>That seems like a change in your position from a year or two ago ...
My position a year ago was that we should let people in but would have to have a way to account for them (putting up border checkpoints, but letting people in after we've found out who they are). Now, I just say that we should concentrate on making sure employers pay taxes on them and that they're not depressing wages too much.
Why?
1. Sealing the border isn't realistic. Would cost billions.
2. Same with deporting illegals. It'd also tear apart families.
3. We're all descendants of immigrants, and aside from those of us who had ancestors among the original colonists or slaves, there were always people who wanted to keep our ancestors out.
4. We're racists. I'm not saying that everyone who thinks that illegal immigration takes American jobs is a racist, but frankly, "wetbacks" are just the new "niggers," "dagos," "japs," chinks," "kikes," "red men," et al. There's a significant portion of our population that's easily riled up against the "other." I'm done with that.
This is really similar to the late 1800s, when mining and manufacturing companies would bring in immigrant groups or freed slaves who would take lower wages than "white" Americans and then play the whites and the immigrants off of each other to pay the lowest wages possible. The whites would end up taking their anger out on the "others" rather than the companies who were abusing them both.
The problem here is that companies and wealthy individuals are paying really low wages to immigrants because the immigrants have no recourse. If they complain or join a union, the company can report them to the immigration authorities.
Let the immigrants join unions, institute a solid minimum wage, and take away the fear of deportation, and all of the problems are lessensed.
-Z |
