My Own Life

This is not meant to be an educated response to the debates of today though I have gleaned my opinion from my academic readings.  I am simply ranting and letting out my frustration. It is not meant to be a well formed debate,  however, I do encourage others to comment on this and other posts if they are so inclined. I also apologize readily to those I may have offended. 

I have heard that mexicans are here to take back Texas which they believe was stolen from Mexico.  Is there some truth to that?  I have read historical accounts of the history of Texas and while I still can’t agree that Texas was stolen, or that it was legitimately acquired, I do know that Texas was part of Mexico.

I know that at the time it became part of the U.S., mestizzos and african descendants had rights.  Slavery was abolished, and people had rights, and were able to own property. No life was not perfect. Mexicanos were already in Texas (and some of them were “white”).  Stephen F. Austin years later made a deal with Mexico that allowed U.S. citizens to come to Texas and purchase land.  Those white people moved into the area, and then flooded in, they soon became the majority.  Soon, there was a movement to become a part of the U.S., though not easily, this was accomplished.  Do you know what happened? These white people, descendants of those that are now claiming that mexicans are flooding in and ruining texas and the dallas area, decided that they couldn’t bear to give up slaves and that those mutts the mexicans weren’t worthy of their rights.  They stripped people of their land, re enslaved some african descendants, and went on with their lives. 

 So, yeah, most of texas speaks english.  Why should it be the official language of Texas?  Because english speaking immigrants flooded into the area and commited various injustices that guaranteed their comfortable living in Texas, before it was part of the U.S.  Or maybe because they continually commited injustices to ensure their continued reign as kings of the land, segregating mexicans and others into separate schools, or in those areas that were not segregated, punishing students for speaking spanish and threatening with expulsions or violence.  Mexican-Americans/ Texicans were forced to be ashamed of their history.  And now more mexicans are moving into the area and people are crying foul because they speak spanish, and drain the system.  What an injustice, it’s definitely worse than stripping people of their rights. And hey, at least their food is an improvement.  And like my college prides itself in saying, diversity is what makes this place great.

 I don’t claim to be completely correct but neither are they that are crying foul. 

I love browsing and occasionally posting on the Dallas History Message Board.  I love learning more about the history of the place I grew up in. 

The comment in response to someone’s post on overcrowding in Dallas schools really bothered me. 

Yes, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, does that ring a bell for anyone? The Tax Payers have to keep building more schools, making our school taxes higher each year.
Meanwhile ILLEGALS, pay no taxes (they think just because they buy something and there is a sales tax that they are paying taxes) Parkland Hospital is in the same mess because of ILLEGALS. The POPULATION
is exploding because of the ILLEGALS coming over our borders at a unbelievable rate and they are not slowing
down. I’m tired of having to be “P.C.” about this subject. We are being invaded and it will be too late to do anything about it
pretty soon.

Why does it bother me?  Every time the issue of illegal immigrants comes up I feel torn.  My parents came to this country illegally (they are now both legal residents) many years ago.  They came in search of a better life(cliche, I know). 

 My father was dropped off in the U.S at the age of 14, his father told him it was time for him to be a man and take care of himself.  He learned some English on the streets but it wasn’t much because his education consisted of starting the 2nd grade.  At the age of 10, I remember my father asking me to read his correspondencefor him, he tried and could get the gist of it but he would ask me the details, and occasionally even for advice on what actions to take.  My mother is the 7th of 12 children raised by a single mother in Mexico.  Her father was murdered when she was 10 years old and she never finished the third grade. 

 These two people were in the U.S. ILLEGALLY and barely literate.  However, they paid their taxes.  They used fake ssn, which is fraud.  But they also filed their income taxes.  They never once applied for welfare.  I was born in a midwife’s house near methodist, not at Parkland, thought that was available.  They didn’t like breaking the rules, but they had to. 

They never would have been able to come here legally because they were dirt poor in mexico.  My mother grew up without shoes and sometimes without even enough to eat.  They had no skills, no money, and didn’t know the language.  The U.S. was a lot more lenient in granting visas then, but even by those standards they didn’t qualify.  And even if they had, they had no way of knowing how to apply, nor the money to do it with.  Once they were in the U.S.,  they applied and after waiting a couple of years they were both rejected.  They had a choice.  They could go back to Mexico and live legally but with nothing and knowing they would doom their children to their same fate or they could continue to live illegally in the U.S. and hope that they could escape the authorities long enough to give their children a chance at a better future. 

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