What's wrong with Mexico?

With all the ink and air time the problem of illegal immigration from Mexico has received, almost no time has been spent asking the right question -- namely, "What is wrong with Mexico?"

    The United States has been a beacon of hope for immigrants for hundreds of years. There's no mystery why people want to come here. But illegal immigrants from Canada are not swamping our northern border. Why are Canadians content to follow our immigration laws and Mexicans are not?

    Could it be that Canadians are naturally more law-abiding? More likely, there's something rotten in the state of Mexico. The problem is complicated, but at the same time, it's obvious. There is rampant corruption in Mexico, drug wars and concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, with resulting poverty for the masses. Who can blame Mexicans for wanting to escape grinding poverty and improve their lives?

    The money that illegal Mexican immigrants send back home to their families has become an important part of the Mexican economy -- and at the same time, it lessens the pressure on Mexican officials to reform their society to make the acquisition of wealth more accessible to the average Mexican.

    But understanding their motives doesn't mean we can allow our laws to be flouted and our country inundated with illegals. -- And we shouldn't allow leftists, from the president on down, to mis-characterize opposition to illegal immigration as racism. What part of "illegal" don't they understand? They falsely accuse conservatives opposed to illegal immigration of being opposed to all immigrants.

    I am not concerned that the influx of Latino immigrants will degrade our anglo-saxon culture. We are a nation of immigrants. Every significant wave of newcomers has been met with opposition and even bigotry. My grandfather remembered being called a "dirty Swede," even though his family happened to be Danish. Irish and Italian immigrants have also faced their share of insults.

    There aren't any truly "native" Americans. Even the earliest American Indian tribes migrated from Asia via a land bridge. The first white Europeans who came across the sea were all uninvited immigrants, who pushed aside the Indians as they conquered the New World. The problem with accepting more illegal immigrants now is simply a matter of numbers and economy. The United States has matured and has to set limits on immigration, as every other nation on earth does.

    I have personal experience with the immigration process. I met my Chinese-Indonesian wife in Germany. We applied for a fiance visa so we could be married in the U.S. My wife became an American citizen the legal way. She had to study and thus gained a better knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and U.S. government than most native-born American voters.

    To all legal immigrants, I say, "Welcome to the best country in the world. We're glad to have you as a contributing member of society." To Mexicans so anxious to leave their homeland that they are willing to break the immigration laws of the United States instead of waiting their turn, I ask, "If things are that bad, why don't you consider fighting to make a better life for yourselves in your own country?"