A nation needs to protect it's foundations

On the third Saturday of every month, the Kenosha News prints a opinion piece from both the Democratic leaders and the Republican leaders of Kenosha.

I was very impressed with this article written by Jan Anderson, a local businessman, from the Republican view. I thought I should share it with you-

Jan Anderson(Kenosha News, Apr. 15,2006) writes:

A nation needs to protect it's foundations

Every building has a foundation. It's the silent and unseen support for all that shows. It is the most important part of the building. Neglect the foundation and the structure will grow weak and unsafe. Nations, too, have foundations. They have principles on which they are formed and by which they endure. Current events have prompted the need to inspect what upholds America.
The big old melting pot is boiling furiously. The consequences of illegal immigration are now surfacing across America stirring a lot of talking and shouting. What is it all about, Alfie? Is it about low wage jobs that citizens won't take? Are Americans who object to open borders racist?
The core of the matter is more important: It is about our foundations. The problem of illegal immigration is one of law and order It's about widespread disregard for the laws that define us and provide the basis of American order.
It's said we are a nation of law and order. What does that mean? It means that we express our ideas of societal order in the laws we write and enforce. For example, we prefer reasonable driving speeds on our highways; therefore we enact speed limits- laws that restrain the excessive to promote reasonable travel. Speed limits demonstrate our desire for ordered driving. We write laws for ourselves-for our benefit-not for citizens of another country. In order to preserve the society we desire, we expect obedience to our laws and provide penalties for violating them.
The violation of any law erodes the order implied by law. A weakened order leads to disorder, and then, to worse. You can picture the regression. The constant violation of our laws of citizenship is eroding the foundation of who we are as Americans.
What does it mean to be an American? It means first to be a citizen according to the legal requirements of citizenship. An American-loving, flag-waving German or Malaysian or Mexican cannot be an American until he is a citizen. He may love America above all other lands, but without the legal status of citizenship, he is just a cheerleader.
Citizens have rights. They benefit from the order expressed in our laws. They have the right to disagree and peacefully engage the means to persuade and effect change. This is the great advantage of being an American. A non-citizen does not have that right. Indeed he cannot have that right, for if we grant to non-citizens the foundational benefit to citizenship, then there is no real benefit to citizenship. If there is no benefit to being a citizen, then citizenship should be abolished. Without citizens, borders are superfluous and could be erased. Without borders, nations do not exist.
If we won't defend citizenship, we won't defend American.
Now, if we're unwilling to erase our borders, then we must clarify who are citizens within our borders. We must define the requirements of citizenship and enforce those requirements. We must reinvigorate enforcement of the laws that express the order of America, beginning with the laws of citizenship. And should there be benefits for citizenship, those benefits should be reserved for citizens.
Addressing the problem of illegal immigration is neither racist, nor economic, it's about mending and preserving our foundations.