When I thought of major issues facing this nation, one was put out in bold print because of recent problems. This is the issue of illegal immigration. There are many people on both sides of this problem and it will be a long time before it is settled for good. The number of people wanting to start a life here is too great to be able to watch over it all. .
According to Ben Franklin, treating a man as a lesser being is "an atrocious debasement of human nature." Also, he believes in a man working hard and earning his own, as he says, "God helps them that help themselves, " and "Laziness travels so slowly, that Poverty soon overtakes him." Having views like this leads me to think that Franklin would have supported the men who came here to work hard to earn a living.
Many of the men that sneak into our nation work very hard for little money which they use most of to support a family. All they do is work because they know they have to and in the end will work out best for them and their family. "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise," is Franklin's view on work. He feels the man that takes care of himself and works hard will receive the rewards. I'm sure he would respect the work ethic of these men.
Another issue relating to illegal immigration is that of racism. So many people believe they are better than immigrants because they were here first and can do the job better. Being an American has nothing to do with how well you work. If anything, it would make you more lazy. It just comes down to feeling you are a better human because of your origin and that is basic racism. The working conditions for many immigrants is disrespectful and degrading to their human condition. As Ben Franklin said, "The unhappy man, who has long been treated as a brute animal, too frequently sinks beneath the common standard of the human species," and that is exactly what is happening.
