Filed under: Globalization, Government and Politics | Tags: Globalization, Government and Politics, hegemony, neocolonialism, politics, post-colonialism
QUESTION: Post-colonialism may refer to the way in which imperialist nations maintain hegemony over their ex-colonies, but neo-colonialism may have positive connotations to citizens of those ex-colonies, especially in the realm of intellectual, literary and artistic production. Discuss and don’t forget to give examples!
The discourse of nations through post colonialism and neo colonialism may be described as symbolic, first post colonialism being the strong, grounded tree in an ancient forest and second, neocolonialism being the often improved, hybridized offspring. Post colonialism can be described as the development of a national identity after establishment and neocolonialism as being a combination of current actual colonialism and the integration of modern economic practices and involvement with other nations. Imperialist nations seem to have control and maintain hegemony over ex colonies because of the need for a strong cultural identity in a stabilized country.
Nations without sound values and beliefs socially, politically and economically are hard to run smoothly. While colonized, states acquire a sense of identity through the strong, imperialist mother country. Nursing the young states into a grounded, stable form of herself, the mother country creates a hegemony in which she has direct influence over until departure when the states become countries themselves, go into post colonialism and try to establish their own national identities. Although separate, post colonialism still maintains hegemony over ex colonies because of the instilled belief system on which they were brought up. To eradicate all traces of the ex mother country’s teachings would be to obliterate any stability the former colony once had and utter chaos would be more than expected…however, an answer to the enigma of creating a unique national identity in a hegemony saturated environment may be found through neocolonialism. Progressive reform and the development of culture in a new nation is produced largely through intellectual, literary and artistic production. Geeta Kapur states that, “…societies that have undergone a long period of decolonization and developed beyond the terms of hybridity a sustained postcolonial vision that has, along with concrete manifestations, the ability to theorize on societal conditions. These societies have devised, moreover, styles of historical praxis and futures beyond postcoloniality. This may be kept in view to arrive at a more dialectically worked-out politics than a perennially in between position allows,” (Kapur 201). She believes that along with the stability the mother country instilled, the young nation must develop it’s future beyond postcolonialism if it is to prosper.
Neocolonialism may hold the key to pushing through the in between position because by integrating new values and adding diversity through intellectual, literary and artistic reform, the nation will ultimately develop a unique identity.
Filed under: Economics, Government and Politics | Tags: Economics, Government and Politics, immigration, microeconomics, politics
ON IMMIGRATION, CURRENT POLICY, PROPOSED POLICIES AND PERSONAL OPINION.
I. Favorable Impact:
A. Rumored Competition:
Many native born Americans fear the competition brought along with illegal immigrants. They will work for little money doing hard labor and don’t ask for benefits, vacations or anything of the likes. This is presumably due to the fact that the nature of their labor revolves around a cash pay core offering work in intervals usually in the form of jobs that may only last a couple of days. But what kind of jobs do these people hold? They mow laws, paint fences, cook food, babysit for busy families…Americans find these tasks undesirable. Because the pay is low even before illegal workers get in the picture, American citizens feel the hard work involved is not worth the amount of pay and even the work itself is ‘below’ them. B. Weapon Against Inflation:
Although the majority of illegal workers do send part of their wages back to their home countries, they are still contributing to our economy here in the US. Rent, food, clothing and other necessities are all being purchased with money made in the direct vicinity. Not only are they themselves pumping money back into the flow, but by working for others they are helping legal workers contribute more than possible without their low paying work. For example, California is one of the top states for illegal workers and it is partially because of this that their economy prospers. Especially in the LA area (according to the LA Times) “tens of thousands” of illegal nannies are being paid by mothers who can then return to/start a career. This increases the families’overall income and spending capabilities, subsequently re-fueling the economy. This makes up for any lack of repayment by illegals and THEN some because of their salary opportunity being higher. C. Social Security:
When one is hired for a job, a significant amount of paperwork is filed to ascertain wages are paid and reported, taxes are paid, Social Security is paid, etc. etc. There are a significant amount of illegals that work for cash on a day to day basis, but there is also a hefty amount (as the job and pay is generally higher and more reliable) of paper filing, society contributing aliens helping our sick and senior citizens. ”Our assumption is that about three-quarters of other-than-legal immigrants pay payroll taxes,” says Stephen C. Gross, Social Security’s chief actuary. When we work, the money taken out of our pay checks eventually comes back to us in the form of public pensions during retirement and the opportunity to take advantage of Medicare after the age of 65. Illegal immigrants do not have the rights to use these, thus the community benefits from their hard work.
D. Property Value:
Especially in areas that are already well populated (and the mass majority of aliens do flock to CA, NY and FL) illegal immigrants help increase property value just by being there. Although their apartments may not be up to the American standard of aesthetic living, the hard numbers are what matters and the hundreds of people taking up space is what’s causing properties to skyrocket.
II. Unfavorable Impact:
A. Healthcare:
An approximate $650 million a year is spent on uninsured immigrants for emergency room care such as the delivery of babies, paid for by taxpayers and private insurers.
B. Schools:
Babies born in the United States, despite family background automatically become our citizens and are entitled to a free public education. This causes overcrowding in schools, evident by the innumerable amount of public education classes being forced to hold classes in newly placed trailers on the skirts of the school building(s) to accommodate the new boom of immigrated babies.
C. Traffic and Overcrowding:
With more and more people looking to live in a small amount of space, not only will traffic commute time increase but health standards will be sacrificed. Air pollution, global warming, other ecological issues and the health of people are all at stake when it comes to the idea of too many people in one place. A kind of silly analogy I remember from my childhood while learning geography was the saying that the relationship between our country and the border countries could be thought of as Canada is America’s ‘hat’ and Mexico is the ‘pants.’ Well, without strict regulation, Mexico would go from being the pants to a pair of overalls!
D. The Health of Americans:
It is not only the change in environment (pollution) that will cause the immune systems of Americans to weaken, but very directly since 2004 there have been several outbreaks of tuberculosis…a disease the American Lung Association proudly proclaimed was ‘wiped out’ (of the US.)
III. Limit on Annual Immigrants:
The limit for legal immigrants should be raised. The government does a great job assuring that immigrants have the money to live here, will not go into poverty and have to rely on social services and are well cultured aspiring citizens. It’s highly doubtful half of the people living in our country today could afford to pay the fees, be willing enough to actually learn about the history of our country or wait an extremely long amount of time (for most) to gain citizenship. It’s about appreciation of the country’s philosophy and governance…people who want to live here/do live here should have certain standards and those who are willing to walk the line for our freedoms should have the opportunity to do so.
IV. Wages and Jobs:
Should a new national policy be adopted causing all aliens to be rounded up and sent home and construction and agriculture to raise their wages to attract workers, the US would most probably benefit…after some time of adjustment. Because compensation is the ultimate initiative to the mass majority of people, a raise in wages would attract a lot of people such as high school drop outs, even holders of a high school diploma or GED. The work force is evolving and more education is needed each day. It was once a possibility to graduate high school, find a job and be able to raise a family on your earnings. Now an AA, AS is the new high school diploma. That’s the bottom of the food chain. To be anywhere near marketable one should at LEAST aim for a BA/BS. These people, rather than working at McDonalds or Sears (minimum wage jobs) would opt for the higher paying (although harder and even less prestigious) job. Also, with the prices of food and housing going up (due to payroll of course) it is to be expected that the government would help fund programs for these industries. With this program the number of people on welfare may go up at first (reluctance to take the new jobs) but once the jobs are thought of in a different light, they will become more desirable, more people will be employed, crime will likely go down because of the share of wealth, people will enjoy new career options in areas previously looked down upon and the economy will stabilize. At first it may be hard and it may take awhile to adjust to pricier food, lawn services and buildings, but now land will be more bountiful, rent more affordable to middle class families, pollution a bit less of an issue in cities, people would be healthier and kids would not have to take biology in a portable trailer.
V. What Should We Do:
Operation Wetback should be reinstated but in a sensible manner. Illegal immigrants should be granted (as Bush proposed) a “guest worker card” ONLY if they can pass the citizenship test all of the legal immigrants must pass and only if they can speak conversational English. Those who pass should be given the card for up to 1 year in which time they need to learn enough English to be at least semi-fluent and have enough education to meet the standards of the average American. When the one year is up they should be tested and if they fail they should be deported immediately. If they pass they should be placed on probationary citizenship for 4 additional years during which time they should not dip below the poverty line or have to rely on social services or else they risk being sent back. When the 5 years are up and they are still successfully staying out of poverty and off welfare, they should be granted the citizenship they deserve. This program would make it so only those who really, honestly WANT to be an American can be. Our country is the land of opportunity…but only for those who are motivated enough to take advantage of it.
Works Cited
1. Immigration: How Welcoming Should Lady Liberty Be?
2. Streitfeld, David. “Illegal – But Essential.” LA Times 1 Oct. 2006. 14 Apr. 2008 <http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2006/10/immigration_is_.html>.
3. Beck, Roy. “NumbersUSA.” 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.numbersusa.com/video/>.
4. Krikorian, Mark. “Should the United States Get Tough on Illegal Workers? Yes.” CIS. 26 Dec. 2004. Center for Immigration Studies. 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/mskoped122604.html>.
5. Porter, Eduardo. “Illegal Immigrants are Bolstering Social Security with Billions.” The New York Times 5 Apr. 2005. 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/05/business/05immigration.html>.
VI. The Candidates’ Positions* (2008)
A. Hillary Clinton:
Hillary voted yes for the comprehensive immigration reform advocating an increase in border patrol, use of border barriers including physical barriers, radar and aerial vehicles, workplace enforcement and Z-visa alien processing. She voted no for declaring English as the official language of the US government stating that, “I believe this is a States rights issue and those constitutions of those States ought to be respected.” She points out that in New Mexico their State Constitution holds a provision saying that many documents within the State must be provided in both English and Spanish. The same is true for Hawaii. She voted yes for the nonimmigrant guestworker program, yes for building a fence along the Mexican border, yes to giving guest workers a path to citizenship and yes to allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. In general it seems she is in favor of federal assistance to state and local governments (whom she feels are better off dealing with immigrants than the federal government) and heavier punishment to employers of undocumented workers. She is also empathetic to aliens already here who she feels should have a path to citizenship should they keep up motivation, keep working, paying taxes, respecting the law and learning English.
B. Barack Obama:
Obama’s solution to the immigration problem includes creating secure borders, improving the government systems itself, removing incentives to enter illegally, working with Mexico and cracking down on employers. He also supports the idea that undocumented immigrants with no criminal history should be allowed to learn English, pay a fine and have the opportunity to become citizens. He hopes that by promoting economic development in Mexico, punishing employers with undocumented workers more severely and adding more personnel, barriers and technology to the borders that there will be less incentive for people to come here illegally. Another point he supports strongly is in fixing the immigration bureaucracy in effect today by increasing the amount of legal immigrants allowed in an effort to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs. Obama’s main concerns regarding immigration revolve around whole families, respectable employers and a fair bureaucracy.
C. John McCain:
John McCain states that, “A secure border is an essential element of our national security.” He feels the answer to the immigration problem lies in building allies in Latin America and Mexico, in supporting pro growth policies so businesses can hire and pay the best, making a reliable, respectable education system to prepare young workers for the market and modernizing assistance programs for new opportunities for displaced workers. He feels that an important aspect of immigration to our country should include learning English, American history and civics and learning to respect the democratic values of our society. As does Hillary, McCain feels that our country should be an opportunity for those willing to live a life built on hard work and optimism. He voted yes for comprehensive immigration reform, yes to declaring English as the official language of the US government, yes to building a fence along the Mexican border, yes to establishing a guest worker program and yes to allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. He also voted yes to giving guest workers a path to citizenship, on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work, on visas for skilled workers and on limit welfare for immigrants. In general McCain wants to round up all illegal immigrants who have committed crimes and deport them. Then, once he is sure the security of the border won’t be sacrificed he will encourage the remaining immigrants in good standing to learn English. McCain is sympathetic toward the immigrants stating that, “…
These are God’s children as well,” and once he weeds out the criminals and secures the border (an issue he is extremely adamant about) he says that they can pay penalties to adjust their status’.
Works Cited:
1. “Hillary Clinton on Immigration.” On the Issues. 14 Apr. 2008 <http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Hillary_Clinton_Immigration.htm>.
2. “IMMIGRATION.” Barack Obama.Com. 14 Apr. 2008
<http://www.barackobama.com/issues/immigration/>.
3. ” Border Security & Immigration Reform.” John McCain.Com 7 Feb. 2008. 14 Apr. 2008
< http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/issues/68db8157-d301-4e22-baf7-a70dd8416efa.htm >.
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* Just a note: I’m personally rooting for Ron Paul but he wasn’t an option for this assignment (:
