Yes, I've been aware of the Bilderberg group for quite some time.  You are right... it is eye opening and scary!
 

I'm for immigration reform. I agree that the laws on the books regarding immigration ought to be enforced, but also believe the reason they aren't is that it's in the interest of states like Texas to wink at having people who are one step above slaves to do, for example, agricultural work. (Remember George Bush pushing "guest workers"?). The Obama administration has done a record number of removals in 2013, including deporting those with criminal records.

Pew Research study on immigration, which is entitled "A Nation of Immigrants". My own ancestral family members,  every single branch, are immigrants to the United States. I think most people's background is generally the same type of thing. In fact, just like with Australia, other countries shipped their criminals, convicts, and unwanteds to the Americas, using North America as a penal colony. According to this timeline for Ellis Island, the states didn't turn over immigration control to the federal government until 1890 (Ellis Island)

That report shows that the US peak for an immigration wave was between 1890 to 1920, from European arrivals and that the the immigrants share NOW of the total population is still below that peak number.

Immigrants are not getting a free ride. They don't get welfare benefits and do pay taxes, such as income, sales and property tax.

It seems to me that underlying at least some of the concern people have about immigration (and I'm not saying this applies to you specifically, just generally) involves attitudes about not having more of some other race or nationality than the one that is predominant. In Texas, for example, the demographics are changing -in 2007 36 % of Texas residents had hispanic ancestry. According to the comptrollers' site, by 2020 hispanics will outnumber the white population. That, of course, isn't simply undocumented hispanics, but hispanics legally or illegally here. Anyway, I join you in thinking that immigration reform isn't a huge priority but would I think differently if I was foreign born? Probably

I agree with a lot of what you say, but the fact that such immigrants are permitted to remain here illegally, work here and are now looking for the same rights as American citizens while NOT being citizens is a "free ride" of sorts.

Millions of immigrants continue to come to the US as our parents, grandparents, great grandparents did before them.  They go through the steps to be here legally.  Anyone who does not do the same is looking for a free ride.  They are circumventing the legal system.

Many of the first settlers from Europe were criminals as were those persecuted re: their religion or sect.  Many were given the choice between staying in jail (or being executed) or go to the New World.

Not enforcing our immigration laws during the past several decades and being overly politically correct has cost Americans dearly.  While we still are getting criminals from other nations, many more of those coming here illegally simply want a better life and they work hard here; however, the bottom-line is that they are here illegally.  They opted to circumvent our immigration laws while Congress and various states continue to look the other way.  It is not right. 

We now have a 2-tier immigration policy: the group who comes in legally, taking the steps necessary to become part of the American community; and those immigrants coming in illegally who opt not to go through the same steps as the others but want the same rights as citizens.

Reform or amnesty should not be considered simply "because there millions of illegal immigrants here and it's easier to let them stay than to boot them back to their country of origin."

Not 1 that the govt simply looks the other way (except possibly on hiring cheap workforce without pressing for documents). This administration deports.

I also liked most of this bill that the Senate passed this year, even though House Republicans refused to bring it up for a vote.

For Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. — one of the members of the Gang of Eight — the Senate vote could bolster his prospects for a presidential run in 2016. Rubio has said he did not take on immigration for the politics of it but did so because, as the son of Cuban immigrants, he grew up around immigrants and feels its critical to fix the broken system.

"This is not just my story. This is our story," he said Thursday while recounting the difficult road his parents faced as new immigrants in America. "No one should dispute that, like every sovereign nation, we have a right to control who comes in. But unlike other countries, we are not afraid of people coming in from other places."

The bill would allow the nation's unauthorized immigrants to get temporary legal status after they passed a criminal background check, paid a fine and paid whatever back taxes they had outstanding. If they successfully maintained a clean record and held a job, they could apply for a green card in 10 years and U.S. citizenship three years later.

I think that's fair.

That "pathway to citizenship" was key for Democrats pushing the bill. Republicans demanded the bill include more manpower and money to secure the border. In an amendment brokered by Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the government would spend $30 billion to double the size of the Border Patrol to nearly 40,000 agents. An additional $8 billion would be spent on drones, helicopters, airplanes and surveillance technology to better monitor the nearly 2,000-mile border with Mexico.

The bill would expand the federal E-Verify program nationwide, requiring all U.S. business owners to use it to check the immigration status of all new hires within four years. Another amendment by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, would require the United States to begin fingerprinting all foreigners departing U.S. airports to better track who's left the country and who has stayed past the expiration of their visas.

Although in general I'm against tracking people, this last part also seems to be common sense, if we are concerned about people that come here and then get lost in the system after their visas expire.  I also like that e-verify would be strengthened.

Immigration is, frankly, not something I care about to the extent you do, not my issue. But seems to me that the House Republicans tying this to border security is a weak dodge. You no doubt have been burning up the phone lines to Cornyn, Cruz, and your House Repub to ask why the fool they aren't working TOGETHER with all of Congress to get something done, even if it's a compromise.

@concernedcitizen:  It's Bilderberg.  You had it right the first time. 

Yup, you and I disagree about the importance of the issue, but do agree on e-verify. I like the fact that the Senate worked together on both sides to get a bill done this last year. I don't like that the House Republicans refused to bring it up. Nobody is going to get everything they want but at least there's an attempt to go forward and I support President Obama and ALL of Congress working on the issue.

Working on issues TOGETHER is needed, but too often it is the ideas themselves that are questionable or even bizarre.  Congress can't even resolve simple issues.  It's beyond scary when they look at the urgent and/or difficult ones.

I forgot to mention, I also secure my personal borders with gun in hand!