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Today's Poll: Should the U.S. close its borders?

By Howard B. Owens
Jason Brunner

If they closed the borders 200 years ago would you be here? Why are you chosen? Unless you are a Native American someone in your family immigrated here. Is it fair to tell others that they don't belong? Don't you find that a bit hypocritical?

Apr 24, 2013, 8:42am Permalink
Eric [Rick] von kramer

can't believe the lop-sided vote so far! Must be all the people who need to vote are actually WORKING. Jason is correct engage your brain ,,,, before the keyboard!

Apr 24, 2013, 9:30am Permalink
Mark Potwora

What will closing the boarders do?..Does this also mean that we can't leave and go outside our boarder.If we close our boarders why won't other countries do that to us..Just on the trade issue alone ,closing the boarder doesn't make sense...Find it hard to believe anyone would vote yes.

Apr 24, 2013, 9:52am Permalink
Bob Heininger

Perhaps all the yes votes are from the entitlement class hoping that if the flow of immigrants is slowed or stopped they would be entitled to the entitlements that would no longer be handed out to some immigrants?

Apr 24, 2013, 10:51am Permalink
Kyle Couchman

Here we go, people are always throwing out the entitlement straw man argument. It just doesnt fit here. Closing the borders huh, well lets face it 200 yrs ago we had room and opportunity, hell in the 1900's we had it as well. Now? not so much... we focus on everything outside, while ignoring or only minimally addressing internal issues.

I like to use this metaphor, closing the borders is like closing the door to your house, you can have just a screen door (like what we have now) or if the weather gets a little blustery, close the door. Doesnt mean that you or your friends can't come and go. Now to close, lock and throw the deadbolt.....thats another situation entirely.

Thats why I voted for closing the borders, I wont even get into safety ie terrorists. But if we focus on helping US citizens, cut out the bending over backwards for illegal immigrants, deporting anyone not legally here going thru the system that commits a crime. We can cut some fat from our Govt's spending. I see american charities raise billion for disasters overseas, but not so much here, there are some I agree to that but not of the scale that we aid the rest of the world.

Thats my justification with closing borders....not East/West Berlin style but reasonably.

Apr 24, 2013, 12:04pm Permalink
C. M. Barons

From the perspective of "cutting fat..." How much do you presume it will cost to seal our borders and compensate the personnel (not to mention administrators) to patrol the borders, identify aliens in-country without citizenship or visa and handle extradition? ...And build facilities to temporarily detain and feed millions pending processing, contend with legal challenges, sift through documentation involving families- some members of which may be born in-country or not, mitigate the impact on domestic agriculture and settle claims on property ownership, assuming many of these millions of aliens possess vehicles and/or real estate.

Not only will this cost billions, a whole new layer of bureaucracy will have been created that will never go away.

Ethnic cleansing should lift red-flags for the Libertarians who object to police state policies like national identity carding and unwarranted searches; it goes hand-in-hand.

Apr 24, 2013, 2:02pm Permalink
Mark Brudz

The results of this poll to me are absolutely disheartening.

1) The phrase "Closing The Borders" is broad and conjures all kinds of opinions as to what the borders actually are.

2) References to stopping immigration are purely against all that we stand for as a nation. I did not say 'Illegal Immigration" ALL NATIONS have a immigration policy and for good reason. I am in no way against immigration, I really believe in "Give me your weak , your hungry and your oppressed" What I am against is when people immigrate to the nation and flagrantly ignore or violate our immigration laws. Yes even Canada has immigration laws.

3) The Native American argument is bogus, the Indian wars as they were called happened well over 100 years ago, I doubt anyone here has a grand parent, or even great grand parent that fought the tribes. That argument could be used for any country in the world, in 6000 years of civilization ethic people have been conquered their land stolen and centuries later all but forgotten. Read your history, the Anglos, the Saxons, the Gaul's, the Huns, the Cossacks, the poles, the moors, the Persians, the Romans, The Greeks, the Turks, The Armenians so on and so forth. It doesn't mean that what some did centuries ago was right, it just means that it happened. My grandfather emigrated to Canada from Poland in 1913, and then to the United States that same year to avoid being drafted into Kaiser's Army prior to WW I, his fear of the Germans was so great, he refused to ever visit Canada his entire life because he feared the Kaiser's men would come and take him back to Europe.

4) We are however a nation of immigrants, each of our great scientist, teachers, and yes even presidents has roots from foreign lands. The that was then and this is now argument is the most bogus. Our nation, our constitution our core beliefs as Americans is that we are one people of many origins.

5) The most disheartening are the statements 'Take Care Of Our Own First" Really, can anything be more un-American than that statement in it's self. Hard work, bettering ourselves and CHARITY are the hallmarks of what it means to be an American. If one really wants to take care of our own, than we need a government that gets the Hell out of our way and allows us to strive to be the best that we can be, and yes some will fail, some will succeed more than others and some will benefit from the fruit of their parents toils, but no government, no person, no employer is more important to our personal successes than ourselves.

This poll was inspired by the article in the Buffalo News where the writer used the phrase 'Close The Border' That really confuses securing the Border with closing the border. Securing the border means knowing who is entering and stopping those that present a danger to our society, while allowing others to pass freely for exchanges of knowledge and commerce.

So let those who seek to become Americans come and become Americans, work and grow with us, however, there needs to be a workable process, and both sides of the argument have politicized this so much, that it is just another example of our government let us down, but come to contribute, not just to take no one who does not become a legal citizen first should be entitled to any benefit other than the due process of law, and that is in my opinion the crux of the debate, make a viable path for a person to become a citizen based on their ability to contribute to society and more important, accepting our cultures and respecting our laws beginning with legal entry and application for citizenship.

Rather than becoming FORTRESS AMERICA, we should return to being AMERICA, THE PLACE WHERE ANYONE CAN SUCCEED WITH HARD WORK AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS

Apr 24, 2013, 4:47pm Permalink
Bob Harker

Jason, when my grand parents came here, A.) they did it legally and B.) brought with them a strong work ethic and fended for themselves - no matter how tough it got.

Today, literally millions of illegals are sucking at the teat of American society. Maybe you are satisfied paying back breaking taxes to support them. I am not.

If someone comes here LEGALLY, wants to learn English and become part of our "melting pot", I will the first to offer a helping hand. But I'll also be the first to applaud the expulsion of those that demand we learn their language, have no interest in joining our society, or chose to take advantage of the out control benefits that are offered to those that believe they are above a hard day's labor.

That said, a plan must be made to allow temporary workers in to allow our farmers (especially dairy farmers). With VERY tight restrictions.

Apr 24, 2013, 7:00pm Permalink
Frank Cook

I was wondering if you can pull up some statistics on all of these benefits that illegal immigrants are getting without working.

I'm also wondering why people willing to permanently work farming jobs (especially for dairy farmers) can't just BECOME AMERICAN CITIZENS.

Apr 24, 2013, 7:08pm Permalink
Jason Brunner

Closing borders means closing them to legal immigrants. Work ethic or not. And the ones entering illegally will probably continue to do that. They don't seem to have much regard for the laws. I never said once that I supported government handouts. I just said that without immigration none of us would be here.

Apr 24, 2013, 7:35pm Permalink
Bob Harker
John Woodworth JR

This is a stupid question. This country is what it is due to immigration. However, looking back on the development of this country in reference to immigration we have dropped the ball. Throughout our history people came here for a better life through freedoms, wealth, knowledge, etc... We controlled who came in by ensuring they came here to better our country with their skills. Immigrants were allow only if they could afford to support themselves and/or had the skills to do so. We now just let anyone come in and collect off our social services a.k.a. welfare, social security, etc.... They eat up our taxes that could be spent to help our own citizens and their children. We do not consider the threats they bring here as well. We assume that everyone that comes here, is here to better themselves. We are oblivious and naive to believe that this is the only reason why. What makes me upset is that we are willing to forget our own who truly need help and focus on helping out those who come here to harm us or to drain off our social services. These are also, the same people who benefit from our hard labors and fail to give anything positive back to society.

I do not believe we need to "CLOSE OUR BORDERS!" We do need to start "CONTROLLING OUR BORDERS and Investigate those who come here with no skills, no means to support themselves and those who come from regions know to harbor anti-American sentiments!"

Apr 25, 2013, 12:44am Permalink
Howard B. Owens

For a dumb question, it sure prompted you to leave a long answer, John.

Actually, for much of the early history of the country, there were no restrictions on immigration. Of course, the only voluntary immigrants were white Anglo Saxons and so long as you didn't have an infirmity or a criminal record, you got in. In the mid-ish 19th Century Irish Catholics and Germans started coming, and then there was immigration reform laws to start limiting immigration.

The history of immigration ever since has been all about race, from the Chinese Exclusion Act to other race-based immigration laws.

Apr 25, 2013, 7:05am Permalink
Tim Miller

Lots of fools confusing "closing borders" with "securing borders"...

At least, that is what I am hoping is the reason for the 7/3 vote. Better to be surrounded by fools than bigots screaming "I've got mine! Screw you!"

Apr 25, 2013, 9:18am Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Howard, if someone came here back in the day they came here to live a better life through their skill and/or had money to do so. We did not have a welfare system in place for them to fall on. How many immigrants come here for a better life? How many come here to harm America's interest or her society? How many come here to abuse our welfare, healthcare and educational systems? America has turned from bring me your workers to bring me your criminals, your sick, lame and lazy.

Apr 26, 2013, 8:49pm Permalink
John Woodworth JR

Yes I still think it is a stupid question whether or not I write a book on it. To those who think our borders should close, it is foolish to believe that is a valid idea. Like I stated, we need to "Control Our Borders." We need to ensure those coming here are coming for the true principles of our nation. I am sorry but, if you can't afford to live here and/or have a legal skill to support yourself here then, "Stay Home!" STOP ALLOWING IMMIGRANTS HERE TO DRAIN AND DESTROY OUR COUNTRY!

Apr 26, 2013, 8:58pm Permalink

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