The Limbaugh Laws
 

I wasn't sure whether to merge this into the protest thread, but then I decided to make it its own topic for reasons you'll realize in a moment.

This is an email I just got from one of my friends.


The "Limbaugh Laws" for immigration. Be sure to read the whole message, especially the last paragraph.

From Rush Limbaugh's radio show on April 6, 2006.

"I want to call this proposal the Limbaugh Laws.

If you immigrate to our country, you must speak the native language. You have to be a professional or an investor. We are not going to take unskilled workers.

There will be no special bilingual programs in the schools, no special ballots for elections, no government business will be conducted in your native language.

Foreigners will not have the right to vote nor will they ever be allowed to hold political office.

According to the Limbaugh Laws, if you're in our country, you cannot be a burden to taxpayers.

You are not entitled, ever, to welfare, to food stamps, or other government goodies.

You can come if you invest here, but it must be an amount equal to 40,000 times the daily minimum wage. If you don't have that amount of money you have to stay home. If you do come and you want to buy land you will not be allowed to buy waterfront property. That will be reserved for citizens naturally born in this country. As a foreigner, you must relinquish individual rights to property.

You don't have the right to protest when you come here. You're allowed no demonstrations, you cannot wave a foreign flag, no political organizing, no bad-mouthing our leadership or his policies or you get
sent home. You're a foreigner. And we're going to hunt you down 'til we find you. You shut your mouth or you get out, and if you come here illegally, you go straight to jail.

These are the Limbaugh Laws.

I can imagine many of you think that the Limbaugh Laws are pretty harsh. Well, let me tell you this, every one of the laws I just mentioned are actual laws of Mexico, today. I just read you the Mexican immigration law. That's how the Mexican government handles immigrants to their country."

Right. Because what we really want is to run our country like Mexico.

You know what I've noticed about Mexico? Is apparently, everyone wants to leave Mexico.

Hey I've got a law, it's the I don't listen to the ramblings of heroin addicts law. I think it's a pretty good law.

He raises some pretty good points, though. They don't introduce bilingual teaching methods into their schools for legal immigrants. Why should we? You snuck in here illegally, why should you have the right to protest the government?

And just to clear things up, there were no new heroin charges against him. He simply agreed to random drug tests. Either way, it's not like he's fucking high while he's broadcasting. You'd be surprised that in-between the conservative rhetoric, occasionally some good ideas come through.

Good points?

No. There are no good points. The policies of the government of Mexico can't be pinned on Mexican nationals having immigrated illegally in the USA for the purpose of insinuating that "turnabout is fairplay". And, as fifthfiend pointed out, it's not a good example to follow on the practical side either.

I'm not talking about turnabout. I'm just talking logic. Immigrants come here to make money. Fine. Make it while not depending on taxpayer dollars. Don't come here to go on welfare. That was one of his points. And it's a good point.

I'm not talking all immigrants either, don't get me wrong.

Well, the e-mail doesn't argue for these things. It states that these things are done in Mexico. Which is supposed to provoke some sort of rethorical effect. What you or the e-mail actually approve of is kind of unspecified there.

I'll be frank, and I'll try not to be insulting here, but when I answered I was answering to the e-mail, not to you. These are two very different potential discussions, one far too involved for the energy I intend to invest in the particular question.

Since you just announced you'll be going that way, I'll just bow out and say: "have fun being Mexico."

Heh, I was really gunning for a discussion on the laws of Mexico. But, somewhere it got sidetracked. >_>

We don't have to. But as far as I know, there is no federal mandate to force bilingualism in schools. Schools are subject to state laws and most of them differ even by county so unless this is happening in your neighborhood chances are you're completely unaffected by it as far as your taxes go.

Because protesting is legal unless there's a law that specifically says you can't do it. That's why America's a free country. If there's no law that says illegal immigrants can't protest then they can protest all they want. Although I'm no legal scholar, it would seem that passing such a law could be considered unconstitutional because of the fourteenth amendment. Specifically I'm thinking of the part that goes
What's interesting about this amendment is that the wording makes a distinction between priveleges and immunities that apply only to citizens and those that apply to all persons. This was probably done specifically to ensure that the laws would apply equally both to citizens and to foreigners who either were visiting or owned property in the US. So basically the only way to stop foreigners from protesting would be to stop everybody from protesting, which is also unconstitutional.

And let's be straight here, not all those protesting are illegals. Some of them are legal immigrants, some are people who sympathise. Personally, I agree with some of the sentiment, but not all.

Congress, by declaring that people who help illegals (like Doctors & churches) are likewise subject to criminal prosecution, is going too far. I also agree with the idea that immigration laws as the stand are unfair.

What I mean is this, Cuba illegal immigrants get a really sweet deal, while Mexican ones get a raw deal. Its very hard to get in even legally if you're from Mexico, but if you get in illegally from Cuba, everything is fine & dandy.

That's a lousy system, if I ever heard of one.

As for getting all uppity about bylingualism? Uhm, try looking around... There are a large number of countries that teach their students English in addition to their native languages. Sometimes from the way the news covers it, it does seem like there isn't nearly enough of an effort to teach English as well as the alternative in the US, but that could be due to lack of funding.

Frankly, when I first read this thread, I was sure it was going to pertain to Limbaugh's recent booking.

SWB

Well, any time anyone suggests any Conservative policy might not be satanic in nature, a self-righteous voice rings out to loudly decry it. They have a right to. On the other hand, the sweeping generalizations tend to bother me...

Please, people, discuss maturely. The people I've been noticing doing this are the same people I expect better from. Mostly.