I would like to pretend that I’ve spent the last few weeks leading an exciting life of mystery and intrigue, but alas, I have been all but chained to my desk. The symphony seems a bit less prestigious when experiencing it 24/7… I’m still attempting to have a life, but apart from work and May sweeps I am torn between the season finale of Lost and actually having a life outside of my cubicle and a talking cube.

I finally decided to sit down and take a moment to vent. And you lucky folks get to listen to me as I stand on my soapbox of immigration reform. I can hear your mouse edging up to the top of the screen to minimize this screen. But really, it won’t hurt your brain too much to think about politics just for a moment… This has been the topic of heated debate across the country and is especially significant to states such as Texas and California that are home to a Hispanic "minority majority". The issue has shifted from its original focus on worldwide immigration trends to a microcosm of the population.

It’s apparent that we need stricter immigration reform when I see the consequences of illegal immigrants flooding through our porous Southern border. In Texas alone our healthcare and education systems are pushed to the limits to accommodate individuals who maintain a cycle of poverty. (That’s a topic all it’s own…)

However, I’m tired of the focus being on a reactive position to deport all of the illegal immigrants and not considering a proactive choice. If I could just address the senate for a moment, "Stop plugging the holes and find a long-term solution! Look outside our government to see how we can help create some long-term reform in other countries (i.e. Mexico)!"

Take a moment to think about something that will help U.S. citizens beyond a guest worker program, beyond amnesty, or beyond shipping all illegal immigrants home to a greater solution that will inevitably make countries, such as Mexico, safe and economically viable for their residents to live. I know it’s too much to ask for any U.S. president to look beyond their 4-8 years in office and do something for the greater good of the nation and the world but perhaps someone can focus beyond how the history books will define them as a president and make their own definition.

I’ll wrap it up here and just say one more thing; throughout all of these immigration rallies and riots I have heard the question asked only ONCE, "What does this mean for the African/S. American/E. European/Middle Eastern populations and those displaced from their country for political/religious (NOT economic) factors?" This country does not cater to only one population- we are a veritable melting pot of religions, ethnicities, and races. Though I’m not saying that the Hispanic population has any less reason to be concerned about the immigration status, can we take a minute and think about how this will affect the world?

Since 9/11 refugee resettlement has dramatically decreased as the Patriot Act redefined who could legitimately seek refugee status or asylum. This not only creates a strain on the U.S. refugee/asylee population but also on host countries that are unable to counterbalance the large refugee populations that are unable to resettle in the U.S. As the Senate contemplates immigration reform it needs to think about the global implications to their choices and not just listen to those who shout the loudest. Ok, thanks for not minimizing the screen and reading my rant. I swear I’ll make my next post not quite so politically motivated.