The past eight months have brought a terrifying shift in the national consciousness. Gone are the days of nationalism, individuality, and patriotism. Those supporting America and her interests are pariahs (think streaker at a baseball game) at home and abroad. No longer may an American stand up and proudly proclaim “I’m an American, and I’m here to help.” Nowadays, that sentence sounds more like “I’m an American, and I’m sorry.” In the 1940′s the American soldier and his flag were a shining beacon of hope, of sacrifice, of promise, of the true desire for a brighter, fairer, stronger tomorrow. The world not only welcomed our men and women with outstretched arms, it begged for them, it pleaded for them, it prayed for them. No more.

This past presidential election was unprecedented. Not on the basis of race. Not on the basis of gender. Not on the basis of economic standing. This past presidential race was unprecedented due to the fact that a candidate campaigned to more than just his people, he campaigned to the world. He did not campaign on the strengths of the country he wished to lead, he conducted a world wide apology tour. Despite the countless lives, dollars, and hours that this country has invested to insure that this world did not fall prey to the darkest intentions of man, this man actively sought to apologize for any and all perceived ills that the world has heaped upon his country. Rather than proclaim the positive aspects of his country, he reminded the world of why it hates this great country. Such actions are the very reason this country has seen a lack of patriotism in the past eight months. If the leader is ashamed of his country, then what do his people have to be proud about? Precisely everything that was apologized for, that’s what.

The recent Arizona injunctions against the state’s immigration laws are a shining example of how this country’s leadership views its own laws. Opponents of the immigration bill are not arguing the preemption issue of the Arizona law, they are arguing against the law itself. The critics are up in arms about the fact that a state wants to verify the status of its immigrants. Imagine that. A state wants to enforce laws. How passe. Critics ask “after all, isn’t America the land of opportunity? These people are here to provide for their families; they are honest, hard-working people.” To them I answer: yes, and that is exactly why you are wrong in supporting these illegal immigrants (if you would please notice the adjective in front of “immigrants,” this is probably the most important word in the entire article). Yes, America is the land of opportunity. Yes, these immigrants, for the most part, are hard-working people. Yes, these people are working to provide for their families. Yes, these people are honest in the sense that they are exchanging labor for compensation. The problem arises in the honesty of their immigration. They have entered this county without notice, without papers, and without approval. This makes them illegal immigrants. Another problem is that the money that they earn does not re-enter the economy. The bulk of an illegal immigrants earnings are sent back to their country of origin. Without the constant flow of money within the economy, capitalism will fail. After all, a bag of water with holes in it will eventually run out of water.

The United States of America has immigration policies and procedures for a reason. To reside in a country, any country in the world for that matter, each and every individual must be accounted for in some fashion. Illegal immigrants muck up that entire process. Population is the driving consideration in providing funding for schools, public transportation, infrastructure, natural resources, utilities, and countless other considerations of everyday life. When illegal immigrants enter this system, they harm those whom are here legally twice: they do not pay taxes and they enjoy the services that those taxes fund. That double dip is a party stopper of epic proportions.

The fact that people are actually advocating for cities to provide protection to these illegal immigrants is astounding. At some point, a portion of the American people have decided that America is the soup kitchen of the world. To them I ask: if America is not the world’s police force, if this country is not the one to challenge evil on the world scale, then who are we to be the world’s wallet, who are we to offer our land to the poor? If we cannot offer our arms, then what empowers us to open our wallets?

Those looking to protect illegal immigrants are merely following the pied piper of apology. It’s so trendy, I think I’ll do the same:
I’m sorry Americans have worked hard so as to create a world super power in less than 150 years.
I’m sorry America has laws that you have chosen to break.
I’m sorry America forces lawbreakers to face the consequence of their willful actions.
I’m sorry that 10% of Mexico’s Gross Domestic Product is a result of drug trafficking.
I’m sorry that the Mexican government is turning a blind eye to the full fledged drug war raging within its borders.