Is This Guy a Bigot, a Patriot, a Knucklehead, or Just a Brother With an Opinion?
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I think this guy is completely losing the whole meaning of living in America. America resembles freedom and opportunity. How the heck are people supposed to look at America and say freedom and opportunity when there are military bases surrounding the country not letting anyone in? Now I am not promoting illegal immigration but it is just not as easy as blocking all the borders to our country. Also if you determine who can vote and who cannot, this turns into a big mess. Democracy is about everyone putting their own opinions in and not just one person ruling everyone. America is supposed to be a place where you feel safe having different opinions than other people.
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I'm not really too sure how I feel about what this guy is saying. He isn't being a complete bigot, because as he says in the beginning of his prepared letter, (why couldn't he just speak off the top of his head?) he doesn't have a problem with legal immigration which means he isn't completely and totally racist. And also he is concerned, because yes there are a lot of jobs going to illegal immigrants who can get paid for much less, because they don't pay taxes on the same level citizens do. Yet he ends up contradicting himself. He says he is a third generation italian and is proud of it. His father got citizenship because he was born here and then says children of illegal immigrants shouldn't be given citizenship even though they were born here. That's completely contradictory.
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I think that this man is a combination of a bigot, patriot, knucklehead and a man stating his opinion. He is definitely addressing issues that need to be reformed by the United States, though he jumps through topics that are unrelated. Immigration, national security, welfare, and military spending are legitimate political concerns of our country. However, you really can’t bring up the acts of 9/11 when talking about immigration. The United States spends more than any other country on our military, and probably for good reason. I would agree that we might be able to allocate this spending more efficiently and bring a number of our troops home, but I don’t necessarily think that removing all of our foreign bases and surrounding the country with their military control is the correct way to do this. Illegal immigrants will always find a way into the country. I’m not really sure what the answer to immigration is, but what I do know is that these illegal immigrants are willing to do most of the jobs that Americans are indisposed to do. They may be infiltrating our schools and healthcare, but we are aware of it—so why not just adapt these organizations.
He also mentions closing the legal loophole on immigration that children born in this country are automatic citizens regardless of the citizen status of their family. If this were not the case Bill’s own parents would not be automatic citizens of the United States. I think that this law actually encourages the illegal immigrant parents who have children that are citizens to work towards gaining citizenship. If they were to be deported on the basis of being illegal immigrants, they would not only have to leave the country but would have to do so without their children.
I’m not sure what Bill is talking about when he says, “Could you imagine if the tax payers could use a loophole to take any wages, insurance, benefits or perks away from our politicians? I’ll bet they would work 24/7 to close that loophole.” The fact is that illegal immigrants don’t have a large impact on wage rates in the United States. Most illegal immigrants work in low-skill and low-wage jobs, so MOST Americans are not competing with illegal immigrants for jobs. These illegal immigrants also create a demand in the economy that leads to new jobs. Immigrants are younger than the average population and therefore have less health problems, and while American taxpayers pay for those illegal immigrants we also pay for our own citizens that are without health care. Americans do not want to pay the price of helping other people receive healthcare no matter what their citizenship status. He is a bigot in the fact that he is blaming illegal immigration for issues in which it is not a cause, a patriot because he wants the best for his country, a knucklehead because his arguments are weak, and he is very obviously stating his opinion.
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This guy, Bill, is a funny fellow. I like how he’s trying to take things into his own hands, but I’m wondering what exactly compelled an owner of a bar to broadcast his personal opinions on racism and immigration. I honestly can’t even take him seriously, because his statements are so ignorant that it leaves you thinking if he ever received any form of education. Really Bill, let’s just take all our troops and prop them up on our borders, and that will solve all problems regarding illegal immigration and drug problems. It’s good to have an opinion, but he should really stick to serving drinks, and try to limit his ideas on a topic he obviously knows so little about.
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part 1: I believe in a certain humanity in all of us; or MOST of us I should say. When certain people in another country, maybe a third world country are struggling to live and see a chance here and as a means of survival, they should be able to come here and try and live a better life. If they were to die because they didn’t come here, that’s not very humane of us to turn them down. This guy is no bigot or knucklehead; he just has a different opinion than me. Maybe illegal immigrants do steal jobs. Here’s a suggestion. How about our country gets smarter, goes to college, and gets good white collar jobs, so we don’t need to fight for blue collar jobs. Leave that for immigrants who need jobs.
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part 2: It’s not their fault that you’re dumb and dropped out of high school and dry wall for a living and you’re losing your job because an immigrant offers to do it for cheaper. He does make an excellent point about his loophole argument. He said that if Americans found a loophole to stop the politicians from getting our tax money, they’d do everything in their power to stop that loophole from continuing. That is absolutely and 100 percent true. Certain situations people should be allowed in this country, but I’m obviously not suggesting we completely open our borders to everyone that wants to just walk in. It also goes hand in hand with one of the blogs from last week. It stated that whites will not be the minority in this country in the coming years, because of the increasing population boom of minorities and such. This country was founded on the principles of an equal chance at freedom and life.
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part 3: Certain people don’t have that chance in their countries, so they come here to try and get it accomplished. My favorite episode of South Park depicted Mexicans coming into the country and stealing everyone’s jobs in which everyone said over 20 times, “They took our jobs!” Maybe I see it different because I’m not in the workforce and haven’t lost my job to an immigrant willing to work for 2 dollars an hour, so I can’t really judge I GUESS. I was raised to be not racist and not a bigot, so immigration isn’t at the top of my priority of fears list. We need people across borders protecting us more than we need people standing on our coastlines, I feel at least. But hey I’m just a guy with an opinion, just like this guy. He sees the times differently than me, but that’s what being an American is all about! So there you go.
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i think it is a combination of knuckle head and patriot in a sense. he is trying to keep them out im guessing, its hard to understand his logic sometimes, but to keep them out because of jobs and illegality. which i agree with, because i live in a small town where we are losing jobs because of this, and illegal aliens,a re what they are, illegal, a law is a law, whether it be stealing or killing, or something like that. but the way he presents it and some of his reasoning is absurd. but everyone has their opinion and he has some good intentions at heart, but just not really representing them in a smart way
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So, what do I feel about this guy? I think that when determining which of the adjectives best describes the man speaking into the camera I would have to say that he is just another brother with an opinion. He brings up points that are valid and that may raise concern for many families and friends, but I think that his method of standing in front of a neon sign wearing a T-shirt says that he just wants to speak his mind. The issues that were brought up were things that have been being said and complained about for years now. There was nothing there that was new and urgent for me at this particular time. I personally would like to get our soldiers out of the desserts because I feel that nothing is being accomplished overseas. This is all my opinion though, Im not claiming to be a anything other than some dude that thinks about stuff and I think that this guy is the same way. Nothing to get worked up over.
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I think this man raises a lot of good points and opinions, some opinions which I also share. I think that he has a good argument but needs to present it better. He could do this with a more professional video and better grammar in order for people to take him a bit more seriously. I agree with him that we need to block illegal immigration. The word is ILLEGAL for a reason. We need to crack down on this because it is slowly becoming more and more of a problem. We can benefit from immigration, as long as it is legal.
Feb 5
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I feel like everyone throughout the United States has different opinions on what should be done and this is just one man’s opinion that we got to listen to. I don’t feel like anyone will listen to him, he made some valid points but saying to bring all our troops home will never happen right now. I feel like since I have been in this class my views about things have changed a lot. But what I do agree with is having more US Troops guarding the boarders to reduce the amount of illegal immigrants that come to the United States. I was talking to my step father, he is a chef and we were discussing jobs, and he said its hard for him to get any jobs because Americans are only hiring Mexican people to do the jobs for cheaper then he would cost. Although I don’t really agree with things that this man is saying, but it really goes to show people that we shouldn’t be afraid to say how we feel, we fought so hard for freedom of speech and people should use that to their advantage.
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This guy seemed like he was passionate about this topic, and wanted to voice his opinion. But then he opened up his mouth and out come a boring monotone lecture. This guy almost put me to sleep, even when discussing a topic like this. Overall I just think this is a guy with an opinion. A lot of the things that he thinks are facts are not really true. He is just a guy with an opinion and most people with probably not even listen to his "public service announcement." And if they do they will probably think to themselves, "what a wacko" and never even think about the guy again. Well that is at least what I'm going to do.
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This reminds me of Joey Vento from Geno's Steaks in Philly. Vento made news for putting up signs at his restaurant saying you must order in English to be served. Many people cried for him discriminating against minorities. But he didn't deny service to anyone, no matter skin color. He only asked they order in English. I think this Balsamico guy and Vento have similar feelings because they are both Italians whose ancestors came into the country the right way decades ago. They probably think that if their great grandparents had to immigrate legally, then everyone should have to. I'm not saying that they are right or wrong, but I think I can understand where they are coming from.
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Part 1: After reading the title to Professor Sam Richard’s post “Is this guy a bigot, a patriot, a knucklehead, or just a brother with an opinion”, I expected that Bill Balsamico of Casa D’Ice had gone on some kind of rant against black people or people of Hispanic origin. I thought that he might have even refused to serve people of Hispanic origin. I then watched the video. I was honestly very surprised. Maybe I am blind to something, but I did not hear a single bigoted comment out of Bill Balsamico’s, owner of Casa D’Ice, mouth. I thought it was very unfair of Professor Sam Richards to potentially label Bill Balsamico, owner of Casa D’Ice as a bigot.
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Part 2: In my opinion, Bill Balsamico, owner of Casa D’Ice, is no bigot. Bill Balsamico is certainly a patriot, and he definitely has some knucklehead opinions. But Bill Balsamic, owner of Casa D’Ice, is more than anything simply a brother with an opinion. He is just another guy like the rest of us who happens to be concerned with the current state of affairs. Perhaps because Professor Sam Richards does not agree with this man’s view, it may make Bill Balsamico, owner of Casa D’Ice, a bigot; however, looking at any statement the man made in the video would indicate that Bill Balsamico, owner of Casa D’Ice is not a bigot at all. In his remarks about immigration Bill Balsamico, owner of Casa D’Ice, clearly stated that he has no issue with legal immigrants. In fact, Bill Balsamico’s, owner of Casa D’Ice, grandparents were legal immigrants themselves. He feels that it is unfair that the United States of America has an issue of with illegal immigrants. And how this may be construed as bigoted, ‘blows my mind’ to quote Professor Sam Richards.
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If this were a multiple choice test and I had to answer Sam’s question posed by the heading of the blog from the point of view of Mr. Balsamico, I would have to say he is a patriot. In my mind, Mr. Balsamico is just another man with an opinion. I wouldn’t say that I agree with his points because I believe that they are generally extreme and, therefore, unrealistic. For example, Mr. Balsamico’s first statement about his ancestry makes his issues with immigration ironic; yet he is patriotic in the sense that he wants admission into this country to be more selective. He is proud of his family history and he thinks that all other families who migrate to the United States should have to jump through all the hoops that his family had to in order to gain citizenship.
From his small speech, it seems that he believes his suggestions are just the best for the country. Yes, I think that our military bases are excessive and closing some of them would be wonderful. Additionally, I think that some people take advantage of our government’s social benefits. I also agree it is very likely that if something were to affect the wages, insurance, benefits, or perks of the American politicians, they would really notice and immediately respond to correct the mistake. Though I consider these things to be true, I find it hard to believe that Mr. Balsamico’s proposes any viable answers to these concerns.
When Mr. Balsamico suggests that the military service men and women should be stationed along the border of the United States, this is a perfect illustration of an unfeasible proposal. I do think that having the soldiers back in their home country would be favorable to the alternative of being in war-ridden nations where they are not welcome. On the other hand, American troops have been stationed over seas for so many years now that they have practically become permanent fixtures in certain countries. Though this is not an excuse to keep them there, my point is that Mr. Balsamico’s expectations of immediate removal and relocation is simply impractical.
Toward the end of the speech, Mr. Balsamico tells his viewers that “…every vote counts…don’t just talk about it, make it happen.” I think this statement would have been better as the conclusion of his rant because it was a call to action. If he had stopped his statement at this point, his message would have seemed more generalizable to broader audiences. It could have been interpreted that he was sharing his opinions and then telling Americans to act on their own beliefs so they have a say in the development of their country.
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I would like to start this with a point about illegal/legal immigration. I don’t really see much of a difference. The people who are legally allowed to live here still want to live here just as bad as the people who abandoned their native homes and families to live in America. My mom is not a citizen and has a green card. She had intentions of becoming a citizen, as did my sister, but neither of them have done so. Just because they are not American does not mean they should not be allowed to live here. Who is to say who is and isn’t allowed to live in this country? This country is a melting pot of so many different ethnic backgrounds and cultures – I feel that this is the basis of our nation. Taking away the ability to come in from a different country, whether it be legally or illegally, would take away the essence of this nation. If all men are created equal, shouldn’t all men be allowed to live here?
I really enjoyed that this man started his rant out with a fact about his past. That his family is a product of immigration to the United States. The only people who are not products of immigration are the Native Americans, because they were here before we were. How this man can be so against immigration is beyond me. He himself has family that came from Italy. Whether the immigration is legal or illegal, these people are in the same boat as he and his family. We all come from different backgrounds and stating that we need to stop more people from coming into this country is pretty ridiculous coming from somebody who came from a different country a few generations ago. Where do we draw the line between when it is/was okay for immigrants to enter this country? It’s as if his family sailed across the ocean a century ago, and after that happened, it is no longer okay to allow foreign people in. The door must be closed to all other people trying to better their lives in America. The pride that he feels for his grandfather should register in his mind that there are so many other people out there who are trying to lead the same type of life that his grandfather wanted for himself and for his future generations.
It is only natural for people of less developed countries to want to live in this country. When my sister was five she still lived in Honduras. My sister believed that the roads in America were literally made out of gold. People talk about this country as if it is the richest place in the world (which it arguably is). Wanting a better life for your future, as my mother wanted, is only natural and should not be stopped simply because it doesn’t have a legal title.
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I would have to say that this guy is a “Knucklehead”. He has the right to have his own opinion, even if he is way off base or not. As for fighting terrorism, we have to go whatever extremes necessary in order to stop acts of terrorism. If the terrorists are on foreign soils then we must chase after them and find them regardless where they are. I didn’t sleep through 9/11, and I do not understand what this guy is saying in terms to fighting terrorism. The Al-Qaida operates out of Afghanistan, not America. In order to find Usama bin Laden and detain him, we must go outside the borders of the United States. Does this mean we are to ignore foreign affairs and just focus on problems in the United States?
I bet this guy does not think he is racist either. The posting of racial slurs on his billboard should not be allowed. This shows how ignorant this guy really is. I’m surprised his bar has not been burned down. Maybe he should think about furthering his education.
I like how he mentions his grandfather, who was 7 when he immigrated into the US, and raised a family without any support or welfare. Does welfare have anything to do with immigration? Does being on welfare make someone less of a person? I would bet it does to this guy. He goes out of his way to let everyone know that his grandfather was never on welfare. This is information that could have been omitted in his speech.
Illegal immigration is a problem in the United States, I agree to that. It is not that illegal immigrants should not be allowed to immigrate to the United States of America, it is that these illegal immigrants are not paying taxes on the wages that they make. I think that is the biggest problem with illegal immigration. I do believe that our borders could be more secure, but bringing all of the soldiers currently stationed outside of the United States and placing them on our borders is not the answer. Having bases all over the world is necessary to basically police the world. The United States is not a weaker country because of these bases, and currently we are the most powerful nation in the world.
The United States of America does not have a perfect government, but it is one of the best governments in the world. New laws cannot be passed quickly like this guy wants, and that is a good thing. I am glad this guy was not elected president.
I think freedom of speech is great, but the posting of racial slurs should not be tolerated.
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I felt indifferent when I listened to this mans opinions about immigration in America. It is true that all Americans are entitled to express however they feel in the constitution so he simply wanted to exercise that right. Now whether he knew what he was talking about and have strong feelings towards the situation or he was just talking for the sake of hearing his own voice or for satirical purposes, we don't know. ____ All I can say that I don't see why people are getting upset with the amount of illegal immigrants there are. The Statue of Liberty boldy proclaims "Give me your tired, your hungry, your poor, your wretched masses yearning to be free,". Now that these people seek to find freedom and a better life as promised by this nation they are being denied. These people are tired, they are hungry and I am definitely sure that they are looking for a place where they can be free. Why advertise something if America knows that they would be opposed to having people coming here for a new start of life? This only confirms the hypocrisy that America dwells on. He's sitting there talking about immigrants are hurting the economy, my question is "well whoes fault is that? It damn sure is not the immigrants. If they would be treated like human beings and given the help that they have migrated over here for, America will get its "taxes" that these folks cannot pay because they don't have the same oppurtunities. I'm sure they would rebvel to the fact that they had to pay taxes if they were given ideal job oppurtunities as a normal American. Also, these people do not fill positions that are already occupied! They are emplyed into positions that "normal Americans" are not employed in. He complained about immigrants taking jobs for people but he needs to be aware that these "citizens" of his are all too lazy to engage in the jobs that most immigrants take for lesser pay so he needs to worry moreso about his beloved "citizens" applying themselves and not relying on government assistance and find jobs. I'm immigrants are not given the oppurtunity to steal jobs. But with the amount of jobs accessible to all there is no way an indiviual withthe proper educational instructed offered and required (high school diploma) should not be avle to obtain a job. He should express his opinon on his "citizens" who are innate to all these resources that America have to give but don't take advantage of them. they just lie on their backs and depend on welfare. Its not the immigrants fault for their lack of wanting a better life. The immigrants are doing their best to make a living for a life that they are being restricted from living and I commend them for that. __ As far as the troops. I absolutely agree that they need to get out of that useless war that retard of a man, George W. Bush, made them ignite. They are doing nothing over there but destrying lives, both theirs and the civilians of the country. Its been too long and this war has not ended yet but more and more young and old people lose their lives while the retard sits and enjoys his life on his ranch and what not. However, I do not think our troops should have to waste their time at a border to watch for immigrants. if America will syo being so mean give give these people the help that they asks, illegal immigration will not be such a problem. I mean if America see this huge increase maybe they should try to go the country and try to solve the issue or make it legal for them to reside here. Also if it was legalized people would probably not want to come in the first place. Its apparent in society that we want what we can't have. If immigrants could come here they probably want to sense its so easy to.
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This guy is just doin' what Sam wants everyone to do; think. At least he has an opinion at all. It's better that he has some awareness of what is going on in the present day. So many people are going to pass this guy over as just some dude with some ridiculous “Republican” opinions and that he is an idiot. I think that his opinions are interesting. He is simply trying to get people to do SOMETHING about the things that he thinks are problems. It’s not like he is trying to create an all white basketball league or put blacks in their own schools or hire slaves for cocoa plantations.
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I agree with a few other posts in the fact that this guy is just expressing his opinion. I do not think he really meant to offend anyone, what he meant was to try to make our nation a better place (in his words.) He just wanted to be heard by people. But just because he expressed his opinion does not mean everyone or anyone has to agree with him. If you do not, then feel free to express your own opinion in return. I did agree with the fact that we need to try to put a stop to illegal immigration, but it seems like that is already in the works. I do not know enough about the government as I should, so I cannot really touch on this issue with enough knowledge.
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Part 3: I myself am an immigrant, my parents are immigrants, my grandparents are immigrants, my aunts and uncles are immigrants, from 4 different countries across the world, Canada, the Soviet Union, Russia, and Israel. I currently have a greencard, a permanent residency card, to stay in this country. The process has been long. The process has been arduous. I also do not believe illegal immigrants are right to do what they do. This does not minimize their motives, which are fair and just. This does not minimize their work ethic, which very often is stronger than native born Americans. I do not believe that they take jobs that regular American would not do. I believe that at a certain point a job is a job, and any man, regardless of nationality will take that job. We need a better mechanism for controlling the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. Bon Appetite.
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This man is really a combination of everything listed as the blog title, but that really depends on the person listening to the man. To me he is a man with an opinion and a knucklehead, but that would be because I do not agree with everything he says. Regardless, he has the right to voice his opinion on any matter that he wishes to discuss.
One thing I did not like about him was that his complaints did not seem genuine. He looked like he was just reading his cue cards and that was that. Most people who express their opinions do it with passion and with a lot of feeling. Nobody could sound more apathetic then this guy, not even Nicolas Cage. Even politicians who read off of cue cards sound more enthusiastic than this guy did.
But this guy, in my opinion, could use this Soc 119 class to help him with his thinking. As some blog writers here have said, the immigration problems seems to be hardly such. I know the argument is that they are taking jobs away from us, but as it was said, those jobs are the ones we would turn down without a second thought. I think though that the job issue comes in because they are competing with the poor, who needs just about any sort of job they can get their hands on. That is a little problem, but it does not deserve the description of big problem.
I always laugh at the jokes that ask “Who would be the ones to build the wall to keep the immigrants out?” and that the answer is simply “The people you are trying to keep out.” I laugh it because it is believable.
After reading through some of the comments, the one that caught my eye the most was something that slimshady62 said: “As an overall thought, I think it’s a little ironic that as Americans we came here through oppression and fought for our freedom and yet when other people are oppressed and are looking for a better life we try our best to keep them out.”
I never really thought about it like that. Of course, I think the issue is others who are looking for a better life are not following our rules very well, and since America is at the king of the hill they make the rules and those who do not follow them must pay. Maybe if we welcomed them with open arms there would not be an immigration problem. I know America hates illegal immigrants coming into our country illegally, but do you think Mexico feels the same way about all the American criminals that run there when trying to escape the police?
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This is a guy who has many opinions, and he means well. I think he is a patriot that just wants the best for his country. But he is defiantly a little bit ignorant, if not naive. His ideas seem so simple and easy, he doesn't realize that there are numerous variables that he hasn't put into consideration. In my English class were learning about tactics people use when they talk about something they believe in. One of them is oversimplification. It would be nice to stop illegal immigration, like Balsamico wants. But use your common sense, do you think that the American government wants illegal immigrants to sneak in their country? obviously not, and the government spends millions of dollars trying to prevent it from happening. I'm sure they have explored many different options and it isn't as simple as Balsamico makes it out to be. Sure we have the most bases on foreign land. Do you believe that those bases have no purpose, and are there for no reason? They're obviously there for a reason and those reasons could be more important than illegal immigration. You would have to consider the purpose of those bases, and the cost of this outgoing plan before you actually consider it a legit option.
Balsamico said "wouldn't it be simpler to bring home every soldier, build military bases around our perimeter, and protect our country from within". This is a good thought, and its very logical. But having no control overseas is out of the question. Especially when we are at war. No matter how wrong our reasons for getting into the war are, we are in the war, and we have to finish what we started. I think Balsamico's problem is that he thinks illegal immigration is America's most important problem, even though it clearly isn't.
When speaking of Obama, Balsamico said "how could anyone vote for a presidential candidate that can't and won't salute the American flag". That statement sounds so much worse than the actual scenario. Obama does salute the flag now, it was only during his campaign for presidency that he didn't do so. When asked why it was that he didn't salute the flag, Obama said "As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides," Obama said. "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message". Which makes sense. At the time of his campaign he was clearly against the war, and didn't want people from other countries getting the wrong idea about his beliefs. The American is a symbol of oppression and war to many countries and Obama was just worrying about his image.
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He’s just a brother with an opinion and well everyone is entitled to one you don’t need to agree or disagree with him and the best part is you don’t have to listen to him if you don’t want to. I can see where he is coming from though but bro let get real you don’t want the opposition coming over here and fighting battles on American soil that not how it works we go to them and liberate them because the whole point it to destroy the opposition so they brainwash the people of those countries. As for immigrants illegal or not people will make their way he no matter what just deal with it work harder and you should be fine don’t stand in front of a camera just to start controversy cause you think you’re right.
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Well first of all this guy clearly sounds like a moron and clearly is a moron for thinking that anyone cares what he has to say. Hes right about illegal immigration being a problem to a certain extent but he makes it sound like its the end of the world. I think this guy might have some more pull if he wasnt reading like a second grader. People like this man really just make me laugh. The one thing that he said which really stood out to me was that he doesnt believe that children who are born in the United States whose parents are not citizens should be considered citizens. That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. This man is a hypocrite, in the beginning of the video he talks about how his family emigrated here from Italy in the early 1900s as did mine. According to this mans reasoning he himself should not be a citizen of this country, neither should almost all Americans. If we ever did things the way he proposes his father never would have been a citizen because his parents were immigrants and the fact that his father was not a citizen means that he couldnt be one either. This man really is the straight definition of stupid, as stupid as stupid gets. It is one thing to have opinions we are all entitled to our own opinions and some peoples are way more radical than others but this is just too much.
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Well first of all this guy clearly sounds like a moron and clearly is a moron for thinking that anyone cares what he has to say. He’s right about illegal immigration being a problem to a certain extent but he makes it sound like it’s the end of the world. I think this guy might have some more pull if he wasn’t reading like a second grader. People like this man really just make me laugh. The one thing that he said which really stood out to me was that he doesn’t believe that children who are born in the United States whose parents are not citizens should be considered citizens. That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. This man is a hypocrite, in the beginning of the video he talks about how his family emigrated here from Italy in the early 1900’s as did mine. According to this man’s reasoning he himself should not be a citizen of this country, neither should almost all Americans. If we ever did things the way he proposes his father never would have been a citizen because his parents were immigrants and the fact that his father was not a citizen means that he couldn’t be one either. This man really is the straight definition of stupid, as stupid as stupid gets. It is one thing to have opinions we are all entitled to our own opinions and some peoples are way more radical than others but this is just too much.
In terms of immigration to the United States and the problem of illegal immigration, he seems to think that people from Mexico can just waltz across the border and he makes the assumption that we do not even slightly attempt to protect the border. If he were a bit smarter he would realize that the border he speaks of is about 2,000 miles long and most of is entirely desert, it is very hard to maintain a space that large. He suggests we have army forces lined along the 2,000 mile stretch at all times. That is just not logical in the slightest bit. But this man probably doesn’t even know what the word logical means. I don’t want people sneaking into this country illegally anymore than this man but he just proposes something that makes no sense to me at all. He also says that we should never vote for a president who does not salute the American flag, I don’t know what he’s talking about because I don’t think any Americans who vote would ever vote for a president who wouldn’t salute their flag.
I guess the true beauty of America and freedom is that this man can get away with saying whatever he wants and I’m fine with that. It’s better than somewhere like China where they’ll cut your tongue out if you even considered uttering the type of things this guy says.
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This guy may have some strong view points that a lot of people do not agree with, but he is definitely entitled to them. Let’s not forget that this is America, and a great thing about this country is that people can say exactly what is on their mind. Freedom of speech is important in this country, and it does not really matter what this guy is saying. He could be viewed by some as narrow minded, but in the end I feel that he definitely has a right to his opinion. There is probably a person who has the polar opposite viewpoint as him, and if they wanted too they can speak their mind also.
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First of all I would like to ask, who is this man? Yes I know his name is Bill Balsamico and he owns casa d’ice but why does this mean that this man has any knowledge on the issues of immigration and voting? Yes, I know that it is America and we believe in freedom of speech. The fact that he is talking about what he believes in does not bother me, I just do not understand why this is being publicized and being treated as what he said is valid and should be spread. Even if we are spreading this information to mock this man or disagree with him we are still popularizing his opinions and giving him more viewers. There are a view ideas that I thought were not completely irrational. I agree about illegal immigration and how that should be stopped because I feel that not a lot of time is put into that problem because we have so many different problems on focus on inside and outside the country, such as health care and the war in Iraq. I personally agree with the idea of bringing the military back to solve problems within the United States. Illegal immigrates are a problem for two reasons. One because of the fast growing population in the United States and because of the economy. To me these people are imposters who are stealing from Americans trying to be Americans. I know that they are only trying to better their lives but this still affects our country drastically. Taxes are a big strain on Americans who work and these illegal immigrants get to live in our country and enjoy the same facilities we do without paying these taxes. This mans main points are not the problem, the degree to which we supports these points and how he chooses to advertise them are. From a business standpoint this man should be looking to make the most money that he can, and by advertising these opinions can offend many people and make them not want to come into his restaurant. As well, how does he know who salutes the flag and who doesn’t? I felt that was an odd statement to make tying together saluting the flag and voting for the presidency. I do not know many people who salute the flag on a regular basis other then children attending public schools. I felt the funniest part of this video is the last fifteen seconds when bill took the time out to endorse himself and his website. At that point I was unsure if he was endorsing his restaurant or his immigration policies or a combination of both. This man and restaurant seem like an odd combination to combine with the United States to discuss politics. The main thing I got from this video is that I would not like to eat at this mans restaurant, let alone go anywhere near his town.
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I actually find this man amusing, especially after reading that he has signs posted on his club that says if you cannot speak English get out. I am almost certain that when his family immigrated to the United States they did not speak English, and I am sure that some members of his family still do not speak English. The only reason he is find with immigration is because his family emigrated otherwise he would be against it. I did find it wrong when he said that if a child is born in the United States to foreign parents they should not be considered United States citizens. In that case he should not be considered a citizen and neither should most of America. I did not agree with him saying that the troops should be in the U.S. to protect the borders because I feel that if they were here and not in those foreign countries the United States would be more vulnerable. By our troops being stationed in foreign countries we have the ability to gain more knowledge about the people we are fighting. Everyone is entitled to his or her opinions, but I wish people would actually see the world with a wide lens before they start to judge.
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I actually come to agree with this guy– partially. He at the very beginning said that he doesn't have any problems with legal immigration– and that's enough requirement for a mediocre U.S. citizen. There is no more you should expect from them. I mean, he doesn't mean to irritate anybody, he just simply spoke his opinion. Agree with it or not, it is a quite "righteous" opinion. In nowadays United States, there are a lot of issues arouse from illegal immigration. For example, the local gangsters. problematical adolescents, higher employment pressure, etc. Illegal immigration is in no way correct. "Sympathy" cannot be an excuse. From this aspect, I agree with that guy.
But the following part he said about the military is quite questioning. I didn't really get it. Did he mean that the U.S. military should stop fighting through out the world and call back those soldiers to defend the border? He misunderstood the usage of military. Military is violence to give power to the government. It is not something to take place of police. It should stay out for protecting the greatest interest of the United States. I think the US government has done nothing wrong so far. They are trying their best to take control of the illegal immigration issue. There are something that is out of their control. Like they cannot ban or send those immigration intermediary in other country (say, China) to jail. It is out of their hands. What they can do is only to strengthen the cooperation with foreign governments and strengthen the border control… Although it is very costy, it is the only effective way. I believe sending our military instead of police won't really help solve the problem.
The problem of illegal immigration lies on the fact that the United States is the most developed yet the most open minded country in the world. People from everywhere in the world can find their own culture fit in this country. This is the greatness of America. To be objective, many of the illegal immigrants are not criminals. They just simply want to survive and live in a better environment. Most of them are very hardworking people. They are not knuckleheads or thugs. They are just like the Americans. They also have an "American dream"–through hardworking and intelligence, everyone can succeed. There are so many opportunities out there in the United States. Why the Americans cannot find those opportunities, while the illegal immigrants can? Competition is human nature. Everyone has to fight for living. There is no "cookies dropped from sky". You have to work hard to earn it. If you feel threatened by those new immigrants, then you should really think to yourself "have you made your 100% effort to make it?"
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More power to this guy for getting in front of a camera and speaking his mind. It is something a lot of people aren't willing to do. He has some ideas that seem a little farfetched to me but then again you never know; they could work. I honestly don't remember a time when we didn't have troops overseas in another country. Bringing all of the troops home is something I feel should have happened a long time ago. Weapons of Mass Destruction my ass! What would having the military home do to our way of life as we know it? That is something he doesn't think of. With all of the troops on the borders how would that affect your day to day? Would it slow down imports and exports, would it hinder your travel? I couldn't really tell you but he doesn't seem to think about that.
I was a bit thrown off by him saying that we have 200 military bases on foreign soil. Could you imagine what would happen if another country expected to come onto American soil and set up shop? What would the people do? Would there be a war on our homeland? I have yet to and hope I never see a war fought in our homeland, I couldn't imagine waking up in the middle of the night to air raid sirens blaring sending out a warning to everyone in the area to seek shelter. How would that be for you? I don't think you'd be a fan. What are we doing with 200 bases anyway? Did we have to fight super hard to get them there so we don't want to just give them up? I don't know and I don't think the soldiers even really know, all they know is that they were told to go there so they did. Bring our troops home and we will be just as strong of a nation as we are today, if not stronger.
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I don't think Bill Balsamico is a bigot, patriot, knucklehead, nor just a brother with an opinion. I think he's all of those, but a failure above all. This video was both funny and pathetic, watching this western Pennsylvanian drone on and on about his "passionate" beliefs in THE MOST monotone, BLAH manner I've ever heard. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people put their strongly controversial opinions in writing, on blogs, signs, whatnot, but don't have the guts to verbalize them. Bill Balsamico's statement was so dry and emotionless that it gave me headache trying to figure out what's going on in his mind. If you are really passionate about something, it's impossible to talk about it with ZERO inflection. Some people might say, well maybe Mr. Balsamico here isn't a great public speaker. HE'S SPEAKING INTO A FREAKING CAMERA!!! Reading from a script, to boot! And if he's going to go ahead and put up these offensive signs outside his restaurant, he sure as hell should be able to defend them strongly.
When I went to the casa d'ice (might I add, the stupidest Italian restaurant name I've ever heard; I'm sure GGdad would slap him across la faccia) website to see these signs, I couldn't believe it!!! Aren't those signs supposed to ATTRACT customers? Some of them have a good point; I liked "the seat belt law is a giant money machine for townships, ask lawmakers why 40 million kids can ride a school bus twice a day without seat belts". I'm not sure I agree that the seat belt law is just a "money machine", but I do agree that the law should apply to school buses too. The signs like those, ones that are difficult to disagree with, are kinda cool and would motivate me to go to this restaurant. But when they put up a sign like, "Dear Mr. President, piss on the camel jockeys, bring home all the troops, leave behind plenty of bombs, they will kill themselves that's their way of life", I'm pulling a major U-ie in the casa d'ice parking lot and going to Chilis. THAT is ignorance, and I won't support the business of some ignorant asshole. Bill Balsamico needs to decide what's more important to him, owning a successful restaurant, or publicly announcing his opinions, because the latter inhibits the former. Sure, the place might be famous for these controversial signs, but I'd bet the ratio of people who drive by just to take a picture to people who actually dine there is about 5:1.
There are two more things I want to add. 1) the irony of this sign "wanted: someone very OPEN-MINDED to change the sign every week after I die. Inquire within", and 2) I can't express my shame and embarrassment that "Versailles" in the town's name, North Versailles, is pronounced "Ver-sailz". Stupid rural Americans, you didn't come up with that word, it's taken from the famous French chateau pronounced "Ver-sigh", and if you've never heard of Versailles, that only supports the fact that you're stupid.
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I don't take this guy seriously at all and you shouldn't either. I think this guy just wants to be heard. Does this guy really want the United States to set up bases around our borders and make America one big fortress. I agree that we need to be more strict with our borders in a sense of the heavy drug war we have been fighting for years. Immigration has nothing to do with health benefits or half the things he's saying. He has many concerns that i could understand but he's not going about expressing them the wrong way.
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Although I am very liberal on most of my views of the world, in this particular case I see where this man has some merit. I too believe we need to increase our security of our borders. The trafficking of drugs and guns between the U.S. and Mexico is reaching epidemic levels. The U.S. has an enormous demand for drugs and Mexico has an enormous demand for guns. As long as the demand is there for both of these commodities, the supply will always be there. Since there will always be a demand for both of these things, we need to secure our borders so that we can at least severely restrict these things from crossing our borders.
Another point I am in agreement with this man is his view on foreign bases. I know it is necessary to have bases around the world to allow our military access to any place on earth within a matter of minutes. However, I think we should be spending a lot more time and attention on our home. He is right that fighting foreign wars to protect us at home doesn’t work. We now have many many times more terrorists on our hands that hate us because we went into their countries and left it in shambles. You would think that the people in charge would look at history books before they decided to do some of the things they do, but I guess they all must have missed that day in class. It may be surprising to some, but I definitely get why people would get mad when we come in their country, promise them change for the good, and instead kill thousands of their people and make their life a living hell. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that when you mess with people who already have little to nothing, they are going to hate you. This hatred won’t just last one lifetime, but will continue through decades and will be remembered.
I believe that we as a country spend WAY too much on our foreign military escapades, but I feel that if we are going to be spending money on military uses, why not spend it at home. If we could really secure our borders and spend half the money we use for foreign wars on technology and manpower for our borders, we could put a big dent in the number of drugs that are coming into this country as well as the number of guns being exported to Mexico. As we have been seeing in the news for a couple years now, this mutual trade we have with Mexico is costing many many lives, and is turning some border towns into war zones. The politicians need to stop worrying about non existent weapons of mass destruction abroad, and instead look at our own countries problems that need solving.
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The man sounds like something of an extreme patriot. He is also entitled to his own opinion. He must have been part of something that would make him act strongly enough to post a video on the internet. He seems to have an extremist view of how politics should be carried out. It seems that in this day and age that people feel they should voice each and every opinion they have about any subject they feel relevant. I know the arguments over immigration have heated up in California and mostly in the southwest. I am not sure when this was video was taken, but it seems like he has strong distaste for illegal immigrants and the baggage that comes with them. I feel like bringing troops back is a good idea to curb some of the border activity. I would also agree that we should decrease the expansive reaches of our military around the world. We need to step down as a world police. We cannot really afford to be doing this for any longer anyways. This guy also said some things that were pretty ridiculous. I feel that the population in the country causes problems and not only immigrants are causing the problem. It is not fair to place the blame on people who are looking to better their lives. It makes no sense to think that the problems of the country can be blamed on people who have little to do with most of the workings on the United States. Something he said that was disheartening was what he had to say about President Obama and how he does not salute the flag. Last time I checked nothing like this has happened. I have always seen him at the least stand for the National Anthem and other ceremonies. Why would the President not salute the flag? This makes no sense and I am pretty sure the public would be in uproar over such a thing. I do not believe that this man would make such a statement. Our leader would not be someone who would be doing such things. It would be rather difficult to stay in office. A part of another thing that makes me upset is how he goes in to insult the President. The man should have our respect and support. I am sure that you would not want to have someone come to your job and criticize your every move. I am tired of people jumping in his shit. He is our leader and we need to stand by him. We may not agree with all his policies, but we should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. It makes no sense to trash him. He represents our country on an international level and when we trash him, we trash our image.
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This guys whole presentation made me think he was sort of a stupid guy. Just the way he was reading his speech and plugging his restaurant at the same time is silly. Oh I also thought it was hilarious that he said he was grateful of all the support from all around the world not just the US. I don't want you to live here but go ahead and love casa d'ice?! There was one comment that said that on his sign it says if you don't speak English get out of the country. Your restaurants name is in Spanish dumbass!?
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Not really sure why people have such a problem with speaking their minds, as we all know, it is a very rare occurrence for one person to change the world completely and this guy doesn’t look like one of those people that has that ability to change the world. If people want to berate him for being outspoken than do so but do it cautiously because maybe the next time, if you ever gain the nerve to speak up, people will rip your ass another hole. I’m not saying what this man says right, but I am saying that it is not right for people to tear him up just because he felt like he needed to be heard. But in my opinion this is just a man that is overly patriotic and undereducated. If he knew what he was talking about, he would know our army posts in other countries are the reason why our country remains so impenetrable.
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I don't really think this guy is a bigot, but he does represent a lot of peoples views. With that said, I think this guy is a typical scared American. I did agree with him that American soldiers should be brought home from places like Japan and Germany. But the idea that we should build military bases around the borders is really ridiculous, we don't have to defend ourselves from the British sailing up the East River! And why do people think we can stop people from coming across the border with Mexico? Its over a thousand miles long! And the part about the President not saluting the flag, give me a break! This is the kind of non-sense issue that distracts people from actual problems, besides the President is a civilian, he not a member of the military, he doesn't have to salute the flag.
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This guys has good intentions but i dont think he knows what hes talking about. He isn't a bigot, hes definitely a patriot. So i don't hate him because he is just saying what he thinks and how he thinks things should be handled. He is a knucklehead though. He doesn't understand that if his proposed solution was possible it probably would have happened a long time ago. He makes the solution seem so simple but obviously its more complicated than he makes it out to be. There could be multiple variables that aren't being considered, that would have to be evaluated before his plan could possibly be acted upon.
The US does have more foreign bases than any other country but there must be a reason behind that. Those bases are serving a purpose, they aren't just out in the middle of nowhere wasting away money. You need to have foreign bases so the military can access different parts of the world easily and more efficiently. Also, if we were to move those bases back to the US, would we really use them to prevent illegal immigration? illegal immigration isn't the biggest issue that we are facing and we could probably use those bases more efficiently. I understand that illegal drug trafficking and immigration is a problem. But isn't one that i believe should get that much merit. With the economic problem right now and the health care bill that just got passed, we have much bigger problems to worry about. As Americans, we have to realize that we came to this country "illegally". We killed a exterminated an entire race of people, performing the largest genocide of all time. Now when a group of people want to come to America, peacefully, we are so quick to stop them. Its just the American way of that, and it should change. So many people hate illegal immigration or have some strong feeling towards it, even though they don't look at the big picture and realize that we shouldn't even be in this country.
To address the comment about Barack Obama, i hate the way Balsamico made his statement. He just claims that Obama won't salute the flag, and makes the president of the United States seem unpatriotic. Obama had reasoning for not saluting the flag. He didnt want people from foreign countries thinking he was supporting the war. Which Obama has made clear that he is against the war, and believes that it is happening for all the wrong reasons. Obama felt as though people from foreign countries look at the American flag as a sign of oppression or violence. Obama just didn't want to be affiliated with that image and decided not to salute the flag. He salutes the flag now, and Balsamico just makes it out to be a ridiculous sign of rebellion. Claiming "I cant believe anyone would vote for a candidate who wont even salute the flag of the United States of America"
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The points this guy makes are pretty outrageous. I do not support anything this guy says and have strong feelings against his opinions. I do not care how long this guy’s family had lived in America; it doesn’t give him the right to think he’s more deserving than anyone else.
His feeling on troops abroad makes no sense. Bringing all the troops back to the United States will do more harm than good. I know parents who have sons and daughters in the military most likely wont agree with me but they joined for a reason. Joining the armed forces entails you to do whatever the United States wants you to do. They can send you to another country or keep you here; you do what you are told. If I joined the Army and they sent me to Iraq I would do as I was told and go. Other than 9/11 our country has not been attacked even with so many troops abroad. I also wouldn’t blame 9/11 on having troops abroad. If we had a large base in New York City I doubt the terrorist would not have decided to fly two planes into the towers. Also it would be a waste of money to keep so many soldiers home. It’s not like we are bordered by two super power countries with large militaries. No matter where you put the troops war will always happen and soldiers will die. Illegal immigrants will always try to cross the border no mater how dangerous it is.
His stance on illegal immigration is shared by many people in this country and I somewhat agree with him. I somewhat agree with him that it is only doing harm for the United States but I am not as angered as he is. Our country is doing its best to patrol the borders but it is impossible to stop everyone from getting in. Our country is going through a huge transition like it did when immigrants came over from Europe. Back then the United States had room and resources to take all those people. At this time our country is growing at an alarming rate and will not be able to withstand for much longer. The economic status in the United States is not good right now and most people are blaming immigrants for taking jobs even though there is much more to it.
Finally his whole rant on Obama is pretty outrageous. People voted for him for a reason. Not everyone is going to agree with his policies or beliefs but he is our president and we should support him. I didn’t vote for him but I back him up. If you thought he was going to change the world his first term you’re an idiot.
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Basically, this is just a guy with a very strong opinion. I have to respect him for being able to maintain his composure and not losing his mind like some people would have. Some of his views are pretty radical. Others are much more realistic.
I have to agree that we should restrict our borders. I don’t think we need to completely lock down our borders, but we should maintain them. By that, I mean we should allow immigrants into the country, but they should have to get a green card and pay taxes. I understand that “Everybody is a decendant of an immigrant.” But there is a big difference to me between immigrating to take a job and immigrating to benefit from taxpayer’s benefits. Overall, I think cheap labor helps our economy, but in a very small amount.
The man in the video does go a little overboard because he starts saying that we need to bring home troops and that immigrants are a detriment to our country. However, people do have some crazy opinions that they are allowed to post on the internet. It is his freedom of speech that he is using, which I believe he feels is being taken away from him by immigrants.
As far as his opinions about the flag and our president not saluting the American flag, I think he needs to realize that the president probably didn’t mean disrespect to anyone from Iwo Jima. An American president loves his country and I’m sure would thank every soldier from World War II. I think people like Bill Balsamico is frustrated like a lot of Americans are with our government and its lax rules since 9/11. Granted, we haven’t had any more terrorist attacks, but we have had some close calls. People are probably worried with the amount of gang wars down in Mexico and think there is a possibility that they could leak into the U.S., but I’m probably stretching it here.
In the end, This guy is allowed to have his opinion and he is probably just trying to ruffle some feathers. He likely won’t end up having any effect on the outcome of our border policies. I do have to respect him for his calmness and composure because he seems very upset about the issue. Maybe he needs to calm down a bit and view the issues from varying sides, but like I
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To some degree, I agree with what this man has to say. In some of his opinions he may be a bit bold and extreme, but others I think he makes a valid point. The point I most agree with is his opinion on border control. I believe in protecting your own. The United States of America is our home and as a whole, we need to feel safe and protected. Knowing that there are soldiers here, on American soil, that are fully capable of finding and relieving an trouble that may find its way into our country is a great relief.
However, having our men and women posted throughout the world does not offer the same level of safety and security that having them here at home does. There is absolutely no need for American soldiers to be in other countries. There is a fine line between humanitarian efforts and imperialism. And in most cases, I think the United States of America leans a little closer to the side of imperialism versus the humanitarian side.
The government should bring some, if not all, of these men and women posted all over the world home to protect our own soil. We should have tighter border control to prevent illegal aliens and terrorists from entering our country. I understand that the United States is a wonderful place to live and that people want to immigrate here. That is fine. I just think it should be done legally. People should be registered and they should have to pay taxes. With the current immigration issue, illegal immigrants are getting benefits they have not earned. They are practically stealing from the government and all American citizens.
Back to helping others around the world-I do not have any problem with giving aid where it is needed. I think the United States should spend more time on giving food, water, clothes, medicine, and education to those who are so much less fortunate than we are instead of spending money on weapons. But at the same time, America needs to protect its own.
There are millions of poor, impoverished American citizens who suffer to get through life everyday. These people need the help of their government. And the government should be more concerned with helping these people over helping people who do not live here nor pay taxes. That all sounds selfish, but that is how it is. The United States can give aid to whoever it pleases, but it should be concerned with the people whose money they take and whose votes they need.
I strongly believe that America often oversteps its bounds as a super power nation. I think we should be using that status and our resources for making the world a better place, not filling it with war.
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This guy is clearly uninformed. He has some strong opinions, which I respect, but I don’t think he understands the big picture. He feels threatened by illegal immigrants, but wouldn’t be willing to do the work that illegal immigrants are doing. In addition, I’m unsure he would be willing to pay extra for the increase in nearly all American products that would occur with the lost of low cost illegal immigrant wages. As far as decreasing the U.S. military presence abroad, I understand that, but setting up major border security is not the answer, at least in foreign countries we are maintaining some diplomacy, but illegal immigrants aren’t the security threat.
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I think that this guy has a point about a few things. I agree with him about what he said about politics. I mean if we have a problem about things that they are doing, we need t get our voices heard. If we don't do anything about it, then nothing will ever get done about it. I think that voting is an essential aspect to our nation. We are offered the opportunity to voice our opinions in government. We should use that right and show up to vote because it affects us along with other American citizens.
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I believe that this man in entitled to the opinions that he expressed here. He is just an extremely opinionated person and is entitled to have his opinion on this issue and many others. I really do not have a problem with him since he is expressing his opinions in a way that is really not harming anyone else. By making a Web site and posting signs, however offensive they are, outside of his restaurant, this man is simply expressing his freedom of speech. He is perfectly entitled to have any opinion he wants to about the government and the war and the borders and express his opinion as long as he is not hurting anyone. This speech, though I differ in opinion with it, did not particularly offend me. Neither do his outlandish signs. If I don't agree, I can just look away. Good for him for embracing his freedom of speech. So, I guess to answer the question I think that this guy is just a dude with an opinion.
That said, I disagree with most of what this guy does. From what I have read of him, this video clip was some of the least extreme of what he does. As soon as you get angry, you lose any argument you are having, and that is really where this guy's problem lies. He is way to angry and extreme. Also, when he speaks, cursing and telling America to "Wake up" makes him seem a bit more extreme than necessary. The people he is arguing against would shut off immediately when they here that this guy has trouble forming and intelligible, well thought out argument. Also, looking through the signs he posted, everything seems over the top. They are angry and hateful, and I think he would be more successful in arguing his point if he chose a more poignant and articulate way of stating his opinion. Perhaps he could try letter writing or speaking calmly. I just get the impression from this man that he is very angry about every issue he speaks about. He needs to calm down, in my opinion. I feel like what he is doing is more to gather attention than to actual make points, and it is obviously working. I have heard about this man on CNN and we are all watching this video he created. He clearly wants to be famous and gather a lot of attention with his passionate signs and lengthy speeches.
I completely disagree with this man on many levels, but I respect that he has an opinion and is using his freedom of speech to express that. I just wish he would be a little bit less angry and a little more respectful of people's feelings and society.
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believe that this guy is just stating an opinion and that everybody in America has the right to say and believe in whatever they want to, which is partially the reason this country is so great. While I don’t necessarily believe in everything he is saying I can see how it makes sense. If we brought all the troops home from other countries and set them up at the borders it would indeed help curb illegal immigration and stop the spread of drugs coming in from other places. So while I don’t necessarily agree with everything this man is saying I don’t believe he is a bigot or anything, I just believe he is sharing his opinion like everyone is allowed to do and I don’t think he should be criticized for that.
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I believe that this guy is just stating an opinion and that everybody in America has the right to say and believe in whatever they want to, which is partially the reason this country is so great. While I don’t necessarily believe in everything he is saying I can see how it makes sense. If we brought all the troops home from other countries and set them up at the borders it would indeed help curb illegal immigration and stop the spread of drugs coming in from other places. So while I don’t necessarily agree with everything this man is saying I don’t believe he is a bigot or anything, I just believe he is sharing his opinion like everyone is allowed to do and I don’t think he should be criticized for that.
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I think that Bill Balsamico makes some good points, but I certainly do not agree with everything he said. I would consider him a patriot because he is proud to be an American and he is truly trying to come up with ways to make this country better. He’s not particularly bigoted or racist because he doe not seem to have anything against a certain race or nationality. He is very proud of his heritage as an Italian American and it is clear that Mr. Balsamico is very passionate about how hard his ancestors worked to make it in America.
I think that Bill Balsamico makes a good point that U.S. troops should spend more time at home than in other countries. The U.S. does not need to be so tangled in other countries’ affairs and it would benefit the nation as a whole to bring more troops to guard our borders. However, this is a delicate subject matter because it’s controversial to argue about what jobs are really being lost. Most Americans probably do not want to do the jobs that they are “losing” to Mexicans that illegally cross the border. I think what is more important is to prevent illegal drugs from coming into the country. If we had actual troops stationed at the border as opposed to border patrol and a wall, it would be much harder for the drug cartels to smuggle their products into the U.S.
I also agree with Bill Balsamico when he states that the United States should spend more money and energy in defending our own country. I believe that we should be proactive in fighting terrorism, but the U.S. needs to pick its battles carefully. We invaded the wrong country altogether in 2003 has led to thousands of U.S. soldier deaths and has cost over $1 billion a month. I think it’s important to bring a lot of those soldiers home, defend our borders and attack the specific groups that committed the terrorist attacks on September 11th.
I like Bill Balsamico’s viewpoint that these changes he is calling for need to be implemented immediately. However, it’s clear that he and I did not vote for the same presidential candidate. His believing that Obama not saluting the flag is disrespectful is somewhat proving his ignorance. He is clearly patriotic in that he recalls the raising of the American flag at Iwo Gima. However it is clear that he doesn’t fully understand the situation and why Obama does that. He is probably one of the voters that didn’t vote for Obama because his middle name is Hussein or his birth certificate is in question. Bill Balsamico is a true American that has the country’s best interest in mind, but I am mindful of his ignorance when he presents his ideas.
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By the title of this video, I was thing that there was going to be some seriously hateful things coming out of this guy’s mouth. I was waiting for a couple dozen F-bombs to be dropped and perhaps a poorly placed N-word here and there. I thought this guy would spout his ideas supported purely by the flimsy, baseless passion of his own personal hate. That’s what I was expecting. What I got was some random dude who looked more bored with what he was saying than anything else. Nothing he said was new, inspired, or even remotely offensive. Believe it or not, I was a bit disappointed. If you’re going to speak on a topic, at least be passionate about it. Maybe it was his delivery, his mannerisms, or the fact that he was reading from sheets of paper, but he seemed to just be spouting off a whole bunch of rhetoric that he’s read from some really obscure political website.
Then again, maybe he really did believe it. With that in mind, then he’s just speaking his opinion. He has the right just like every other American. It’s not like he was taking about killing all of the illegal immigrants that enter into the U.S. there wasn’t anything extreme in his views at all. Now does that mean I agree with him? No. Back in high school I used to get into this same argument all the time with a friend of mine. He stood on basically the same side as the gentleman in the video. I did not. I suppose I was more lenient. Either way, our conversation would quickly sour. But my disapproval doesn’t mean that there’s anything inherently wrong, racist, bigoted, or even patriotic in what he says.
He just sounds paranoid to me.
Protecting the boarders of our country is important. I know it is. If we didn’t all hell could possible break lose in ways that I couldn’t even imagine. Still, performing the task in such a way as he describes it, it makes me think of how North Korea treats its illegal immigrants. Granted NK’s pretty extreme in most of its policies. I’m just saying that such a high crack down on illegal immigration makes me feel as though we may be stepping in that direction. Sure having people enter the country by ways of illegal methods poses quite a security issue to the citizens here. But I feel that there could be more to this vehement idea of shutting out the illegals. I kind of feel that some of it does stem from paranoia. This game of “keep out the foreigners” seems to be wrapped up in the “America, F—k yeah!” mentality that many of us seem to have. We want to keep America the way it is and anything different is a threat.
But then again, I could be wrong.
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