistics that ain't tracking too well over all. But his mom is wokring hard to keep him on the straight and narrow.
But then I made a connection. While driving to Mel's place, John and Ken of KFI radio were ranting about immigration reform. They made a statement to the effect that the influx of third world immigrants who will arrive as "guest workers" will destroy our middle class. And I have no doubt - frankly I am in fear - that they are right.
Which raises an interesting question in my mind. I mean, I totally believe that we must vigorously and rigorously enforce our borders and immigration laws. I know that Mama Juarez, my mother in law, worked her ass off in a factory for 25-plus years, earning a smidge over minumum wage because, in no small way, illegal immigration under cut her salary by creating artificial labor supply that skewed the curve.
But, if we truly believe that all kids should finish high school, and our ideal is that all kids should go to college (or at least a trade school), does that mean that we want college grads (or at least high school grads) as farm laborers? Somebody's got to pick the lettuce. And if we want the borders sealed and all kids to go to college, then somethings got to give.
But what?
I firmly believe in tight immigration.
I support giving all kids a shot at school.
Are the fields for the failures? Hm. I'm not sure. Perhaps I am grossly over simplifying things. Perhaps we need to accept that our hold hands and hum approach to life ain't realistic. On this one, I do not have the answers.
I look forward to yours.
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