> I'd like to think that if I saw a neighboring country where the standard of living was much better I would work hard to get there through the proper channels or work hard to change conditions in my own country.
>
> There is nothing wrong with that. But we need to make the proper channels a little easier. Even now, in the age of computers, it takes years.
> Howard

The problem I see with that is that there is already a large portion of the population recieving federal aid in some form or another, and not putting anything into the system at all. People coming into the country illegally often forge documents so that they can recieve healthcare, welfare, and other forms of government assistance, all at the expense of people who are law-abiding, tax-paying citizens of this country. If people who are less fortunate, no matter what the reason is for their situataion, are just allowed to come in as easily as they please, our federal programs would be in even more trouble than they already are. What's the national debt at this point? How many trillion? I don't think letting as many welfare applicants into the country as feel the urge to come is the best solution for the current citizens of this country, as well as for the children who will have to grow up and deal with the consequences. Personally, I think that this country is a lot poorer than we give ourselves credit for. The average person has thousands of dollars just in unsecured credit card debt. That's not counting secured debt, like a car or a house. Most people own almost nothing outright. And what they do own is probably outweighed by what the things they've financed. I know that there are less fortunate people in this world, but the U.S. of A. really isn't the land of milk and honey it's made out to be. I would like to see us fix our current problems before we open the doors wider.