Discussion results from "friendly" conversation with the other side.

I so seldom speak to people from the other side that I make it a note to write down everything I hear when I do get locked in conversation:

On the immigration issue:

The people I was speaking to were involved with education and they started the conversation by sharing that their students come to school on Monday hungry and they understand that they have to feed their students in order for them to learn anything. From there we jumped into the immigration issue and these were the fine points:

1) They believe that we don't have any more room for immigrants, and the fact that we have to feed the students we do have in this country is proof that we've reached a limit.

2) They concede that the policies of this country is creating a great divide with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer and that the middle class is the one that gets hit to pay for all the programs that this country commits to. Therefore, if the trends continue, soon there will be no middle class to pay for these programs so its time to nip the immigration problem in the bud.

3) When I asked if it was time to start deporting all the Irish-Americans for overstaying their visas, the comment was that they can stay as long as they are contributing. They used a hypothetical engineer for an example. I said, so, if they get laid off their job, then can they deported? And the response was, if they can't get another job, yes. So I was left to wonder what agency was going to be set up to keep track of the companies that allow all these short-term visa holders to keep working those jobs.

4) I told them that we had an immigration policy in place before Trump came into office, and that Obama had the highest deportation numbers than any other president. One disagreed, but the other agreed. It did not have an impact on their position.

5) I told them that at the least we need to review the problems that created the need for the migration and we needed to stop adding to the problems that send them to the border. I brought up MS-13 as an example. When I told them that we created them, and deported them to their countries, adding to the problems, they did not believe it. And these were people that sometimes watched MSNBC.

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6) On Obama, they felt that Obama did nothing economical for the country. I told him that the financial trends under Trump were started under Obama. "Well, Obama takes credit for it." I told them that they can't deny the math. They thought Trump was a business genius. They did. I might add, that they are now retired and got a good tax refund under Trump's tax program.

7) They blamed Obama for the 2008 recession - even after I reminded him that it was his first year in office. I should have asked them how they felt about Bush II and 9/11.

In sum, our country is and will continue to be divided until these beliefs are hit straight on by a news source that they will listen to.

BTW, one of them considers themselves a Democrat and says she can't vote for any of the Dem candidates.