Letters to the editor

Disappointing reception

People will arrive regardless of our readiness for them

Editor, The Times

There are 11 million Mexicans living in the U.S.; there are countless Canadians living in the U.S. and Mexico. Then there are the Americans who migrated to Canada during the Vietnam War and the dropouts who have settled in Mexico over the years. In all three groups there are undocumented people. This phenomenon has been apparent since human beings migrated out of Africa many millions of years ago.

The point is, governments don't have much success at controlling population shifts.

For a solution we have to look no further than the European Union. There, people can move and hold jobs in any country of the union and retain their national identity. If we adopted this system into NAFTA, we could include all of North America to the border of Guatemala. Instead of 5,000 miles of borders to control, there would be maybe 200 miles.

The result would be more Canadian and American retirees moving South to enjoy the weather and Mexicans who are here would become legal and be able to migrate to Canada and Alaska and have the ability to visit their homeland unhindered.

We can't exist without Mexican labor, the Canadians have to be able to escape the brutal winters and the Mexicans need the money.

— Richard Carlstrom, Seattle

Negate crashers

I am outraged that, after going through the legal immigration process — and service in the armed forces — I am now told I should have just entered and laid claim to all the benefits of citizenship, instead of working for them as I did.

Illegal is illegal, whether it is entering the country without going through the proper process, or smoking in the wrong place.

We do a disservice to those countries from which the immigrants come by encouraging these people of courage and initiative to leave instead of making the needed corrections in their own governmental system. Those countries are wealthy in resources, but the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, and those few are happy to get out of their hair these potential "upsetters" of the good thing they have going.

Reform the immigration laws as necessary, but do not ignore them in this nation that boasts of being governed by laws instead of personal whim.

It is not necessary to round up and evict the 12 million illegals already here. There are already laws against employing illegal aliens; enforce them with penalties, penalties that have some bite.

Revoke the law that allows people to claim citizenship based on birth in this country, regardless of how their parents entered the country. Cease the practice of giving medical care (except for emergencies), free schooling and welfare entitlement to illegals. I have even read that some areas consider illegals as residents for purposes of assessing college tuition. (That means that if I wish to attend college in California, I must pay the much higher non-resident tuition, while illegal aliens are assessed resident rates.)

— Pat Guinan, Grapeview

A white theme

I find myself a bit perplexed when I read letters to the editor complaining bitterly about Mexican demonstrators carrying Mexican flags. The overwhelming majority of demonstrators I observed in downtown Seattle on May 1 carried the Stars and Stripes. Most of the people carrying Mexican flags also waved Old Glory.

I'm of Scandinavian descent and have noticed a lot of people waving Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish flags during Ballard parades. Ballard gift shops do a brisk trade in Scandinavian flags. Despite these unpatriotic displays of foreign flags, I've never heard a word of protest from right-thinking American citizens.

Could it be that the trademark blond hair and blue eyes of Scandinavians confuse these patriots? Perhaps, if we dyed our skin brown?

— Rob Nielsen, Seattle

The demanding relative

Regarding Maria Chavez' "Blaming the immigrants" [guest commentary, May 3]: "Racism"?

Should Chavez come home to find her house taken over by outsiders, could she morally take action only if the invaders were of her own heritage? Ousting a black or white family from her premises would be "racist"? Come on, Maria.

— Shirley Hepton, Seattle

Show of restraint

Control yourself around the children

Shaunti Feldhahn states that "The existence of bundling means that by definition there's a lot of cable programming that most people would prefer not to support" ["Woman to woman: Cable bundling and decency," Shaunti Feldhahn and Diane Glass syndicated columns, May 2]. The grocery store example she uses is ridiculous.

Cable is a medium more similar to a newspaper than to a retail outlet. Using Feldhahn's logic, one would argue against The Seattle Times' "bundling" the lifestyle section with sports and business because there may be some "objectionable" content (perhaps features and reviews of some of the very same "un-family-friendly" shows Feldhahn so disdains).

She conveniently forgets to mention that some of the programming most people would not support includes the 700 Club, Fox News and other conservative propaganda.

The solution for parents and those who do not want specific channels to be shown in their home is to use the parental controls provided by the cable company. That's right, take control and be accountable in your home, rather than complaining about market forces conspiring to poison the decency of our country.

In the meantime, you can kick back and enjoy Sprout, Nickelodeon and oodles of other children's' programming now available through bundling provided by cable systems.

— David Kaufer, Edmonds

Put something decent on

Who'd have guessed that Shaunti Feldhahn and I would both end up on the "pro choice" side on this issue? Her basic point [in "Cable bundling and decency"] was that she didn't want any of her monthly cable payment to finance programming she found offensive.

I agree with her. She should be able to pick and choose which channels she pays for and receives and almost more importantly which channels she does not pay for or receive. Local broadcast channels should continue to be "must carry."

I know it won't be easy for the cable companies to do. But, and I'm hoping the cable companies are listening, this is what your customers want.

— Randy Shedden, Redmond

Cancel the stamp

Renew the Visa

Regarding "First-class stamp may go to 42 cents" [News, May 3]:

How about a 50 percent postal rate increase for credit-card offers? That could erase the budget deficit.

— Donald Hein, Poulsbo