Mr./Ms. Muffin (okay, I know that you're Mr. Muffin with a few AKA's)
"The Irish entered the US legally."
Yes, they did and for different reasons from any immigrents (that I know of). They were literally dying in their homeland, with neighbors covering windows so others would not witness the family's deaths. They were starving to death because of racial and political persecution. They didn't traverse miles on foot, they spent 2-3 months on ships lower decks with insufficient water, food, and toilets, often rarely seeing sunlight and never breathing fresh air. Sometimes only 1/2 of them arrived alive from these death or "coffin" ships. Oh, yes, I forgot, they were legal! They were welcomed in the U.S. by muscular men who insisted on taking them to their new housing (very over-priced). They landed in Boston and New York City with no means of traveling elsewhere. They arrived with no resources, no education and illiterate. They were ignorant of plumbing and running water. Many Irish arrived as indentured servants -- on the same voyages described above. At least they had employment (without benefit of days off or any pay for years). All servants in the U.S. were blacks and Irish.
Irish were called "white niggers" and not allowed in most restaurants or hotels (not that they could afford them). Anti-Irish statements also appeared on many advertisements for workers, "Irish need not apply". The majority of Irish started life in the U.S. by begging on streets just to pay for a single tenant room that would hold 5-10 of them. Irish men could only find work doing what U.S. citizens didn't want to do, mining, laying rail and digging canals. If any person of any color or background worked beside them, they earned far more for the same job as the Irish. Irish were labeled, stupid (illiterate), dirty, and lazy.
"The Irish don’t demand other peoples’ money. In fact, The Irish, support individual liberty."
No, they didn't demand other peoples' money, except for the gangs that immigrating males formed when no work could be found and they were forced live in shanties, piled like cord wood in tennaments or in cellars. Most begged for money for a time after arrival. Indentured workers didn't demand money -- they recieved none, only passage on a death ship and suffering marginalization. Men didn't demand money because when they applied for hard labor jobs as advertized and rebelled against the wage being lowered, officials forced them to accept the job with lower wages. Of course, they supported individual liberty, this was a reason for emmigration. Irish also remained primarily Irish with their hearts in Ireland and hatred against the English!
Irish were widely criticized for bringing their poverty to the U.S., causing more poverty and lower living conditions in the U.S. Also, news article and citizens shouted that crime would end if the Irish were sent back to Ireland.
"The Irish don’t force the US into becoming bi-lingual, but assimilated."
Everyone knows that the Irish were probably the most hated legal immigrents yet the only ones who spoke English. Go figure!
Me: “Mexicans and Canadians are just as much Americans as U.S. citizens. We are all Americans.”
You: "No. Mexicans are Mexicans, who created Mexico, who could live in Mexico, instead of violating US immigration laws. There are more Latinos in America than there are Canadians in Canada. The sheer number of highly fertile law breakers makes Mexican immigration different. Finally, the educational attainment of Mexican migrants (especially Central American immigrants) is considerably lower than the American average (and the Irish do better than theAmerican average), and Latinos remain culturally resistant to education for generations. Therefore, Mexicans will require more taxpayer supported social services in perpetuity.
Mexicans are Mexicans. U.S. citizens are U.S. citizens. Canadians are Canadians. All are Amercians. Check it out on-line -- ask for a map of America. In fact, to be more specific we are North Americans, not Central Americans and not South Americans. Mexicans have just as much right saying that they're Americans than someone living in Minneapolis or Alberta. I did not say that we were equals in any way except that we live on the same continent, America.
Birth rates of 221 countries places the U.S. at #151 with a 14.18% and Mexico at #105 with a 20.04%. Mexico does have a higher birth rate, with 105 countries with higher birth rates and 70 lower. The U.S. has a birth rate with 151 countries with higher rates and 116 countries lower. The mean is at 110. Looks like the U.S. could be considered by highly fertile by 70 countries on the list, some of which limit citizens to one or two children. The infant mortality rate for Mexicans is over 91/2%. Considering that large numbers of Mexicans live in largely populated areas and have a very low mortality rate, rural Mexicans never go to hospitals and are likely to have infant mortality rates closer to 25%.
My material great-grandmother and her people were illiterate when they immigrated. Every cultural group remains resisitent to assimilation. Most were forced to assimilate American culture just to get jobs or get better pay. This has always taken at least a generation if not two or three. I'm third generation Irish and second generation Swedish and have taught my daughter and granddaughter very well in both cultures. My granddaughter thinks that she's Irish and Swedish -- doesn't even know her father's heritage. The Irish will live forever, regardless of where we live! Although the Irish arrived with nothing and often in servitude for a number of years, illiterate, uneducated, and (according to U.S. citizens) dirty, lazy and stupid. I don't think that it's perpetuity, yet, we've had at least three Irish presidents and no one talks about Irish poverty bringing it to the shores here nor even wants to send us all back to Ireland.
Perhaps there is a little closer parallel that you, the expert on Mexico and Mexican immigrents is willing to admit.
