America the Unwelcoming

I agree that it's too difficult to travel to the U.S. these days, including the difficulties of getting visas for legitimate travelers and hassles at airports. But how do you discuss this problem without at least mentioning the huge elephant in the room? Our abject failure to control our southern border and the flood of illegal immigrants who cross it daily makes the picture complete. On the one hand, we're discouraging people we want to come to the U.S., and on the other hand, anyone who pleases can illegally walk across the southern border with virtually no controls. This is clearly a double-edged policy disaster.

Instead of staying home like a petulant child who feels underappreciated, more Americans need to be traveling the globe, putting their best foot forward. I am an American,, married to a Japanese citizen, and I am utterly baffled by a situation occurring in Japan currently. While much of Asia bends over backwards to attract new capital and investors, Japan is instituting a fingerprinting system for all travelers to Japan over 16 years of age. Under the guise of protecting their population from terrorism, they are shooting themselves in the foot economically, and also undermining their own global relevance. Sound familiar? There is so much to love about America, and assuring the citizenry that they are safe is important. But staying at home out of fear or laziness dooms our American society to eventual irrelevance. If we truly have a democracy that will stand the test of time (as I believe we do), we need to be abroad, informed, and engaged. Stay at home ....and end like Rome...apologies for the poor rhyme....

Stay home and so will we. By the way the rest of the world need not call on us the next time a despot decides on world domination, and don't bothertelling me the US is just that. No nation in the history of the world has been more charitable and free giving than our Nation. As castro and chavez decry us for "starving the world to make fuel" perhaps they should look at their obscene profits per barrel of oil. Oh yes that is our fault also. Stay home and so will we next time!

Stay home and so will we. By the way the rest of the world need not call on us the next time a despot decides on world domination, and don't bothertelling me the US is just that. No nation in the history of the world has been more charitable and free giving than our Nation. As castro and chavez decry us for "starving the world to make fuel" perhaps they should look at their obscene profits per barrel of oil. Oh yes that is our fault also. Stay home and so will we next time!

I am sick and tired of seeing Third Worlders down at the grocery store. They just stare at you, probably cause they can't speak English, and you know they're thinking of how to rob you. And their kids are running around the store, looking to shoplift. The whole country has gone crazy, and it's only patriots like me that are crying out like a voice in the night.

We need to restrict voting to Judeo-Christian males 18 and over. And no, Mexicans aren't Christian. They're illegal. Anyone who isn't American and is in America is illegal. Thank God for the Internet, because now when we have to deal with foreigners, at least we don't have to see their stinky asses on our soil.

Wow, if the US is so terrible, why is this guy still here? Given his ability to find fault in the system here I can't help but believe he can find wonderful aspects about his homeland, a place I am sure he longs to return to.

If not, he's an idiot!

Newsweek does censorship on comments not favorable to their point of view; Let's see what they do with this innocuous opinion... Will it get past the "Can not submit at this time..."?

The answer is simple. All the folks that Mr. Zakaria is talking about just have to declare themselves "undocumented aliens', and they will have unlimited 'Sanctuary' in most US cities, and many States will try to give them Driver's Licenses. Shucks, I hear in California, they can even go to college for free.

There, Newsweek, that was not so bad, was it?

Dr. Zakaria misunderstands our immigration bureaucrats. Their greatest fear is not that they will let in the next Mohammad Atta. Their greatest fear is that they will be accused of *profiling* by acknowledging in action that there is any difference between a Mohammad Atta and the unfortunate German woman whom they both handcuffed and ankle-shackled.

If we bomb China and say Iran did it, they would probably nuke them back. That might take care of two things at once.

Hear, hear! I am also against allowing immigrants or other visitors into the country. Furthermore, I am in favor of deporting anyone who makes less than 10% of the national median income, unless they either find a sponsor who makes enough to cover the difference, or join a military infantry division for ten years. Not only would we keep out terrorists, but we would staff our next six wars with Appalachia and the Rust Belt.

mohammed atta thought the US was very welcoming

mohammed atta thought the US was very welcoming

This article is curious in it's avoidance of the underlying cause. We are becoming nationalists, and ultra-isolationists, and I for one approve heartily! Frankly, most of the globalization of the past few decades has been a cultural disaster for our country, and has undermined the working class. I would prefer to see an end to immigration and serious reduction in the presence of foreign nationals permitted into the United States for a multitude of both economic and cultural reasons. If our government where to focus upon its citizens, and not on the rest of the world, we might actually have clean water and well repaired roads! We pretend our nuclear nonproliferation plans are working while the world builds weapons unabated. I know some will claim the US is world dependent, but some of us recognize the truth. The world, or significant parts of it are US dependent. We spend huge amounts of money on foreign aid, while are needs at home are unmet. We spends trillions on defense, while our supposed allies betray us at the UN. If we where to place our own interest as our priority, rather than catering to multinational corporations, we would find that America could quite comfortably become self sufficient within a generation. We need to educate our children, rebuild our infrastructure, and work aggressively toward autonomy, or we shall end up a giant third world superpower.

I had been traveling to America for 35 years and every time spent thousands of dollars in health care and other expenses. Five years ago I was mistreated by immigration officers and I have not returned. I do not need that kind of treatment. I know quite a few people who have abstained from traveling to the USA due to the hassle factor. Some months ago a friend had his shoes destroyed by security without compensation or explanation. American universities have lost many foreign students who are the ones paying full tuition and subsidising American students.

Full of arrogance America decided to shoot the world in the face but is now finding out that it has shot itself in the foot instead. Americans who think this path is reasonable are quite ignorant of the consequences. No country can survive isolated as trade and industry will go to other countries, as they are already doing.

The image of the USA in Europe is in free fall. It used to be that of a country based on admirable principles of freedom and human rights. Now it has become a rogue state which spies, kidnaps, tortures and kills without regard for decency or morals. It has become its own worst enemy. It has become what it said it was fighting.

I had been traveling to America for 35 years and every time spent thousands of dollars in health care and other expenses. Five years ago I was mistreated by immigration officers and I have not returned. I do not need that kind of treatment. I know quite a few people who have abstained from traveling to the USA due to the hassle factor. Some months ago a friend had his shoes destroyed by security without compensation or explanation. American universities have lost many foreign students who are the ones paying full tuition and subsidising American students.

Full of arrogance America decided to shoot the world in the face but is now finding out that it has shot itself in the foot instead. Americans who think this path is reasonable are quite ignorant of the consequences. No country can survive isolated as trade and industry will go to other countries, as they are already doing.

The image of the USA in Europe is in free fall. It used to be that of a country based on admirable principles of freedom and human rights. Now it has become a rogue state which spies, kidnaps, tortures and kills without regard for decency or morals. It has become its own worst enemy. It has become what it said it was fighting.

well. ithink those stories r just a tip of the iceberg. i 2 remember bush sayin' that america will never give in and here u have whot u didn't deserve but surely had coming. a direct sidefect of your foreign policies. now america is sooo scared it makes me shitles. also remember times when not too many people wanted to travel 2 USSR in it's days. simply put it was not worth the hassle and intimidation. same is becomin' of US

94 billion dollars in lost tourist revenue is a drop in the bucket in this multi-trillion dollar economy. What was the economic impact of allowing entry to those terrorists who committed 9/11? I'm sure it was a LOT more than 94 billion. So in reality, more security measures are actually SAVING us a lot of money.

Four years ago, when I visited Montreal Canada, I stayed at Youth Hostel. One thing I unintentionally discovered was by speaking with those foreign students--from Japan, Korea, etc. They came to Canada to study English and during the winter break, they tried to travel around Canada. They told me one of the reasons they chose Canada instead of US for their English study was because 911 gave them an impression that US was not that a safe place. Even though this was not a very logic assessment, still it taught me that the consequence of 911 was much broader than merely the safety of US. I was wondering how much money US would lose if all the foreign students choose Canada instead of US for their English language study.

My suspicion has always been that Bush administration???s response to 911 has been totally wrong. First of all, even if Bush administration truly considered Iraq had something to do with 911, the war it waged is the worst solution. It has not only aggravated but legitimized anti-Americanism in the already hostile region.

This article has only touched one reason of declined number of tourists in US. Should we also consider maybe foreigners don???t come because they don???t like and love US any more or even worst, they just hate US. We should not forget Bush has made US the most unpopular nation around the world.