Why all the fuss?

So our Minister for Immigration and a few others just came out with a proposal on immigration policy in Sweden, basically saying that if immigrants are to receive benefits and help when they first arrive, they must learn Swedish, they must agree not to move to a neighborhood where too many immigrants have already settled down, but must instead move some place where they have a chance of getting a job. And if an immigrant commits a serious crime, his or her citizenship can be retreived and they can be deported.

And people obviously have a problem with this. People are calling them nationalist, racist and god knows what. And all I can think is, what is all the fuss about? We live in a country were not wanting to work is seen as completely normal, where it's ok to live off of benefits if you feel like it. So what if immigrants have to move to a smaller town where there are actually jobs to take, instead of living where half their country already resides and where 50 percent are unemployed? What good will come out of that, for them or for society? For the tax payers who support these people?

I'm not saying that immigration is bad, or that we should start deporting people. All I'm saying is that putting demands on people who are asking for our help is not wrong. Obviously they should get all the help they need to integrate into our society, to learn Swedish and get a job, but they will have little hope of doing any of that if they live in a large immigrant community where next to no one speaks Swedish fluently and more than half of the population is unemployed and frustrated with the Swedish society.

And as for the deportation of criminals, I think this is perfectly in order. If they behave, they can stay. But why should they come here and commit crimes and then be supported by tax payers when they serve time in prison? And we're not talking about people who've lived here for years and years, only those who've only just become citizens.

I think our society in general is so scared of demanding things from the people, Swedes and immigrants alike, that it will soon backfire. At least this government is trying to do something about it, through this and through other measures that they've taken since they took office.

If I haven't left this country before, I'll be the first one out of here when the left-wing opposition wins the next election in 2010.