What's More Important...Taking care of immigrants or the needy in your country?

by minimus 44 Replies latest jw friends

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  Viviane

  Its weird to me that the people that a month or so ago were railing against Islamic ideology are today tacitly defending it and crying xenophobia because Trump happened to make a comment last week

  Fair enough. What have you done lately )time donation, acting as an advocate, worked at a homeless shelter, donated money, etc.) to take care of our needy ones?

  What do you think of those that actively try to defund healthcare, education and food services for a significant portion of our own population? Can they be trusted at all?
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  Xanthippe

  Its weird to me that the people that a month or so ago were railing against Islamic ideology are today tacitly defending it and crying xenophobia because Trump happened to make a comment last week

  Who are you quoting? I can't find this quote. Do we have overlapping threads now. The end must be near.
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  Diogenesister

  I say take care of the needy ones first like our veterans and homeless and mentally ill, and then....take care of those not from this country.

  Excellent. What have you done lately )time donation, acting as an advocate, worked at a homeless shelter, donated money, etc.) to take care of our needy ones?

  Viv you are bang on..... You don't hear "help for hero's" complaining about not giving to oxfam, or Arpad Bassoon saying similar things about who takes priority or Ian Percy saying " only give to sailing charities" etc etc I could go on , the folk that do the most for others NEVER make statements like that.... Says it all really
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  PaintedToeNail

  While I hate illegal immigration and the havoc it wreaks, I do understand the reasons behind it and why these people leave their homes and families, risking everything for a better life and have always tried to see them as individuals, and give them the respect as humans.

  The Syrian refugee problem is much worse and very different. The ongoing tragedy of being targeted for death by people of your own religion for not being religious enough for them, the bombings, food shortages, lack of sanitation would cause anyone of us on this website to do everything in our power to improve the condition of our families and ourselves.

  However, the fact remains that some of these people hate Americans just for being born American. That sentiment is echoed by different nationals on this site regularly, unfortunately. Are Americans justified in feeling some fear from these refugees? Of course. However, Americans kill each other at far greater rates than terrorists do and we should keep in mind that we are much more likely to be killed by someone we know rather than a random terrorist. It is just that terrorists target things like the Boston Marathon and the Twin Towers and kill and maim in huge numbers.

  The American GOVERNMENT has played a large part in the mess in the middle east. The American GOVERNMENT owes it to these displaced people to assist the them. American INDIVIDUALS need to try to remain calm. We can still be vigilant and act when needed to prevent terrorism in all its forms in our home country, such as the domestic terrorists who kill innocent school kids to the Pasadena Islamic terrorists.
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  adjusted knowledge

  Why can't we/you do both? I use to donate money and things I don't need. But I am currently using my savings for college. So now all I can do is donate my time. I volunteer with the IRS to do taxes for the elderly and low income. I also completed a emergency responder program and am a member of a all volunteer emergency squad. This summer I will join two colleges for nursing to help in Ecuador. So it is possible to do both
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  LoveUniHateExams

  Good question, Min, although I think it's the type of question that will provoke strong emotions.

  I think it depends on each situation - how desperate the refugee situation is, vs how many 'native needy' a country has.

  Plus, if every country took in a share of refugees, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion.
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  freemindfade

  Immigration is good. I think the outcome for both legal and illegal can be good. I am a product of Irish and Italian immigrants.

  I agree with minimus we don't take care of our own. But we are about to bend over backwards and make it rain on a big group that really doesn't like us much.

  This current situation is something unique. They are not escaping one idea to have another they are bringing the idea with them. Trust me. Some care and time should be taken before letting them all in. You can only do the best you can do. We should be doing our best not rolling out the red carpet for dangerous folks. You can't deny the majority are devout Islamic coming from an area that is an incubator for terrorists. Why not be extra cautious?
• 

  prologos

  LUHE: Plus, if every country took in a share of refugees, we probably wouldn't be having this discussion.

  "Refugees" do not want to go to every country. Their choice is strictly based on the amount of taxpayers money they can harvest. They want to end up in Sweden, England, germany, Canada (the Ocean gets in the way there). Australia does it right 'refugee benefits' here are a place to sleep, food, some medical, and safe wait offshore until you can return safely home.

  Look at the scenes in Calais, across Europe, This is not flight from war anymore, more like a scramble on black Friday. Help the victims by all means." Immigration is good. I think --"too, Fmf.
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  minimus

  From a math viewpoint, you REALLY don't have all this money to spend. Whatever monies that you must use, use it wisely and start taking care of your own.
• 

  LisaRose

  I don't understand why it has to be an either or proposition. Yes, help the needy here, but the situation with the Syrians is much more urgent. I get that it's more appealing to offer aid to those who live near us or who look like us, I am no different in that respect, but the people in Syria have lost everything; homes and jobs and often some family members. They risked death to get out and now no one wants them. These are people that worked or who owned businesses, many of them have savings, they have a lot to offer to any country that takes them in. The possibility of some of them being radical Muslims is there, but the risk is not as great as people fear, and good vetting and good Intel can reduce that risk. I just think sometimes you have to do the right thing, even if it poses some small risk.

  I can't help but draw correlations to the plight of the Jews in WWII. There was some knowledge on the part of the U.S. that Jews were being killed, some did manage to make it out of the country, but they had no place to go. The U.S. could have taken in more people, but they didn't. I imagine the reasons were varied, but they were probably not that different than the reasons we won't take Syrian Immigrants now. There was a lot of anti semitism, they were different, they looked different, they were Germans and we were at war with Germany, we had our own poor to take care of, etc. The New York Times had a policy to minimize reporting about the camps, the state department actively worked to discourage immigration.

  The middle east is in turmoil to a certain degree because the U.S. went to war against Iraq and destabilized the region, I think we have a moral obligation to help those who have been affected by what we did.

  Wikipedia:

  The United States also refused to grant temporary refuge to Jews fleeing Europe. In the wake of the Great Depression, the United States had a highly restrictive immigration quota system, but even the limited quota spots were not filled.[16] The Department of State refused to fill 90% of the quota spots that might have been available for European Jews.[17][18]

  
  

  It was Treasury official Josiah DuBois who, risking his career, authored his celebrated "Report to the Secretary on the Acquiescence of this Government in the Murder of the Jews" that documented State Department efforts to thwart Jewish immigration from Europe.[2