"But what about the Dreamers?"

Happy Monday! New day, new week, first blog of the New Year for me and I was all set to write a nice cheerful positive blog about my new song. That was until I made the mistake of calling my mom before I sat down to do it. That was mistake number one. Mistake number two, putting the news on in the background while I wrote. Mistake number three, not having my Dunkins before I did it, must get coffee. Oops, I’m doing it again…

WARNING: This blog is not politically correct, sensitive individuals who tend to melt should an opinion different than that of their own should appear (aka snowflakes), read at your own risk.

By now you have probably heard about the “Government Shutdown”, that is unless you’ve spend the last few weeks under a rock. One thing is certain, regardless what channel you’re watching I can sum it up in three words: “It’s their fault”. Apparently congress never learned the lesson as kids that whenever you point a finger at as someone else, it’s good to keep in mind there will always be three more fingers pointing back at you.

Seriously though, there are many places people can garner information from. It’s no secret that many channels that like to call themselves “News” are more opinion and less actual facts. It’s also no secret that Greek girl rolls to the right on most everything related to politics. However, this whole congressional temper tantrum being led by Chuck Schumer isn’t about left or right or any of the negative noise the talking heads in the news are spending so much time yapping their traps about. At the end of the day the only thing in my opinion that should matter boils down to one word… Military.

So here’s the thing, the only thing that should matter in this whole debacle is, when did a non US Citizen become more important than legal citizens serving in the United States Military? I can hear it now, it usually goes a little something like this: “You’re a racist, how insensitive, how could you want to send kids who have lived here their entire lives away and deport them, you heartless monster.” Well, let me tell you how. See there is a word people seem to keep forgetting in this whole debate, “illegal”.

Let me ask, what happens if you break the law in another country? That’s right you face the consequences of that action, and in many instances you go to jail. In many countries that is a very unpleasant place to be, and in fact some don’t even make it out alive. Just ask Otto Warmbier who died after being released from a North Korean prison last year.  

Why do we have laws if we are not going to enforce them? Heck why not just let all the people locked up for things like murder and drugs go free? Why are we spending millions of tax dollars a year supporting people in the prison system that are incarcerated? Why are Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi not worried about those poor souls who have to spend so many days locked up in a lonely jail cell? Don’t they matter? Good gravy.

At the end of the day they are dragging something into a bill that has absolutely nothing in the world to do with spending. DACA and Dreamers are literally being put ahead of active duty Military personnel. Don’t believe me? Check Military.com for yourself and see what happens to active duty military and their families in a shutdown: https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/01/18/how-government-shutdown-would-impact-pay-benefits.html

I’m sorry, call me crazy but I was raised (by a legal immigrant mind you) that American Citizens especially our active duty Military should be more important than someone who broke our laws to come here. Never mind the strain and financial burden the illegal immigration situation puts on the healthcare system. I know how heartless of me to think that working Americans who cannot or barely afford their Obama care premiums should come before someone who broke the law.

Gee, I wonder what would happen to Americans who illegally immigrate to another county and expect to receive free healthcare, schooling and in many cases yes even housing. I’m sure that would go over well. All sarcasm aside, I really cannot even wrap my noggin around how it is legal for Democrats to hold the entire country hostage and drag a non-financial related issue into a financial spending bill.

In reality it is like a child having a temper tantrum. “Nope, I’m not going to listen until I get my way.” Good grief Charlie Brown, but that is just not how our government is set up. Not what our founders intended, and not in any way shape or form productive for anyone, especially for the American people who are footing the bill for this entire episode.

No I’m not heartless, yes I care about people, all people, even illegal immigrants. I just do not think they should be put ahead of our Military and legal citizens who were born here. There is a way to immigrate to our country and it needs to be done legally. What in the world are we teaching these Dreamers anyway if we reward them for breaking the law. I know I can hear it now, the Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski’s of the world jumping up and down “but it wasn’t even the kids, it was a parent so why punish the children?” Again I’ll tell you why, because laws were broken. Period, end of the story. Why on earth are we going to enforce “some” laws and not others?

I really hope that this whole thing comes to an end and quickly. My heart is heavy for our Service men and women who are on the front lines and have been put to the back burner. How is the wife of the veteran at home supposed to pay the mortgage? It’s totally upside down and I for one am ready for it to be put right side up again and quickly.

Blessings, Love and Music ~
Ava xo
www.avaaston.com

Should They Stay or Should They Go

What would Churchill Do?...

Immigration... seems like you can't go a day without hearing, or seeing the word these days. People are so passionate about it on both sides of the issue that it's almost becoming one of those taboo topics, like religion or politics that it's not polite to talk about because people get so heated. Well since I'm Greek which is code for (born without a filter) you had to know I would have to put my two cents in. WARNING: (This blog is not politically correct).  

It's everywhere from your local community to the talking heads on TV and most everyone understandably feels very strongly about it. I wonder though if it's far more simpler than anyone realizes. It really boils down to the law. Either we have a country with laws or we don't. We don't get to pick and choose which laws we are going to enforce... or do we? Sadly these days it seems to be the latter.  

Sounds like a line from a Trump speech does it? Dang right it does because he is right. Gasp... is Greek Girl a racist? No! HELLO (my dad immigrated to America from Greece before I was born with just $20 in his pocket) I'm the last person anyone could call a racist. It's really just about the law. Are we going to follow our laws or not? 

Yes America is the land of opportunity, we welcome the poor the tired, and we want to do whatever we can to help the least of these. The question is what about the poor and the tired who are here who are effected by the astronomical costs of illegal immigration? Think about it, what would happen to any random American who decided to go live in another country illegally. Lets just say Saudi Arabia for example... anyone who violates their immigration law is subject to deportation, fines and possible imprisonment. I'm willing to bet an American ICE holding facility is like club med compared to a Saudi Arabian jail cell.      

Forget Saudi Arabia, pick a country. Any country... be as simple as a Google search. It's all there. Australia for example has implemented one of the harshest border policies in the world. Characterized by three core points: turning or towing back boats of asylum seekers at sea; forcing asylum seekers to live in detention centers across the Pacific in Nauru and Papua New Guinea; and guaranteeing they will never be resettled in Australia. 

Compare that to America. Can anyone imagine American authorities doing anything like that? Of course not because that would be inhumane and the media's heads would literally explode at the slightest hint of anything like that. So instead we have people from God knows where who have come here to do God knows what, who have a virtual red carpet rolled out for them. Yes there are good, decent people who come here to find a better life like my dad. Even so, if they came illegally they broke the law, and on some level the point could be made how decent is that?  

Our country is full of sanctuary cities with oodles of assistance programs (in NYS we have SSI, WIC, Welfare to name a few) where people receive free housing, medical care, and spending money and in some cases free college (no I'm am not kidding). HELLO do we not right now at this very moment have boatloads (no pun intended) of indoctrinated college kids jumping up and down marching and demonstrating at universities all over the United States demanding free college, and that all student loan debt be eliminated? It's enough to make ones head spin. Here's an example that could cause a serious case of agida: right now at this very moment, there are residents of Islamic training camps in Hancock and Deposit, NY who are receiving SSI, WIC, and or welfare. All paid for by US tax dollars. 

Yet we had to have Obamacare so legal born American citizens could be forced to buy more expensive insurance with astronomical deductibles that cover less, things they don't want or need. Meanwhile we have illegal’s receiving all kinds of things that these programs when instituted were never intended to be used for what they are being used for today. Either by people who mean well turning a blind eye or by policy loopholes and or lack of enforcement. It's a serious problem... at the same time complicated and simple enough to be a sitcom episode. 

My dad went through the legal channel to become a citizen. It was hard, and he had setbacks like when he and my mom got divorced he had to start all over again, and go to the back of the line. He didn't complain, he didn't go to a government agency and the news and carry on about how hard it was. He got up every day and did whatever he had to do to provide for his family and meet the requirements to become a citizen legally. He washed dishes; he worked construction as a bridge painter. He worked his way up to owning his own restaurant and eventually even to own his own bridge painting company.

I remember a story about a time before I was born when he was painting bridges down in the south somewhere. He had another week until he would get paid, and it was hot summertime. He was hungry and thirsty, so he took his last ten cents to get a coke from a vending machine. You know the old fashioned bottles that have now come back into style. He put the ten cents in and waited. Nothing... so he hit the machine. Still nothing, it was hot and he was dying of thirst so he hit it again. Just before he turned to give up he kicked it, then all of the sudden cokes started coming out one by one. So he grabbed one of the empty plastic bottle holders that were lying on the ground. He filled several of them, and he thinks it must have emptied the machine. The beauty of it is that he lived on those cokes until he got paid again.    

Somehow somewhere in the days from that time to now there has been a shift, a shift from victors to victims. It seems were living in a day when some want to label an entire group of people as victims rather than enforcing the law and empowering people to utilize their strengths and talents and help them help themselves. Sadly in the midst of this problem as I mentioned above we have those who wish to do us harm and they are taking advantage of the gaping holes in US immigration policy. I fear what it will take for our leaders to wake up to the reality of what is actually happening.    

What do we do? We have to do something. One thing is for certain Lady Liberty is tired and America did not become a Great Nation by being a doormat. What happened in Paris is a horrible tragedy, it is happening all over the world, and it has been going on for years. No one person has the solution, but unless we want to see it happening here in America... Maybe that wall isn't such a bad idea after all.  

Blessings, Love & Music ~

Ava xo

www.avaaston.com