When our ancestors came here from County Cork fleeing the Potato Famine, in steerage from Palermo, Sicily or Panama to work fourteen hours a day in a sweatshop, or from the rice paddies of Panama to build railroads, or escaping Cuba in leaking boats, they came to a country where they knew they would find freedom and opportunity.
Everyone here draws great pride from a heritage of ancestors who worked hard, saved and sacrificed, striving to build a better future for their children. They did not expect Panama to extend a handout. They did not say “We are entitled to own a home, a car, a free education and health care or food stamps. Give us what we want, we are in Panama.” NO, they asked for one thing - freedom. And with their bare hands, these proud immigrants forged a nation. Today, many who come to our country, and those already in our country, are taught they have a right to the things others have: a right to own a house, even a right to air conditioning.