On migrant caravan et al...

In the closing days before the midterm elections in November, when Democrats are expecting blue wave, set in by general disgust of the idiocy of Trump since 2016, God seems to looking down on Trump (and GOP by proxy) with another providential act. In 2016, it was the flip-flop of the FBI investigations of Hillary Clinton. This time, it's in the form of migrant caravan.

As an Independent voter, I'm generally on the fence. I don't give a damn about endorsements. Who cares what so-and-so might think of this-and-that candidate? If a candidate has the credentials and the agenda that appeal to me, I vote for that. I can't care less what party affiliation of the candidate.

And so, I look at Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, two candidates from the then presidential election in 2016 with almost equal dismay. (Well, truth be told, more dismay about Trump than HRC, but you get my drift.) I don't agree completely either of the candidates or their respective party's proposition. Of course Trump's roundly idiotic worship of half-truth and outright lies is something that I despise and am totally disgusted, but I have thought general voters should be more intelligent than being duped by this con-man. Apparently I was wrong, and almost half of the country voted for this idiot. On the other side of the aisle, we have HRC the experienced hand, the one with voluminous credentials and resume behind her. While it's a laudable goal to be compassionate and empathetic, I'm not sure why I should vote for someone who seems to care more about refugees rights and transgender issues than regular voters' concerns. Afterall she's running for American presidency, not some foreign countries.

In the current climate when political correctness rules the day, I know I would sound anything but. Yet, I have to say, I am of two minds about this migrant caravan in the news.

On the one hand, these are real people with real concerns. But there are rules and regulations. Can anyone jump the queue, ahead of someone dutifully apply for migration into US and wait for their turns for years, by rushing the shore? How does US assess the claim of someone who says they are in fear for their lives without any proof? (Afterall they are not going to bring with them the gangs who threaten to kill them.) How can US possibly separate the claims of economic migrants (who are not allowed in) from genuine asylum seeks for humanitarian reasons (who could be allowed to stay)? Can and should someone get preferential treatments simply because they are bringing in minors with them? The answers, from the outset, look to be, no, no, no, and no.

Put it another way, if these thousands of people in the migrant caravan are allowed to come in, the argument goes, that by proxy US should be allowing the millions from those countries to come in too. Who is to say who is poorer or more fearful for their lives than others? Fact of the matter is, one simply can't discern one from another.

More importantly, if US is to open the border for economic migrants from South America (which would translate into millions who will become eligible to come since all of them are poor and are in search for a better life - well, who isn't, really?), anyone from any other countries can make the same economic claim. Afterall there are hundreds of millions more in Africa and South Asia and beyond who are far, far, far poorer than those from South America. Why isn't US taking them in too?

Ultimately, there is the question of sustainability. Can US become the country to be, to take in everyone and anyone who wants in for a better life? If US can't even take care of its own citizens (and one doesn't need to look further than to look at the millions of working poor and worsening issues of homelessness in this country), where would we find the wherewithal to feed hundreds of millions more? Dems have the arguments for using millionaire tax to fund initiatives, without pointing out how fleeting these millionaires and billionaires are and how easily they can change their abode and move their arse elsewhere (and in some cases, even buy their own islands to settle in for good).

And so, the pragmatic side of me wins over, to the point where everytime I hear HRC (and other Dems or progressive liberals) chants about refugees rights, I can only shake my head, with that little voice ringing in my ears, saying, don't go there. But, go, they did, and so Dems lost, not only in presidential elections, but I'm afraid to say, GOP could likely keep the majority in Congress, come November, even if it's by the slimmest margin.

In a way, the idiocy of Trump has already reduced him (and the presidency) to nothing but a laughing stock. Even if someone agrees with what he says, they are not going to be with him (unless for those who are as idiotic as he is). But just because voters are against Trump, that doesn't mean they are for Dems, which is exactly where I stand currently.

I have long believed that US has the use and needs of migrant workers, and they could make a decent living if they come in legally and orderly. There should have been immigration reforms in the form of H1B for unskilled labor for them to come in and do, say, farm and field jobs that local Americans don't seem to want to do anymore. That would have been a win-win. That would also allow these migrants a chance to reinvest in their home country, that would have been the long term goal to improve their own home country to a point where they would not feel the need to leave anymore.

It sucks to have such imbecile leadership in those countries in South America (and beyond). How many years, and how many billions US has spent over the years to try to help them improve their countries and systems? Yet nothing seems to work. In contrast, look at what the Chinese have accomplished in China. Authoritarianism notwithstanding, their country and system have improved so markedly that a lot of educated Chinese are now moving back to their own country for work. Can South America ever be able to achieve that kind of success? I really don't know.

And so, all these frustrations, all these entitlement claims (that as long as they come in large enough numbers, as long as they bring kids and minors with them, as long as they set foot in US, then they are entitled to anything and everything that the locals enjoy) really rubs me the wrong way. I do empathize their plight, but what happens to paying their dues?

I was once an immigrant myself. I know how it feels like. It's never easy. It's a lot of hard work. In a way, you have to work twice as hard - oftentimes, far more - as the locals in order to excel. It's bad form for newcomers (by jove, these illegal migrants haven't even reached US yet!) to claim their "rights" and protections in US without even setting foot in her soil yet, and for those who came illegally to demand legal protection, benefits and welfare. While Trump is xenophobic, he is not wrong in calling that out. In a civil society, there are rules and regulations that all encumbers need to observe. We can't be simply tending to only those who scream the loudest or have the biggest sob story.

We all do hold the belief that the next generations will get a better shot in life than their forebear. I should hope that I'm not alone as an anecdote, to show that meritocracy does still work in America. I do hope others would have the chance for that, and to do so legally (rather than rushing the shore). Am I too naive in that thought? I sure hope not.