The Luck of the Draw

I have to admit that I had no idea that the U.S. State Department has a lottery whose winners get preferential treatment in the awarding of green cards for permanent residency. When I first heard of it, quite recently, I thought it was a joke, a hoax or one of those "sting" operations that the Federal government is so fond of conducting. The idea seemed so far-fetched or preposterous, that I just couldn't believe that such a delicate matter would be left to chance. Well, I was wrong; the drawing is for real.

But, as luck would have it, a recent drawing went awry, and now the government has decided to invalidate 50,000 "prizes", due to a computer malfunction that unfairly limited the number of participants. So, in typical American fashion, a lawyer is taking the Department to court, to prevent it from taking away the prizes awarded.

This was a bad idea from the start. Immigration is a serious matter that should not be left to such a thing as a lottery. Cases should be taken up as they present themselves and judged on their merits. Any other way of doing it, is a cruel joke on people's aspirations.

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