Churches have been bringing foreigners into the USA for decades for no apparent reason other than making themselves feel good. I'm sure it gives the flock a warm feeling knowing that they helped a family in need from another country but I do not believe much thought is given beyond that. Usually these families are brought here, provided with housing and given jobs to support themselves (hopefully). Is this really fair? What about the qualified resident of the town who may have been applying for the same job but was rejected because the employer felt pressured to hire the sponsored foreigner? Companies will bend over backwards to teach a non-English speaking person to work for them but won't spend 1/10th the time on anyone else. It may sound isolationist but if the USA has so many people unemployed, especially in high-tech, why should we purposely seek out a foreign family and give the jobs to them? Think about it before raking me over the coals.
The prison in Laconia has baffled me as well. What a waste of prime real estate, so what's next, a city landfill on Governors Island? The trend over the years seems to be toward removing those things that made Laconia a nice place and replacing them with things that do not. Living in the Weirs has given us a front row seat to such action. For the past 10 years most of the new development we've seen is new vendor space for bike week. If the bikers stop coming, the entire area will collapse since they've placed all their eggs in one basket. I'm glad to see some new life being pumped into the Dexter Plaza that's not linked to bike week. Bravo to Rusty Bertholet! The place is looking nice! Thank you.
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