I'm sorry - that probably wasn't so helpful. I wasn't sure what the intention of the thread was to start with. I wasn't sure whether you were weighing pros and cons (hence wanted to hear from both sides of the issue) or whether you wanted support for your perspective (whichever that way fell) or quite what would be helpful to you.

I don't mean to make you feel worse. I'll admit my heart sank somewhat when I heard you had reported him already. I'm not really sure what to say to that...

I don't know that we appreciate how wonderful things are at times. Living in a developed western nation. Sure we have lots and lots and lots and lots of problems. But there is this spirit of optimism that you can earn / work your way up if only you work hard enough (which may not be the best attitude but it is an attitude of promise for some people). I have trouble comprehening how things are for people in other parts of the world. I meet a lot of immigrants but usually they immigrate because their parents basically brought them their legal immigrant status. Oftentimes they are the people who don't really gain much (in terms of quality of life) in immigrating. For the people who it really makes a difference to... Oftentimes the governments simply won't grant them legal immigration status. I remember watching on the news that this asparagus grower in NZ had to mow his asparagus crop down because even paying close to $20 per hour he could not get workers to do that. What I thought was... 'you really mean to say that there isn't anybody in the world who would be willing to pick asparagus at close to $20 NZ per hour if they were granted NZ residency'? What a sad sad world we live in. That is what I think most of the time. What a %#@&#! sad sad world. Where people live in places where they can't get fresh drinking water. Where people live in places that aren't safe (with respect to military and bombs and the like) and yeah sure our lives suck one hell of a lot at times. We go on wait lists and such and that really sucks. But you know there is a lot going on in the world.

Did I choose to be born a NZ citizen?
No.
My NZ citizenship kept me alive when other countries would have left me to starve.
My father walked when I was 7 and my mother went on welfare. That was how she fed and clothed me.
But you know I really had nothing to do with my NZ citizenship.
What would have happened to me if I'd have been born in Nigeria or China or the US?
The government (welfare) has supported me fairly much since I was 7 years old.
Then the government stepped in when they realised my mother was abusing me. They put me in a home.
Then the government paid me an allowance so I could live independently at 16 so I could finish school.
Then the government paid me an allowance so I could go to university and they gave me a loan so I could borrow for my course costs and my books.
Then I got a scholarship (in another country) to do my PhD.

But the government of my country kept me alive when many other governments wouldn't have.

Did I choose to be a citizen of my country? No I did not. My parents made that choice well before me. I had nothing to do with it.

Luck luck luck...

I don't think there is anything fair about luck.

And I certainly don't feel... A sense of entitlement.

I wish everyone had the same luck and opportunities that were given to me.

I'm sad the illegal immigrants are (have to be) illegal. It isn't their fault they were born into whatever country they were born to. They miss out on the states protection already (they can't call the cops when someone screws them over). I don't feel a sense of entitlement because my parents happened to be legal. I had nothing to do with that. Just like I'd have had nothing to do with my parents happening to be illegal.

I don't know what to say.

I'm sorry you are having a hard time of it.

And... I'm even sorrier that you are blaming that on 'the immigrants'