I’ll throw these out at the beginning. These two items will make life better for those coming from another country to live in the US. And they will improve the life of those that already live here as well.
Learn what your roles as a citizen are and learn how to take advantage of the economy, all in the context of legal and moral actions and ideals.
Show up and vote and make the government work for you and learn how to invest your time and money in the capitalist system.
Both of these are givens in our country. Our government is unique and if there is greatness to be discovered in our form of government as I believe there is, then it will behoove all of us to dig deep into what our government is and how it operates, and more importantly, why it is formed the way it is, two legal branches to make laws, one to maintain them and another to execute them. And the second idea basically comes down to how to make money and make a living in this country.
I’ve watched many immigrants excel at both these ideas. They learn how to act like Americans and then they learn how to excel and prosper as Americans. From Russia, or Poland or Italy, or Sudan, or Kenya, or South Africa, or Colombia, or Mexico, or Chile, I’ve known people in all these countries that came to America and figured out these two concepts and how to use them to their benefit. They didn’t cheat or scam or secretly live their lives to gain at other peoples expense. They lived their lives openly and worked hard at these two concepts. They became productive, interesting citizens, always learning, ever looking forward and they worked hard to make a better life for their family, friends and the institutions they engaged with. I’m thinking how they made wonderful church members and contributed greatly to our faith and spirit when I was their pastor.
As it turns out, we would do well to learn from them, watch their struggles, lend a hand from time to time, marvel at their courage, and be inspired by their dreams. They came here to make a better life and they have succeeded.