[DarrenWright]

Originally Posted by HM2Viking

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070625/ehrenreich
Parasitic is an offensive term which IMO reflects the sentiments first expressed by the know-nothing party in the 1850's.

Diversity strengthens us as a country. I have a friend from El Salvador who came here at 15 because he was an economic and political refugee. He served in the Army in Iraq and became a citizen after his discharge from the Army. He continues to serve in the National Guard and will deploy to Kosovo next month. Given the opportunity these are people who want to contribue to society just as much as anyone.

1. There is no research or political experiment that proves the theory that diversity strengthens us as a country. I don't refute the idea, but I don't make claims that cannot be supported by evidence.

2. I wasn't referring to anectedotal people like your friend. I was instead making reference to anectedotal people who simply came here to experience the benefits of this country, and are then too easy to only find fault with it. If you don't think there are a lot of 'citizen parasites,' then I'd like to know why our country is such need to expand it's domestic welfare. I can't believe that we are so disabled as a population that places like Pennsylvania have to dedicate nearly 40% of their budget to welfare.

[pickledpepperRN]

Originally Posted by DarrenWright

1. There is no research or political experiment that proves the theory that diversity strengthens us as a country. I don't refute the idea, but I don't make claims that cannot be supported by evidence.

2. I wasn't referring to anectedotal people like your friend. I was instead making reference to anectedotal people who simply came here to experience the benefits of this country, and are then too easy to only find fault with it. If you don't think there are a lot of 'citizen parasites,' then I'd like to know why our country is such need to expand it's domestic welfare. I can't believe that we are so disabled as a population that places like Pennsylvania have to dedicate nearly 40% of their budget to welfare.

I work with nurses from every continent except Antarctica, including Britian, and they are not parasites. They are caring for our patients.
If I'm upset my friends from London, Cornwall, Liverpoole, and Manchester all offer a cup of tea.
In fact a lot of the venting, thinking, and planning actions to get our safe staffing ratios took place over a cup of tea after a nights work.

Now when we have to waste valuable nurse, physician, and clerical time (and the ambulance transport staff) to transfer a patient from ours to a hospital their insurance company prefers we have tea and plan how to educate people about single payer.
But venting comes first. Without complaining how do we discover the problems that need intervention?
Same for one patient or our sick society.

[UKRNinUSA]

"There is a difference between domestic criticism (essential to the democratic process), vs. a national showing up for the purpose of self-benefit who then turns to the activity of denigrating the very country they've moved to for parasitic reasons."

So what you are saying is that immigrants that criticize the negative aspects of this society are parasites?

Wouldn't the CEO's of health insurance companies that profit from the denial of healthcare benefits and extortionate health insurance premiums to the tune of millions if not billions of dollars be more deserving of the label "parasite"?

[DarrenWright]

Neither one of these scenarios reflect what I was saying, but that is OK.
I'm sure the theme of my post was clear, but the tendency to avoid addressing the fact straight with diverted discussion can't be helped, I suppose.

So I pretty clearly did not say that immigrants that criticize the negative aspects of this society are parasites. However, there is something inherently wrong with people that are granted the privilege to live here, reap the benefits of living here, who then choose to make past-time of criticism. Not sure why it's a mysterious concept that if you don't like it, you have the option to return.

This isn't a malicious position, but more of a practical one.

And again, spacenurse, we have all worked with international nurses; that's the beauty of this country. They come here in droves for some reason. It's certainly not to be missionaries to a bunch of heathen savages living in mud huts, or out of the charitable nature of their hearts to uplift the weak and downtrodden American. It's because America is a land of plenty and opportunity. And the nurses you mention are not the ones I am referring to, and the scenario doesn't really fit.

And of course we vent, but is it unreasonable to take offense when someone takes it to a position of national criticism? Nationals love to target America, but are not any more gracious regarding criticism than anyone else. I've been to the UK, and several other European countries, and the tea doesn't flow like the friendship milk it's being presented as in this forum.

[DarrenWright]

Originally Posted by UKRNinUSA

Wouldn't the CEO's of health insurance companies that profit from the denial of healthcare benefits and extortionate health insurance premiums to the tune of millions if not billions of dollars be more deserving of the label "parasite"?

Not really, but have a cup of tea, and applaud them for being so much more successful at the American dream than you and I.

[nurseaboveboard]

WOW! This is a HOT thread, in more ways than one! I'm a "bootstraps" person myself and believe that we have no more rights than we can shake a stick at. In the WISH FOR IDEAL WORLD maybe yeah, but the REAL world???? There are some folks here that I would like to have dinner with (referring to someone's prev post) and one of them is Darren Wright and also Teeituptom. I think they might offer me the unvarnished truth, which I might have to take in small doses, at SEVERAL dinners, with liberal amounts of BOTH coffee AND tea! Now, in my "old age" I am REALLY trying to open myself up to the opinions of others who feel Totally different than me, but the "I got my new Hoveround and it didn't cost me a penny" group? I admit, I struggle with that!