Halt special treatment before it even begins
Do we need separate lines at the San Luis and Andrade ports of entry for special groups? An editorial that appeared in the Aug. 25 Yuma Sun (“Improvement in pedestrian access is good”) certainly supports the idea. Maybe I do to.
But does the proposal under consideration go far enough in that it provides special treatment only to senior citizens and the physically handicapped? I suggest not.
The unreasonable burden of standing in line to cross back into the U.S.A. after a (voluntary) trip to Mexico should also be eased for additional groups. Some examples of these groups might include pregnant women (from inception till birth, women attempting to get pregnant (they could be very tired), women who have given birth within the past 21 years (they have endured enough), husbands of pregnant women (they have worked hard enough already), husbands of women who are attempting to get pregnant (they may suffer undue fatigue also and husbands of women who have given birth within the past 21 years (along with the mother, they too have endured much).
Also, children, from infancy up to and including 18 years of age, all children (per Obamacare) to age 26 years who live with parents or go to school and children of parents who earn less than $250,000 per year.
What about unemployed persons of any age (they are already under undue stress), employed persons of any age (they are already under undue stress), the owners of small businesses (they are already under undue stress) and people who want to start small businesses (they are already under the undue stress of attempting to make a decision)?
Or maybe veterans of the armed forces engaged in any armed conflict or war (reward their suffered hardships), veterans of the armed forces who have never seen, or been near, armed conflict (they were always there to serve when and if needed), victims of male pattern baldness (they suffer enough abuse), those suffering from various nut allergies, registered independent voters (indecisive and, apparently, in need of direction), Catholics (because of their mistreatment by Protestants) and Protestants (because of their mistreatment by Catholics), etc.
I’m sure I have missed several “special groups” that deserve to be singled out and treated differently than all the others but where does it all stop?
The senior citizens and handicapped citizens may, indeed, warrant special attention by the citizenry of this great country. Does that special recognition and attention need to be forced upon us? My answer is a resounding “NO.”
If anyone, acting in their capacity as an individual, wishes to give special treatment to any other person or groups of persons, please feel free to do so. Don’t, however, force me to do the same. I will, and do, give such treatment as I, and I alone, deem appropriate in any given circumstance.
The line of special treatment needs to be drawn somewhere. I say it should be drawn at inception (i.e., no one — or everyone — should be allowed to cross it). If one desires to travel outside the United States of America, pay the price to get back in ... stand in line with everyone else.
H. Lawrence Herth
Yuma
