Making sense of the DREAM Act

Erik Kain

Erik writes about video games at Forbes and politics at Mother Jones. He's the contributor of The League though he hasn't written much here lately. He can be found occasionally composing 140 character cultural analysis on Twitter.

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19 Responses

  1. Pat Cahalan says:

    > Immigrants don’t take jobs from Americans any more than new babies
    > take jobs from Americans. We can absorb as many hard working people
    > as you can throw at us. As the labor pool grows, so does demand, so
    > does the economy as a whole.

    Amen to that, brother. I’d rather have those workers here, earning their money here and spending that money here than have them doing those same jobs elsewhere and spending that money elsewhere.Report

  2. Jaybird says:

    how the DREAM Act relies on our better virtues

    What could possibly go wrong?Report

  3. Scott says:

    E.D.:

    Still shilling for illegals I see. Two years college or two years in the military is a very cheap price to pay for citizenship. I fail to see why this country should encourage illegals to come here and bring their kids. Anyway it looks like the DREAM Act (what a cute name) is going down the tubes.Report

    • Pat Cahalan in reply to Scott says:

      > Two years college or two years in the military is a very cheap
      > price to pay for citizenship.

      I dunno, dude, I haven’t served myself but I know plenty of people who have. You do a stint in the Army, I’m all on board with giving you citizenship.Report

      • Scott in reply to Pat Cahalan says:

        Two years in not very long in the military giving that basic training may take up the first six months. Besides what can you really do with a two year degree in this economy besides draw unemployment and vote Democrat.Report

        • Pat Cahalan in reply to Scott says:

          Wow, that’s basic… plus a tour in a war zone, dude.

          Never been there myself, but I know people who have done both combat and noncombat tours and either qualifies, in my mind, as a suitable gatekeeping for citizenship. If you require something more than that as a baseline for people elsewhere to get in, you expect an awful lot from someone born somewhere else compared to the freebie you get by having an Americano as a parent.

          The two-year degree I think is a short requirement, but not when taken with the other factors.

          Let’s reframe, Scott.

          What, to your way of thinking, qualifies someone as a suitable candidate for citizenship?Report

          • Scott in reply to Pat Cahalan says:

            Pat:

            First being born here, then having an education of a skill we can use (and I don’t mean crop picker). However, for the DREAM Act, I would require a 4 year degree at a school accredited by a reputable entity such as the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States Department of Education (USDE) and not a degree from one of the online schools or such. I would probably allow citizenship after 10 years of military serviceReport

            • Pat Cahalan in reply to Scott says:

              Okay, the 4-year thing I can get on board with. I’m not so sure that limiting us to non-crop pickers is a great idea, but we can quibble about that later.

              I think 10 years in the military is a ridiculous bar to jump over, though, even if we were in peacetime, which we demonstrably aren’t.

              I’ve never been shot at, but I know people who have been. I think doing even one tour in a combat zone for a nation ought to qualify you for citizenship, at least.Report

              • Scott in reply to Pat Cahalan says:

                Pat:

                I have news for you, most people that do a tour overseas in a war zone don’t see the enemy and aren’t fired upon. Most folks are in the rear with the gear. Those folks that never leave the safety of a forward operating base (FOB) are called fobbits. As far as the air farce goes, I’m not sure any of them are ever in danger. So I fail to see why just going overseas should get you citizenship.Report

  4. Mike Schilling says:

    I fail to see why we should encourage people to immigrate legally if all their children are going to produce is punditry.Report