Alright, I think we need some clarification here. I'm not sure you will all agree with these, but this is the way I see it. This is an extremely conservative stance, but I'm not sure that easy solutions are evident in the situation.

1) It is not good that we have illegal immigrants. Something has to be done to fix the transient nature of that status. What that solution is will not be as simple as closing the border and deporting those concerned. In the mean time, rest assured that EVERYONE pays taxes, even illegal immigrants. They are paying for your social security just as sure as you are.

2) the USA cannot exist without illegal immigrants today. If they were all shipped away tomorrow morning, the entire country would shut down. they are inextricably linked with our workforce and our economy. An increase in employment of citizens will expand the underclass and stall economic growth. The economics of this makes my head hurt, but I do know that a real solution would enable those already working to continue working as the solution is realized, a poor solution would uproot the existing economic influx and create a void. Removing or changing any part of our economic structure is not a good thing. This is the same reason why states should not depose governments - look at the mess we've created when we removed the iraqi government.

3) Closing the border to Mexico is a poor political move. Mexico is our second closest neighbor (by border length) and has been a solid political ally. Yes, they are dealing with some corruption, but it is only worse than USA's corruption because it is blatent. Political corruption in the states is just as widespread, except that it operates on the archetype of quid pro quo . A real solution here is to work with the Mexican government to reform their policies, not strong-arm them into submission. A lasting solution must be worked out between our states, and regardless of fences or mass deportations, illegal immigration will not stop until people don't want to immigrate illegally.

4) National language mandates are a theoretical part of the USA's inception. It was considered then, and it is deliberate that we are not obligated to speak english. considering that over 13% of our population self identifies as hispanic, it is a small wonder that we didn't start catering to spanish speakers long ago. As our country moves to be more hispanic, we will likely see english being relegated to a secondary spot on labels and forms. Although some of us may not like that concept, the idea behind it is solid - as our population changes, so does the framework behind it. If hispanics become the majority, which they may, it makes sense that most of the language spoken may not be english. Locking into a mandated language now is short sighted and fails to take into account changing population trends. The USA would be held back if they failed to adjust to a changing populous. This is a similar reason to why most americans feel out of touch with their governments.

Eh, I have to get up early in the morning - I'm sure this will be continued later.