Thursday, December 27, 2012

Selling Us Out

FOR SALE $15,000

 

Two For One Deal: Have Twins...Pay One Price

From an upscale home in Chino to a luxury 1-Bedroom apartment in Manhattan, Americans are selling their birthright to anyone with the money to buy.

AsiamChild.com, a Chinese language website advertises the American citizenship to prospective mothers. Packages on the site range from $5,000 to $15,000 and call the expenditure a "worthwhile investment" in order to have an American baby. Aside from citizenship, the website touts other perks American citizens enjoy, including free public education, better loan rates and social welfare during retirement.

The Marmara Manhattan, a Turkish-owned luxury hotel on New York's City Upper East Side, markets birth tourism packages to expectant mothers abroad, luring more than a dozen pregnant guests and their families to the United States to give birth last year alone. "What we offer is simply a one-bedroom suite accommodation for $7,750, plus taxes, for a month, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the mother," Marmara Hotel spokeswoman Alexandra Ballantine said. The hotel estimates the total cost of the package at $45,000.

For those with the means to pay, it's a small price to give a child the full benefits of U.S. citizenship, including the ability to travel freely to and from the United States, easy access to a U.S. education and a chance to start a life here.

For the Mothers, it's Understandable

"We found a company on the Internet and decided to go to Austin [Texas] for our child's birth," Turkish mother Selin Burcuoglu told Istanbul's Hurriyet Daily News. "I don't want [my daughter] to deal with visa issues. American citizenship has so many advantages."

A curious global industry has emerged that caters to wealthy foreign women willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars to give birth in the United States and get instant U.S. citizenship for their babies. The hefty price is worth it, according to these women, because it paves the way for easy access to American public schools, universities and jobs as the children get older and green cards for the whole family once the child turns 21.

For the Children, it's a Free Ride

Despite the fact that no one in Jennifer's family has been paying taxes to support the University of California system, meet Jennifer, a UC Davis college student born in New York who tells the Sacramento Bee, "I'm Taiwanese more than American." Back in 1989, Jennifer's mother boarded a jet bound for New York, tourist visa in hand. She didn't arrange her travel in order to take in a showing of Cats, however; she was eight months pregnant and the goal was to add a U.S.-passport holder to her family.  In 2004, when Jennifer reached the age of 15, she returned to the United States to take advantage of U.S.-taxpayer subsidized high schools in Idaho, Utah, and now college in California. Understandably, Jennifer — who didn't speak English when she arrived — describes the United States as a "foreign country".   Jennifer's father has since moved to the United States, presumably as a result of chain migration, which allows individuals to sponsor parents and siblings upon turning 21 years of age. Jennifer says she is interested in having kids of her own who will go to college in America.

For the Americans, We Need a New Definition of Treason

“Yes, our business is a sensitive topic, but we have a lot to offer the American culture and economy,” said Katie, a business owner who asked that her last name not be used.  “These women are the economic elite…and they are fueling the economy here.  I take them on shopping trips…one woman bought 15 Coach bags,” said Katie, who said she piles her pregnant clients into her van for the hour and a half drive to Woodbury Commons, an upscale outlet mall in New York where shoppers can indulge in such luxury brands as Prada, Gucci, Dior, and Coach.

15 Coach Bags, that's certainly a worthwhile exchange for an American citizenship.  These people are the scum of the earth,  selling us out to anyone with the  greenbacks to pay.  It is easy to have more respect for a traitor that betrays their country on principal than for one that betrays their country for money. Just who do these a$$holes think are paying for that "free education and social welfare during retirement"?   Harsh words? Perhaps, but as illustrated above, the Devil does indeed wear Prada.

http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/10/28/8511587-born-in-the-usa-birth-tourists-get-instant-us-citizenship-for-their-newborns?lite
http://cis.org/feere/birth-tourism-baby-calls-united-states-foreign-country
http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/national/birth-tourism-maternity-homes-in-us-used-by-foreigners-who-give-birth-so-child-gains-citizenship
http://abcnews.go.com/US/chinese-women-pay-give-birth-california-maternity-mansion/story?id=17862251
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/birth-tourism-industry-markets-us-citizenship-abroad/story?id=10359956
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/17/AR2010071701402.html

Not so Cheery Now, eh?

~Finntann

24 comments:

Silverfiddle said...

It's a toss up which is more despicable, the people doing this, or the government looking the other way. On the bright side, at least we're still marketable.

Silverfiddle said...

“These women are the economic elite…and they are fueling the economy here. I take them on shopping trips…one woman bought 15 Coach bags,” said Katie...

Well, isn't that just charming?

Silverfiddle said...

I think the prize quote from the one article is "...when it comes to birth tourism "the return on investment is higher than robbing a bank".

Silverfiddle said...

The Anchor Baby phenomenon but be ABORTED -- rescinded and made retroactive for the past ten or fifteen years at least.

Silverfiddle said...

Where's my AVATAR dammit?

Silverfiddle said...

American generousity knows no bounds.

Silverfiddle said...

We already have the most expensive government money can buy, so why not sell citizenships as well?

Silverfiddle said...

Cheeky? You mean like the way you treat all like assholes

Silverfiddle said...

Or maybe you meant cheeky, like the way you fuck SF.

Silverfiddle said...

A new comment procedure with permanent moderation.
My work here is done

Silverfiddle said...

FT, if you create a Disqus account, you can add an avatar there.

Silverfiddle said...

I've been unable to get this to work with Internet Explorer, I was running IE9 and it said my browser was unsupported... use IE9. Computers...go figure. I've tried updating 9 and had no luck, even upgraded to the pre-release version of IE10... no luck. Guess I'm using Firefox for this blog. Just google "Firefox" if you're having the same problem. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Silverfiddle said...

Screw Disqus. I have to disable my blocking apps.

Bye-bye.

Silverfiddle said...

I don't see too much of a problem here, though the DHS should (hopefully does) keep an eye on where these women are from and whom they may represent.

JMJ

Silverfiddle said...

Happy Screw Year -- all the way 'round!


That's moth a comment AND a reaction. How are you supposed to tell the difference anyway?


You tech heads are too much for me.


Every time anything in the 'Puter-Cyber world "changes," it's a NIGHTMARE for a proudly anachronistic, anomalous guy like me.


1948 was the last really good year.

Silverfiddle said...

Believe it or not, you'll be missed.


So, c'mon a my house. };-)>

Silverfiddle said...

You have no idea what you're asking, Finntann. Nothing of that sort is simple for me. It's like switching to a new bank, or having your phone number changed arbitrarily.


Not to be a poor sport, but this is a pain in the ass.


WHY did you do it?

Silverfiddle said...

The answer to your question FT is troll control. After being put to the trouble of deleting an incessant stream of insult and invective on Christmas Day, this seemed the best option available to exclude those only interested in spewing scurrilities.

While one can only pity the pathetic personality responsible, that's not sufficient reason to allow him to annoy our guests.

@Ducky

Let me echo FT and assure you that you will indeed be missed and I sincerely hope you reconsider.

Silverfiddle said...

Yes it is too bad that Obama voter jermac1955@gmail.com, IP address 96.47.118.22, cannot tolerate debate among those who believe differently from him/her. He/she gives liberalism a bad name.

Silverfiddle said...

Oy vey. Testing, one, two...

Silverfiddle said...

Is it just me, Thersites, or is this thread running backwards? Hmmmm.

Silverfiddle said...

That's optional. Click on "Discussion"

Silverfiddle said...

Duck,
I'm sticking with Blogger comments at my site. Although Warren gives you a thrashing now and again, I typically do not.


And what's up with you this Christmas Season? You didn't wish me a Merry Christmas.

Hugh Farnham said...

You know, Finntann, Ireland does offer a second passport if you are willing to start a company there... The Republic Of Ireland, not Northern Ireland.