Leave an Immigrant Home from Work Day

[Tusekan Raiders 0]

I've been in London a lot recently, and the topic is hot in Europe too, who knew them Danes were such xenophobes? But, I digress. I'm not fully up-to-speed on the purpose or all the issues, but there seems to be a fundamental logic flaw with illegal immigrants complaining about their rights in Amercia. I mean, shouldn't we have INS buses stacked up at the end of these parade routes gathering these people up and sending them home?

 

Another logic problem. I saw a guy interviewed who said the purpose was to show the economic impact. So the not working was just one day, but if things don't change (I guess that means if we don't stop trying to stop foreigners from taking advantage of the country), he threatened there will be more work stopages. Let me get this straight, the illegal immigrants will stop going to work, of which the outcome would seem to be eventually losing their job and forcing business to have to hire actual citizens...they may want to rethink this strategy.

 

I also wonder about the motivation of some of the participants. Kids, you don't have to go school today if you march with us...ummm....OK. Then while this would seem primarily an issue for Hispanic communities, I see other immigrant populations (which is pretty much all of us, except the American Indians) joining in. Right, the Irish. Like they need a reason to go to a parade.

 

Whatever. Live and let live. To me, there is no difference between an illegal immigrant sucking my tax dollars or the ridiculously abused welfare system doing it. Since only one of those groups is more likely at least contributing something to society, I'd rather see the gov't do something about the welfare state they've created. But then they'd (1) be upsetting people with the right to vote and (2) dealing with an issue involving a lot of blacks, and no pol wants to hear their name mentioned by Jesse Jackson. I mostly care about controlling immigration to the extent it keeps some Islamic nut from walking into a Starbucks with a trenchcoat stuffed with C4 to get his 77 virgins from Allah. The easy answer to that is profiling, but common sense died a while ago in this country.

[donhaas 18]

Points taken.

 

This issue could have been dealt with much earlier but there are too many conservatives making way too much money exploiting the labor.

 

I have a different perspective than your average geek who may be a Schaumburgian who gets his info about Latinos secondhand. (I said "may be" ) I volunteer at Centro Guadalupe on the south side and I see nothing but hardworking, humble people who want to learn the English language and make a better life for their children. It's very, very much contrary to the image I see over and over of a bunch of lazy people not doing anything and living off the government for free.

These people work three sh!tty jobs for below minimum pay. Can't complain about anything and can't get any workman's comp or any type of benefits. They are ideal employees. There are sad cases of abuse that I don't even want to talk about. But they are making some important people a ton of money.

 

I agree that we must work towards a solution; I just don't get all of the hate. They are taking crap ass jobs and being treated like sh!t. They are no threat to your average small-town guy in Sheboygan Falls who seem to hate them the most.

 

My dad was an immigrant who came after the Communist crackdown after WWII. I don't know if he did it legally or not (I'm assuming he did) but it wouldn't change how I felt about him and about how he learned English and worked his ass off his entire life to make a better life for his children in America.

 

Again, it's all from the perspective you come at. If I didn't see families and children struggling every day -- admonished for trying to cling to the very bottom rungs of society; working 90 hours of week to have barely nothing -- and if I hadn't seen my dad struggle so hard to make it in the US, I'd probably feel much closer to how you feel.

 

As to your other point...

Racial profiling is simply Un-American. I'm not saying to not be on your toes. But if someone gets through in the scenario you present, I'm betting there is a good chance he looks more like donhaas -- tall, blonde, athletic, good-looking, Packer fan, etc. than a Raghead.

[nobody 2,687]

This issue could have been dealt with much earlier but there are too many conservatives making way too much money exploiting the labor.

if only the conservatives would change their thinking and be for closing the borders.

[donhaas 18]

if only the conservatives would change their thinking and be for closing the borders.

 

You don't honestly think some people have been making a ton of money off these workers?

 

Conservatives who own businesses (and who have most of the power) don't want to close anything. Why would they? They have a great racket.

 

Blue-collar, zubaz-wearing minutemen who hate spics probably feel the other way...

[nobody 2,687]

The iron fist the restauranteurs, construction foremen, and farmers that make up this nation's illuminati must be lifted from the backs of the oppressed people.

[paradoxical 1]

they cleverly are just saying they're fighting for immigrants rights so you seem like a bad guy opposing them. I am 100% for LEGAL immigrants rights but I am growing increasingly annoyed at people who complain about their rights when they're not every citizens!

[Tusekan Raiders 0]

My dad was an immigrant who came after the Communist crackdown after WWII. I don't know if he did it legally or not (I'm assuming he did) but it wouldn't change how I felt about him and about how he learned English and worked his ass off his entire life to make a better life for his children in America.

 

Again, it's all from the perspective you come at. If I didn't see families and children struggling every day -- admonished for trying to cling to the very bottom rungs of society; working 90 hours of week to have barely nothing -- and if I hadn't seen my dad struggle so hard to make it in the US, I'd probably feel much closer to how you feel.

 

We are coming at it from the same perspective. I'm a first generation American, under the same circumstances as you, as well. The difference I saw was it was importance of inclusion. There's nothing wrong with being proud of your heritage, but the bottom line is if things were so great in your own home, you wouldn't be leaving. So learn the language, toe the line, work hard to make this a good place for your kids, and contribute to society as an American. That is what I learned from what my family went through.

[Giants Fan 85]

As some of you know my family has been here since ... well, the begining. I can trace ancestors to the Revolutionary War and the Mayflower. My ancestors have built dams, raildroads, towns, etc. All that being said, I still washed dishes for $3.35 when I was 16 (that was minimum wage then). I earned my education because I worked hard and I had talent, not because of family connections or affirmative action.

 

And as far as I'm concerned, all immigrants, be them Mexican, Irish, or whatever, deserve a chance to come to this country and make a living. Do you realize that illegal immigrants still pay taxes? And they don't get to file a return at the end of the year either. That money stays in the governments coffers. That is, the ones that are working for employers that actually are paying them above the table.

 

I think a crack down on the businesses that take advantage of these people, and pay them $1.50 an hour, in a sense forcing them to work 90 hour weeks, is what we need. Make the businesses that are intentionally taking advantage of these people pay, not the people that just want to do an honest days work, for an honest days pay.

[Concrete Charlie 0]

i believe the vast majority of illegal Mexican immigrants are hardworking, decent people. That's well and good, and they should be treated with dignity by American citizens, officials, laws, etc.

What they cannot expect, much less demand, are rights to government services and the like. They are here illegally and shouldn't be, no matter how hard they work, or how good a person any particular one of them is.

What about the thousands(millions?) who have been playing by the rules? If we let everyone stay and gain status, legal or not, then the game is up, our borders will vanish. Everyone south of the border looks and sees the cornucopia of goods and opportunities we Americans enjoy. Our legal ancestors worked their butts off to make this all possible. And these illegals want to walk in on THEIR terms, the hell with our terms? No, i don't think so, that ain't gonna play. My ancestors came here legally, under hardship, but legally. They had to abide the laws of the land, and so do I. Mexicans, legal or not, have to do likewise. If you're not here legally, you not only cannot demand we accomodate you, you have to leave.

[BMoney 0]

did the yankees, mets and dodgers have to forfeit their games today?....

[squidfinger 0]

I've been in London a lot recently, and the topic is hot in Europe too, who knew them Danes were such xenophobes? But, I digress. I'm not fully up-to-speed on the purpose or all the issues, but there seems to be a fundamental logic flaw with illegal immigrants complaining about their rights in Amercia. I mean, shouldn't we have INS buses stacked up at the end of these parade routes gathering these people up and sending them home?

 

Another logic problem. I saw a guy interviewed who said the purpose was to show the economic impact. So the not working was just one day, but if things don't change (I guess that means if we don't stop trying to stop foreigners from taking advantage of the country), he threatened there will be more work stopages. Let me get this straight, the illegal immigrants will stop going to work, of which the outcome would seem to be eventually losing their job and forcing business to have to hire actual citizens...they may want to rethink this strategy.

 

I also wonder about the motivation of some of the participants. Kids, you don't have to go school today if you march with us...ummm....OK. Then while this would seem primarily an issue for Hispanic communities, I see other immigrant populations (which is pretty much all of us, except the American Indians) joining in. Right, the Irish. Like they need a reason to go to a parade.

 

Whatever. Live and let live. To me, there is no difference between an illegal immigrant sucking my tax dollars or the ridiculously abused welfare system doing it. Since only one of those groups is more likely at least contributing something to society, I'd rather see the gov't do something about the welfare state they've created. But then they'd (1) be upsetting people with the right to vote and (2) dealing with an issue involving a lot of blacks, and no pol wants to hear their name mentioned by Jesse Jackson. I mostly care about controlling immigration to the extent it keeps some Islamic nut from walking into a Starbucks with a trenchcoat stuffed with C4 to get his 77 virgins from Allah. The easy answer to that is profiling, but common sense died a while ago in this country.

 

You make some decent points. Certainly immigrants striking is rather silly, and certainly we need to control immigration and screen for terrorists.

 

However, screening is next to impossible, and with cells recruiting their people inside the country now anyway, it's value is uncertain. Doesn't mean we shouldn't do it, just that resources are probably best put in other areas (anyone can sneak in from Mexico if they want, and there's no way to stop that...).

 

As for the economic stuff, what boggles me is how little the anti-immigrant lobby understands what jobs the immigrants are taking: jobs that nobody wants, jobs that pay so little we can't get US citizens to take them. The real problem is that the old blue-collar union job days are over. Those cushy production line jobs aren't coming back. Time to get over it. The auto industry is the only place you can find them now, and our auto industry is doomed unless we start making cars in Mexico or making them here with immigrant labor.

 

As for the tax dollars, most estimates show immigrants putting in about twice as much as they take out. They aren't eligible for most social security benefits, but they put in ~10 Billion a year. Sure, their kids take some money in schools, but the schools would have to be operating anyway, so the cost is relatively low. On the whole, the US gets a great deal. I don't support extending them full benefits, and certainly the flow has to be controlled to keep the labor supply somewhat limited (otherwise immigrants would start taking LOTS of jobs that are now filled by US workers, just because they are cheap...). But the main point is that immigrant labor subsidizes our economy to an incredible extent. Construction, service industry, janitorial, agriculture and related jobs are all filled cheaply. If we start kicking illegals out, prices will shoot up. And I don't think the people who start these damnfool idealistic crusades want that. But that's what will happen if they get their way.