People in other countries have a glossy image of America as the land of milk and honey. This comes mostly from the media (especially films and TV shows) and although we can most definitely say America is better off than other nations, the glorified, shiny image is not at all realistic. The streets are not paved in gold. Not everyone carries a gun. We are not all rich and powerful and glamorous. There is poverty in this country, and homelessness, joblessness, strife, hunger, violence, inequality.
America is a wonderful country, and I love it. But it isn't Fantasyland. The Statue of Liberty has a beautiful inscription on it:
Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.
Unfortunately, many times the immigrants that come through that "golden door" don't fare so well here. Many of the homeless and tempest-tossed remain homeless and tempest-tossed. Perhaps there should be a small addition to the inscription: Enter at your own risk.
