Room for One More, Australian Immigration

The Australian way of life was irrevocably changed by the large scale immigration of the post-war years. Although straining many of Australia's resources in such areas as food, housing and education, roads and transport, hospitals and social services, the benefits were innumerable.

Rapid economic and industrial development was possible because of the increased manpower available; political growth occurred to meet a wide range of needs, and Australia's export/import trade changed largely due to the interests and requirements of our migrant population. Socially, the Australian way of life became more colourful and vigorous - creating a larger Australian tolerance of ethnic differences - a direct result of the stimulus provided by many and varied cultures.

Australia's economic position changed rapidly during the early post-war immigration. Whether the migrants were displaced refugees; British families and ex-servicemen assisted with fare subsidies, or single men brought here to contribute their specific skills, all contributed to this post-war economic boom. Many early arrivals were building workers who quickly reduced the backlog of desperately needed residential and commercial building - and in turn created an ever-increasing demand for extra housing for their own families.

The next wave came to work in the rapidly growing area of heavy industry, like the steel works at Port Kembla; and Government projects, such as the Snowy Mountains Scheme - the immense hydroelectricity and irrigation complex. Others came to join the workforce in mines, timber mills and the ever-expanding manufacturing businesses springing to life to service these many and varied industries.

A notable change in these post-war years was the rapidly growing number of women in the workforce. Some European women worked because of necessity, others because of a burning ambition to 'make good' in this new country. At the same time, the number of Australian women in the work-force also increased rapidly, following women's involvement during the war years due to lack of manpower. After the war, many more women saw the benefits to be gained by the extra income, and chose the dual roles of motherhood and 'working woman'.

Fears that the immigration of many unskilled workers would lower the overall standard of Australian life, and create a 'lower working class' society, proved unwarranted. Instead, many Australians moved up into better paid 'white collar' jobs, due to the economic expansion. One of the negatives was the number of highly qualified workers who either had no papers from their own countries to prove their worth, following all the upheaval of war in Europe - or were let down by their poor grasp of English, making them sound ill-educated.

Politically, the effects of immigration were also felt. The formation of the Democratic Labor Party was a direct result of fears held by various nationalities from Europe of the potential for Communist take-over of the Australian Labor Party, as they had seen happen in their former countries. Many Trade Unions would also change and adapt to meet varied demands by overseas-born members, who often constituted up to 60% of an individual union.

Socially, Australia's traditional insular attitude has been reversed and truly enriched by its migrant population. One of the many positive effects has impacted our eating preferences. A broad range of European and Asian food items are now commonplace in most homes - Italian pizza, pasta and Parmesan cheese; German black breads, sausages, and sauerkraut; Polish salamis and dill pickles; Lebanese pita bread; Greek philo pastry; Chinese stir-fry vegetables, noodles and Soy sauce; Turkish shish-kebabs; Dutch, French and Scandinavian cheeses; Danish pastry; Swiss confectionery - the list is endless.

The variety of wines, and wine production itself, saw huge expansion, as well as a more discerning desire by Australians to appreciate and enjoy complimentary wines with meals, as well as for simply socializing. At the same time, restaurants providing cuisine from all around the globe, sidewalk cafes, and exotic nightclubs emerged in all cities and suburbs.

Entertainment is another area that has expanded and flourished due to our multi-cultural society. There are now many wonderful ethnic celebrations, enjoyed by all Australians. Here in South Australia, some particular favourites are - the German Schutzenfest, Greek Glendi, Cornish Kernewek Lowender, Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra wine festivals, as well as Chinese New Year parades and celebrations. The Adelaide Festival of Arts provides a venue for a large range of folk music, dancing and song from all parts of our world. Ethnic radio stations, television channels, and newspapers and magazines inform, educate and enlighten us about differing attitudes and life-styles.

The most interesting effects are still evolving - in particular the effect of mixed marriages. Apart from the changes in attitudes of the couples themselves, their families and friends will also learn and grow from the exchange and intermingling of ideas, traditions and beliefs of the different cultures. And, in the children, the potential exists for whole-hearted tolerance and acceptance of all other races, because of the children's own mixed cultural heritage. This has certainly been my first-hand experience, as an Australian married to a Danish immigrant who arrived in Australia with his family in 1956. All of the attitudes in our immediate family have been altered and widened considerably by the combining of our cultures, and these effects have rippled outwards through our extended family, friends and acquaintances.

It is to be hoped that all Australians, (both old and new) follow their lead, and accept, appreciate and enjoy each others' individual contribution to our 'lucky' country.

© 2012 Christine Larsen All Rights Reserved Worldwide

The individual stories of Australia's immigrants are as varied as their nationalities. Perhaps you would like to the read about the background to just one immigrant family - mine by marriage -

Heroes?...They Didn't Think So

Rick Perry on Illegal Immigration - The Tea Party Might Not Like Him When They Hear About This

Many conservatives are not happy with Rick Perry on illegal immigration policies. While Texans have known for years that Governor Perry is soft on illegal immigration, the rest of the country is learning where he stands now. Moderates and conservatives strongly support Perry in the recent polls, but conservatives may hold off on supporting him if they know how he really votes on immigration issues.

Here is what you need to know about Rick Perry on illegal immigration issues.

Texas Dream Act
This is one of the most controversial aspects of his agenda. The Texas Dream Act makes it possible for children of illegal immigrants to get in-state tuition rates for college when they graduate from high school. This legislation was passed in 2001 by Rick Perry, and he actively campaigned for the legislation and eagerly signed it when it became law. This is troubling for Tea Party supporters.

Perry has already been questioned about this bill in a recent interview in New Hampshire Leader Union. He does not regret his stance on this issue, and he says he would still support this bill if it came up for a vote again today. While you have to admire Perry's unwavering support of an issue that may backfire on him, this is still troubling for many conservatives in the party.

Illegal immigrants are also eligible for minority benefits that many white students are not eligible for. Out of state students who want to attend Texas schools have to pay higher tuition rates than illegal immigrants who don't pay taxes. Something doesn't seem right about this.

Border Fence
The governor has been clear on his position regarding the border fence being built. He opposes building the fence to stop illegal immigrants from entering the country. For people who live outside Texas, this is a pretty tough position to understand. If you support immigration through the traditional process, then you should support building a fence keeping people out of the United States. If you are concerned about national security issues, you should want the fence!

Perry has repeatedly stated that he is tough on border security, but it is hard to defend his position when he doesn't want the border fence.

E-Verify System
The E-Verify system is a system where federal contractors are required to check all US workers to make sure they are verified to work in the United States. Perry has been opposed to the E-Verify system because he doesn't feel it would make that much difference in companies hiring illegal workers for their workforce.

Trans-Texas Corridor
The governor is in favor of the Trans-Texas Corridor. This is the proposed super highway that would connect Mexico, the United States, and Canada with one super highway running through Texas. This would promote illegal immigration for sure as it would be easier for illegals to cross the border.

I may not like Rick Perry on illegal immigration issues, but I believe that most Tea Party voters will still vote for Perry if he wins the nomination for the GOP. They realize that he is probably the only chance we have to get Obama out of office after 2012.

Rick Perry on illegal immigration is ticking off the Tea Party here! Learn more about Ron Paul here!

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The Case For Legal Immigration

The Democrats would have us believe that we need to give amnesty to every illegal immigrant in the United States. Isn't it past time for the Congress to debate the case for legal immigration.

Instead, they have once again begun the drum beat for comprehensive immigration reform. Seven Democrat Senators have joined together to reintroduce the reform bill that failed back in 2007. This appears to be an attempt by the Democrats to prop up their fading support in the Hispanic-American community.

Meanwhile a variation of the Dream Act was passed and signed by Governor Jerry Brown of California. Republicans in near-bankrupt California have complained that after cutting millions in state aid to higher education the state has mysteriously come up with an estimated $40 million in privately funding for the education of illegal immigrants. A similar bill failed in the U.S. Congress in 2010 and there is little chance for its success in 2011 since the Republican-controlled House will vote against it.

This post is not going to rehash the old arguments for various Democrat attempts to create wedge issues for the 2012 election. We've heard all of the sob stories before. Let's be clear: illegal immigration is illegal, even if it's done for the best or most innocent reasons. Crossing the borders of the United States illegally is at the least a misdemeanor and repeated crossings escalate to felonies. Stealing an identity is also a felony.

This brings us to the case for legal immigration into the United States. This country was founded and nurtured by immigrants. Even the native Americans are not really natives. Their ancestors walked across the Bering land bridge from Asia. Whether your ancestors came by boat or plane, they all made the conscious decision to come to America. Most had no intention of returning to their former homelands.

I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. As a young boy all of the candy stores, diners, pizza parlors and soda shoppes were owned by either Jewish or Italian immigrants. Many of the Jews had numbered tattoos on their forearms marking them as survivors of the worst travesty of World War II, the Nazi death camps. All of these people came here for two things: freedom and the opportunity for a better life. Their children mainly went to college and prospered, living the American dream.

In my twenties, many of the same establishments were owned by Greeks. They came for many of the same reasons and prospered in America. South Asians came to America and started buying gas stations and convenience stores. Many of their children moved on to a better life. Today, in central Virginia we have South Koreans owning the very same stores. Their children are engineers and medical students. (I actually know a family whose two children are just that.)

My paternal 2nd great grandfather was an Irish immigrant named Michael Patrick Murphy. He came to this country with his younger brother, Patrick in late 1862 because there was no future for them in their home country. Ten years later he was a defender of his country at Antietam and his brother was a cavalryman in the same Federal army. He later became a successful real estate broker and First Justice of the Peace in Westchester County, New York.

On the same side of the family my great grandfather, Antonino Bisecchia, arrived here from central Sicily with some tools and a dream. He was a boot maker and apparently a good one because by the 1910 census he owned his own shop. By 1916 his entire family Anglicized their names. My grandfather and one of his younger brothers went as far as changing their surnames to Billies. Three of Antonino grandson's served proudly in the United States armed forces. One actually participated in the liberation of his family's homeland, Sicily.

Instead of looking for political gotchas and electoral advantages, isn't it time to discuss the case for legal immigration. America is a big country. We have many economic problems that require solutions. Here are some suggestions.

Stop arguing about the border fence and finish it already. Guard it like we're guarding our own homes because we are.

Create a national identity card and implement it. Enough with the so-called privacy issues. We have Social Security cards, drivers' licences and other forms of identity.

Create tough penalties for companies and their mangers who knowingly hire illegals.

Make sure that our border patrol and the troops that we station have the authority and force to seal the border. Let the rest of the world know that we will no longer countenance illegal crossings.

Beef up the foreign workers program to allow an easier flow back and forth across our borders.

Rework the current quota system to better reflect the current reality.

And finally, here's the big one: gradually encourage illegals currently in the United States to return to their home countries with the promise that they can return when their number is called.

The time has arrived for the politicians in Washington to resolve this vexing national issue and make the case for legal immigration.

Richard Billies
http://allthingspoliticaltoday.com/
I am a writer and a blogger who lives in central Virginia. I usually blog about politics and current events.

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Illegal Immigration - Are Authorities Making a Dent in It?

The Democrats and the Obama administration want to keep the flow of non-criminal illegal immigrants into our nation moving forward, and they wish to provide a path to citizenship. It should be obvious why, they want this next generation of voters to come into the United States, procreate, and provide an endless new population of Democrat Voters. Many might say that I am far too cynical, and it's not fair that I make that statement, however if you look at the Democratic Strategy Playbook, they admit it, and it is part of their focus moving forward so they can remain in leadership role of our government for the next few decades.

Now then, does this strategy make sense, you bet it does from a political standpoint, however from an American standpoint, I think it stinks. What we really need to do in this country is to streamline the immigration and integration process so people can become US citizens without having to break the law. There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on August 15, 2011 titled; "Immigration Audits Drive Illegal Workers Underground," by Miriam Jordan.

The article explains the new tact being taken by the immigration department, and how The Border Patrol and US Immigration Service are doing silent raids - the silent raids are much different than the confrontational raids where they roll up unannounced at a business and round up all the workers and check for their IDs, and take the illegal aliens put them in a paddy wagon and cart them off. In a silent raid they come and look at all of the I-9s and make sure that anyone working there is a legal citizen.

They're looking for a paperwork trail, and they also advise the business owner; who is and who is not a legal citizen. The business owner then has to let those employees go who are not actual citizens, and the authorities come back later to make sure that they have done so. The illegal aliens are still in the country, just not able to work. If the business owner hasn't the company is fined, and there can be criminal penalties. Why is the Obama Administration calling these departments to do it that way you ask?

It's simple really because the unions want to prevent competition from companies that do not hire union labor, and may be hiring illegal aliens, giving them the unfair price advantage in the marketplace. This way the Obama Administration and the Democrats can't keep the Hispanic vote, not deal with the real problems, and still get their union organizers to walk precincts and get their vote out. Is this helping, is it making a dent in the illegal immigration and illegal worker programs?

The article suggests that it isn't, and I would submit to you that it is correct. If you drive around your city, you will see people out working who are probably not US citizens, they "maybe" illegal aliens working under the table, but they are doing different kinds of jobs, and there's really no enforcement. Therefore one has to question this entire strategy, and if we are even being true to the laws of our nation. Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes writing 24,500 articles by August 24th or 25th will be difficult because all the letters on his keyboard are now worn off now..

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