The Dirty Little Immigration Secret Kept by Both Parties
Next month, Congress is likely to reboot the immigration debate. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has said that he plans to introduce an immigration reform bill by Labor Day.
In a speech in June at a conference sponsored by the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute, Schumer laid out seven principles that would form the basis for the legislation. They include: curtailing illegal immigration, achieving control of our borders, creating a biometric employee verification system to diminish the job magnet, forcing illegal immigrants to register and undergo a rigorous legalization process or face deportation, preserving family reunification as a cornerstone value, creating a system that makes it easier for immigrants to come legally, and encouraging the best and brightest to immigrate to the United States while also discouraging businesses from using temporary guest workers.
It’s that last item that Americans should be focused on. Everyone gets distracted by talk of legalization or — as the nativists and restrictionists on the far right like to call it — “amnesty.” Maybe Congress likes it that way. If we focused instead on the politics surrounding guest workers, it could prove embarrassing to both parties.
Democrats don’t want you to know that they’re in the hip pocket of organized labor to the point where they were willing, in both 2006 and 2007, to smother immigration reform legislation because it had language calling for the importing of hundreds of thousands of guest workers. Republicans don’t want to broadcast the fact that they’re pushing for guest workers when so many Americans are unemployed.
Meanwhile, organized labor is pushing the fairy tale that foreign workers — and in this case legal foreign workers — are taking jobs from Americans.
Nonsense. Many of these foreign workers would wind up in agriculture, and we don’t see union workers lining up to pick peaches or strawberries. Some insist that we might see that if the wages were higher. More nonsense. Just because Americans think they’re entitled to earn $50 per hour picking lettuce doesn’t mean the industry can accommodate such demands. And why do U.S. workers think they deserve those wages? It’s because they were lucky enough to be born in the United States. Big deal. What role did they play in that?
It is interesting. I personally know someone who is extremley educated, three college degrees, who emigrated from the United States because of this issue. He was from San Diego, California and he felt the education quality of the public school system had been destroyed because so many of the students could not speak English, and he felt the area was becoming unsafe for kids. After visiting relatives in another country, he decided to stay because he felt it was a better place to raise kids. I doubt he would have done it if so much of his family was not located there even with the economic and security situation, but it is interesting. That was the first case of external emigration I had heard of sparked by legal immigration, but I know MANY people who have relocated because the areas they have lived in developed educational and social service problems. I think both political parties are missing the damage they are doing to the United States because they live in the elite enclaves.
The power of the United States comes from the most educated and productive 1%, they pay 45% of the taxes and probably even more of the salaries. Not only are we taxing these people more, we are destroying the social values they care about most: education and security. I had heard that emigration to Canada was up, and I have heart the same about Australia, but I wonder if a significant amount of this is because of the damage caused by illegal immigration?
The guest worker program caused severe damage to rural workforces back in the late 70s and early 80s, when I was a kid, damage that changed the tone of the countryside in a deep and essential manner.
I grew up on a farm in the middle of tobacco country — and I will tell you, working in tobacco is hard a$$, gross, hot, sticky work, not for the faint of heart. Still, somehow, even without a cheap foreign workforce, the farmers still got all their crops in, and in a timely fashion. Why? Because the work ethic was alive and healthy. Kids at school got their extra spending money working harvest jobs. Poorer laborers (that would be about half my family) saw tobacco work as a bonanza, flexible work that could bring a decent income or second income into the family. Then local farmers discovered the foreign workforce. Suddenly, they had drawn trailers onto their property (illegally — the trailers had no running water or electric access and were basically chocked into place with cement blocks) and were housing dozens of Mexican laborers in each during heavy farm labor seasons such as harvest or setting times. Because providing labor in this manner is much cheaper than paying local people – on or off the books – this has become the status quo.
Not enough for you? My father’s a building contractor, and while I was a kid (again) kept a fairly stable crew of between two and eight workers. Many were unskilled, and he taught them the trade, paying them gradually more as they became worth more to him on the job. Today, he can’t keep a crew at all — not because Americans won’t do the work, but because other small-team contractors hire illegal immigrants — many of them the same ones who come for harvest and planting, and want to stick around in-between times — and pay them low wages under the table. The men he would have hired and trained in a lucrative profession — I guess they work at Wal-Mart or something. Again, while this trend started with the guest worker program, the ultimate result was to open the doors wide for illegal immigrants who would work even cheaper and without benefits to come in and, yes, take jobs away from American citizens.
No one can tell me that this is a fallacy. I have seen it happen with my own eyes, seen the accounting, know the people who lost jobs and opportunities. It has damaged rural communities more than most people realize, robbing them of taxable wages to replace them with a flexible workforce that pays no taxes because they’re off the books, causing the younger people to leave town, putting small farmers out of business because they can’t compete with medium-size farms using a foreign workforce. This is not a victimless scenario, but rather one which has destroyed what many people call the heart and soul of America.
I don’t have a problem at all with immigration kept to a sensible level. But instead of talking to the big farmers and contractors and others who benefit from a cheap labor force, politicians and wonks need to talk to the people at the other end of the labor spectrum, the young people and poor laborers, those I grew up with and around, whose jobs are genuinely at risk or already gone. Out in the job-poor countryside, there is no such thing as a job Americans won’t do, and at a sensible wage.
YAWN.
PJM, please get better writers.
(rhetorical) Why am I not surprised this writer is once again confusing/combining legal immigration issues and illegal immigration, along with the complications which each bring to our society?
Shame on you, PJM, for allowing this strawman argumentation to continue.
Can’t both parties just agree on the first three points: (1) Curtailing illegal immigration, (2) Achieving control of our borders, and (3) Creating a biometric employee verification system to diminish the job magnet? Legal immigrants who want to become citizens can do so without being forced, we don’t need to loosen immigration restrictions and we don’t need to encourage or discourage use of guest workers or family unification.
And don’t forget Obamacare. We can’t have 40 or 50 million sickly illegal guest workers in our country.
They will need affordable housing too. There’s no way to keep people from passing their colds, flu and other diseases on to others when they’re forced to jam 20 or 30 people inside of one small house. Every illegal guest worker here in our country needs to have his or her own house too.
It would be inhumane for our illegal guest workers to have to drive old, gas guzzling, unsafe clunkers, so we need to make sure that they’re provided plenty of opportunity to choose from the finest, most fuel efficient cars, trucks and SUVS money can buy; or the government can give to them – whichever.
Better representation. There must be more than one, lonely female judge sitting on the Supreme Court to make sure they get whatever it is that whoever it will be decides.
Finally, to do it right; we must agree to assimilate our country the best fair way possible. We need to paint the US Capitol Building bright orange and lavender, light it up at night with purple LED lights and make sure that the new Martin Luther King memorial statue has him wearing a sombrero; if and when it ever gets built.
>>> creating a biometric employee verification system
Ahh, there’s what he’s after. Hey Chuck, why not just tatoo numbers on our forearms?
There you go again attacking those who were born here. “What role did they play in that”?
What is the significance of such a statement other than to imply that these “born here” American citizens demand $50.00 an hour for picking lettuce, while “Hispanics” would do it for less. “Lucky enough to be born in America”, “big deal” !. Obviously it is a big deal for the random figure of 12 million illegals,who are squeezing out babies so they can be “born here” thus guaranteeing their parents ability to remain. Once again your racial prejudice begins to burn through your argument.
You also say “many” of those workers will wind up in agriculture, and this is correct. But guest workers will also be in slaughter houses, casino’s, hamburger stands,labor, and many other, other than $50.00 an hour jobs. And it is these jobs that the citizens of this country will be looking to take because they need work. After all when a person is unemployed as many here have been for so long, whether they are more qualified than not they will take what they can get.
Additionally as I have mentioned in your comment section before, many guest worker jobs are robbing our youth of entry level work, where they would be learning the responsibilities of what it means to be self sufficient. Guest worker jobs rob youth of summer jobs, and holiday jobs and physical labor work, which every youth should try while young.
The SEIU, and other labor unions UFW are pushing for the guest worker program and they have paid into the Obama administration and are looking for a pay back now. These unions want the dues to support their ability to hold labor and service jobs down in costs.These are huge unions and predominantly supporters of Democratic representatives like Harry Reid, for one and Barbara Boxer, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, from the failed state of California. The American Chamber of commerce uses the excuse that there are just not enough bodies to fill the void of the post baby boomer epoch to sustain the jobs that are projected for future development, and they are not necessarily Republican either.
Tyson chicken an enormous processing corporation is supporting the Democratic president.
Yes there are some Republicans who do support the guest worker idea, but you have failed to significantly define just how they support it, and under what circumstances they would vote for it. Also they did support it when times were better and in reality do they support it now? Do they support it in conjunction with E-Verify?, that would make a difference. Do they support guest workers coming in after a certain percentage of born Americans are back to work? You imply Republicans support guest worker but you don’t get specific.
Just how they support it may be appropriate to define before you lump “some” Republican in with the majority of Democrats who currently support “guest workers”. And again you avoid discussing illegal immigration which is what is stuck in the craw of Americans. It is the illegals that are mostly stealing the jobs of or lessor fortunate “born here,big deal” American’s. Your should be writing for Politico, or the Daily Ko’s., or maybe you do.
Leave it to Navarrette to take a good point and write a bad column about it. The criticisms of the major parties are valid, but notice how he tiptoes around the other major donkey constituent group who despise immigrants, both legal and illegal (hint: the POTUS is half a member of this group, and I’m not talking about whites). He also tiptoes around elites of all political stripes who want their nannies and maids and gardeners without paying market wages. Also, nice red herring about $50/hr lettuce picking.
Having said that, this is, to the best of my knowledge, the first time that he’s acknowledged the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants. I guess I have to count this as progress.
Not this crap again. Really? Good grief.
2. Jamie W. I have seen this happen as well. I grew up in a small California agricultural based coastal community. When I was in high school (and post HS) word would get around the peas, strawflowers, sprouts were being brought in, and for those hardy souls, a few bucks would be put in your pocket. Same for construction. Most sites were one off houses, being built by the smaller contractors. You could walk up and offer to clean up, do the dirty work etc, and come away with Friday night money. If you were reliable, you could be hired on with a crew and learn something useful as well as make a living. It sure supported my musician habit. Today I do nearly all my own remodeling/landscaping with confidence because of that experience. The impact of government policy on rural America sometimes does not get much attention.
“Everyone gets distracted by talk of legalization or — as the nativists and restrictionists on the far right like to call it — “amnesty.””
YAWN also. Another BORING article from Navarrette where he calls people who disagree with him names. My five-year old is better than this.
How about this, Mr. Navarrette you are far-left, La Raza loving, open borders FANATIC. And a poopyhead.
Now, we have both called each other names, is it possible for you to write a column that doesn’t use insults?
“Real immigration reform must be comprehensive…”
It’s the word “comprehensive” that really bothers me when it is used in any connection with any big government program. Stimulus, healthcare reform, Cap and trade, Energy policy and the former, failed initiative for immigration reform — all are comprehensive. And bloody-well scary.
Government regularly shows itself to be inept and incompetent even when writing simple, targeted law (such as the “wildly successful” Cash for Clunkers), how much worse will be legislation that addresses an issue as complicated as immigration reform?
Any comprehensive law will typically be embodied in hundreds or thousands of pages that are virtually incomprehensible — sections filled with arcane legalisms and referencing equally incomprehensible prior legislation. Perfect vehicles for the deliberate obfuscation of all manner of pernicious agendas. Perfect vehicles for engendering unintended consequences that will themselves eventually require more comprehensive laws.
Rather than comprehensive, reform (any) law ought to be incremental, carefully prioritized, narrow in scope and clearly written. That would permit quicker implementation and allow for empirical evaluation and adjustment, as needed. The sum of incremental legislation would, over time, become comprehensive.
“Over time”? one might object. But we haven’t got time; this is urgent (another scary word in government)! I would reply by noting that healthcare reform under the Clintons was the most urgent problem facing that administration; what might have we accomplished by now if we had approached that issue incrementally?
If, in the case instant, the elements of reform (many complex, but not complicated) were properly prioritized, many parts of “big bang” style reform might become moot. For example, if we began with aggressive law enforcement (requiring a robust form of ID) — employer sanctions, penalizing “sanctuary” violations etc., it is likely (in fact, already proven) that illegal immigrants would return to their native homes of their own volition. In itself, serious enforcement would eliminate the need for a complicated and almost-impossible-to-administer legalization program — the major and most controversial element of reform. Likewise, if would simplify and reduce to cost of healthcare burdens (simplifying reform in that area), presumably reduce the cost of policing in major metropolitan areas (addressing crime associated with illegals), and soften the pressures on the prison system. The list goes on.
Aside from ad hoc efficacy, there are other benefits to the incremental approach. They are best illustrated by looking at the destructive effects of comprehensive bills. They cause confusion, social and political tensions, frustration and resignation among American voters. Worse, the public’s sense of confidence in their representatives and government itself is eroded, inviting a pervasive cynicism that effectively discourages citizen participation at all levels of government. High prices to pay.
I conclude by saying that comprehensive legislation (read sweeping changes) in any form is a bad idea. One would hope for a time when legislation was written a way that voters — let alone congressmen — could not only understand, but explain to others. On that point I entertain some hope but no optimism.
I guess we need folks to pick the strawberries on our new road building sites in Texas, perhaps that will explain why the only people seen on construction crews in Texas are mexicans. Jobs Americans can do, and as jobs are getting harder to find, they might even do them for the same wages mexicans are getting.
“It’s because they were lucky enough to be born in the United States. Big deal. What role did they play in that?”
The vast majority of illegal immigrants to the U.S. were born in Mexico where they can easily cross the border to here. Why should they benefit because they were born in a country next door to America? Why should lucky Mexicans benefit from where they were born and not impoverished Chinese or Africans?
The answer: because they are the same race as Ruben Navarrette Jr.
If America needs vast quantities of immigrant workers, let them come from all over the world, not just Mexico.
Why do liberals talk diversity and never practice it?
You speak of workers, Ruben. I wonder what percentage of illegal aliens actually come to the U.S. to find work and what percentage come here to steal, murder, deal drugs, join gangs, vote in our elections and/or live off government handouts? Possibly more than come to work. Send them all home.
The only guest worker I don’t want to see anymore is Ruben Navarrette.
America should be a nation of high walls and wide gates. If your coming do make trouble or do us harm, we will prevent your entry by any means necessary, but if you want a better life for yourself and your kids, welcome.
Has anyone considered our congress and president are paralyzed because the contribution of Mexicans to social security, under fake SS#’s, which will never be claimed and might be a temptation too great to kill off?
I for one am glad we are dealing with our neighbors to the south instead of muslims from the Middle East. The pay here in the SE for labor is $11 an hour and they do twice the work of a local hourly worker. They are Christians and hard workers. The problem is their children, who get ruined by our own culture.
‘It’s because they were lucky enough to be born in the United States. Big deal. What role did they play in that’?
Ruben, it IS A BIG DEAL! My family immigrated here LEGALLY. There’s no such thing as ‘luck.’ There’s a person who abides by the law and there’s those who don’t. Awarding AMNESTY to these folks (whereas you know the 2nd time these folks are caught crossing the border it’s a felony.. and there are plenty of those amongst us) for breaking the law both here and God knows what crimes they mave committed in their REAL HOME is truly sickening.
Also, my grandparents didn’t have an ESL teacher, after school programs geared for kids from Italy, no taxpayer funded recognized Italian holidays, affirmative action for college, Italian History courses (unless you count Shakespeare et al.) available, in school tuition if you weren’t legal, banks, where the teller spoke Italian to assist them. No signs in Italian, no ‘Press 2 for Italian’ options on the telephone, no ACLU or EEO garbage to support their cause. No lawyer cards available at rest stops advertising legal services if you are here ILLEGALLY and arrested. Yet, they succeeded.
YOUR ancestors have ALL OF THE ABOVE for Hispanics and Hispanics are still the lowest % group to graduate H.S. and a 4 year college. Skyrocketing teen pregnancy, multi-generations of Hispanics living off the Government dole (March of this year alone, children of illegals in Los Angeles County alone received $45 million in welfare payments – that’s ~$900 million annually support their ‘assimilating’ butts! for L.A. alone – I wonder if illegals had a hand in the demise that was once CA?), Hispanic gangs rampant and no end in sight.
The tens of billions lost annually in timely customer service time lost: retail, DMV, banks, court system, police dispatchers taking a Spanish speaking only caller, et al.
See, that’s the difference. That’s the BIG DEAL. You don’t get it..
As for your ridiculous comments of ‘lettuce picking.’ I lived in Santa Barbara County. Many of my friends are legal immigrants, natives who’d picked everything under the sun for Santa Barbara, Ventura County, respectively in the 80′s, 90′s.
Many were making great money, benefits, comp time, et al. It’s when the greedy, un-American business owners went with the illegals, under the table pay and the legal folks were given the pink slip. Thus, being paid under the table allowed these wastes of American space to file for welfare, WiC, Section 8 Housing, their kids in Head Start, et al – whereas ~2/3 of this money skirts its way to a Western Union ino MEH HEE KOH.
BTW, the TAXPAYERS in SB County are stuck with the bill for a carpool program. Whereas a fleet of shuttle vans pick up the illegals from their doorstep to/ from work. The illegal pays $2 bucks round trip for gas. What a joke.
You’re an oxymoron, Ruben. The sad thing is you know it and try to placate blame to anyone and everyone. You call yourself a journalist.. journalism is dead, pal. Your writing says it all..
totally agree with Ed Wallis #3. this article is another attempt to paint the lines gray as Navarette’s previous articles on “immigration reform.”
there can never be “immigration reform” if the country doesn’t implement the rules and laws currently in place.
I’ve commented on Navarette’s previous article that Immigration rules are already as tough as it needs to be, they just simply need to get enforced.
LEGAL IMMIGRANTS are, by rule, supported financially by the relatives/employers who petition for their entry in the United States. LEGAL Immigrants undergo thorough background, medical, security, and financial checks to ensure that undesirables are weeded out.
ILLEGAL ALIENS simply cross the border and start participating in the black labor market and avoid payroll taxes. ILLEGAL ALIENS do not undergo the thorough checks performed during immigration application process and therefore many undesirables get in (MS13 anyone?). many of these ILLEGAL ALIENS also participate in welfare/WIC programs funded by taxpayers (some of whom are LEGAL IMMIGRANTS) and places a burden on the national and states budget. LEGAL IMMIGRANTS DO NOT PAY INCOME TAXES or PAYROLL TAXES yet they draw from the budget that is supported by CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
when ILLEGAL ALIENS get into the country, LEGAL IMMIGRANTS, who are, in most cases, highly skilled, supported by their employers or relatives, or have the economic means to invest in the economy are placed on processing delays since ICE resources are squandered by the ongoing effort of tracking, arresting, deporting ILLEGAL ALIENS.
you can not start a life in a new country by BREAKING ITS LAW to begin with. the argument should stop at that point. if you broke the law to get into this country, then you have no right to have a life in this country. there’s no gray lines in the argument, it is black and white letter of the law.
AND I AM A LEGAL IMMIGRANT, who followed the rules, pay taxes, served this country through the military, raising a family of law abiding citizens with children with English as their first language, and living the American Dream! no amnesty for illegals. when LEGAL IMMIGRANTS are allowed to enter the USA, we are proud of becoming part of American Society, proud to follow its rules and laws, and are ready and willing to defend this country and its constitution or die for it if need be!
You’d be hard pressed to find any LEGAL IMMIGRANTS that would condone amnesty, nor preach for opening the country’s borders to “guest workers.” furthermore, the argument for “guest workers” is a socially engineered need and is synonymous to the “chicken and the egg” argument since if the borders were well protected, you wouldn’t have ILLEGAL ALIENS that would take those “low paying” agricultural jobs in the first place (and they are low paying since ILLEGAL ALIENS were available for hire cheap).
close the border and get rid of the supply of cheap labor (ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS) and watch the free market forces start stabilizing agricultural jobs to where it ought to be, in line with other blue collar jobs. free market forces are dependent on supply and demand, if there’s a glut supply of cheap labor like ILLEGAL ALIENS, then salary for jobs being taken by ILLEGAL ALIENS will most certainly tank. since Navarette has never shown a knack for economics, I seriously doubt that he’ll include that in any of his talking points.
“LEGAL IMMIGRANTS DO NOT PAY INCOME TAXES or PAYROLL TAXES yet they draw from the budget that is supported by CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.”
that should say ILLEGAL IMMIGRANST DO NOT PAY INCOME TAXES or PAYROLL TAXES yet they draw from the budget that is supported by CITIZENS AND LEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
18. DrBukk:
Has anyone considered our congress and president are paralyzed because the contribution of Mexicans to social security, under fake SS#’s, which will never be claimed and might be a temptation too great to kill off?
I for one am glad we are dealing with our neighbors to the south instead of muslims from the Middle East. The pay here in the SE for labor is $11 an hour and they do twice the work of a local hourly worker. They are Christians and hard workers. The problem is their children, who get ruined by our own culture.
Aug 8, 2009 – 8:01 pm
don’t speak too soon.
Obama’s administration had just opened immigration proceedings for “Palestinian Refugees.” while issuance of visas for Nurses (which we have a shortage of) has been closed. which of the two groups would be able to contribute more to society?
PJM need to concentrate more on reporting about the shifts in immigration policy instead of garbage articles that Navarette writes. not many American Citizens know about the newly minted immigration policy about “Palestinian Refugees” since all you see being written about the immigration debate are articles like Navarette’s.
2. Jamie W.:
Excellent comments, especially those about the destruction of rural communities and the loss of their young people. All over the southern High Plains rural areas and small towns are losing 80 to 90% of their high school graduates and they never return resulting in an increasingly aging population which finds it difficult, if not impossible, to maintain decent healthcare facilities.
Chicago @ 22: Some of us have heard of the intent to import up to 100,000 Palistinian “refugees”. Attorney General Eric Holder, in a recent speech to trial lawyers, stated a desire to release a massive number of state and federal prisoners onto our streets. Couple these to ACORN and the thousands of black and Mexican criminal gang members presently terrorizing our streets and you have the makings of the civilian security force Zerobama spoke of during his campaign.
So if being a citizen of the United States is simply an accident of geography, why couldn’t the same be said of Mexican and Central Americans? I’m sure there are millions of solid agricultural people from around the world who would like to work in the United States, why should Mexicans receive special status because they live nearby? They didn’t do anything to attain such a stroke of good fortune. My biggest issue with Mexican immigration, legal and illegal, is the sheer tribal and ethnic arrogance that they have some kind of special right to go to the front of the line, or worse, to drive right over the fence, while the rest of the people of the world who are not from their tribe can wait behind them. And if you listen to the arguments from Mexcians when the argument above is mentioned, they immediately and reflexively claim that whole parts of the US really belongs to them. Beneath the rhetoric, the Mexicans are ethnic chauvinists who use their accident of geography to forward arguments of special pleading. When it comes down to it, the Mexican illegals and their US political handlers use the idea of a tolerant and open society, along with a sentimental pursuit of a diverse workforce, to achieve tribal and ethnocentric ends; they are not really giving the finger to native born Americans so much as they are telling the rest of the world’s poor workers that they control the US political landscape, and those not connected can stay out.
Ruben has no clue about the farm market. It’s shameful to pontificate from such a position of ignorance.
Can you expand on why this is “luck”? Is it a freak accident of nature that the US has had better paying jobs, and a better functioning economy than in the Latin-speaking Americas? Why do the roads suddenly get better when you cross the Rio Grande? Why is the health care better, and available to all? Does speaking English somehow make things work better? Are there natural resources that suddenly vanish at the border?
Tell me why you suppose that there’s such a difference. Did the Anglos steal it all? If Santa Ana had kept Texas would everything be different? If Mexico extended to include California, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado, would Latin America somehow be affluent and the US be a third-world shithole? Is that the difference?
Yes, it’s unfortunate when you’re born into a dysfunctional society and economy. I wouldn’t want that. That’s obvious. But let’s turn that around. Let’s suppose that an American wants to go to work in Mexico or Peru or El Salvidor. Is that just totally cool with them? I don’t think so. Last time I checked it wasn’t. Why are you arguing for such asymmetry? Why should the US have to play by a different set of rules?
Let’s talk about open borders when the dysfunctional shithole governments down south finally get their shit together, and join the first world. Nobody’s standing in the way, but your own leaders. I think I speak for the vast majority of Americans when I say that I would be delighted if Mexico and other Latin countries were like Canada. We don’t have problems with the Canadian border. We don’t have a Canadian illegal immigration problem.
Why?
Perhaps the author should read the Preamble to the US Constitution that includes this purpose:
“secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
Did the authors and supporters of the Constitution mean the posterity of the Spanish colonies? I don’t think so.
If someone in a foreign country want to secure the blessings of liberty that Americans enjoy, let them fight for it in their own country, or else apply for permission to join us here in our country. We will decide who gets to come here based on certain criteria like – no criminal record and the intent to learn the common language and become a fully integrated citizen, sharing our values.
Viva LA RACIST Ruben
As a Hispanic living in the southwest I can say, forget the antiquated notion that the latin immigrants of today are only interested in living the American dream. Which is not even close.
They demand to keep their language, traditions, and culture and demand that the US government support these conditions. They will be the first to scream ‘racist’ if you suggest that they learn English, they will scream, ‘it’s our culture’ when you ask that they curb their obscene teen pregnancy rate.
These immigrants wish to be a distinct community — until it’s time to pay the bills, at which time they will demand every possible government assistance.
Those of us in the middle class will be the ones responsible for paying the costs of our open southern border. Which we are already doing as these immigrants use social services at the highest level of any previous immigration.
24. Saltherring:
Chicago @ 22: Some of us have heard of the intent to import up to 100,000 Palistinian “refugees”. Attorney General Eric Holder, in a recent speech to trial lawyers, stated a desire to release a massive number of state and federal prisoners onto our streets. Couple these to ACORN and the thousands of black and Mexican criminal gang members presently terrorizing our streets and you have the makings of the civilian security force Zerobama spoke of during his campaign.
that’s the start of a “civilization’s destruction from within.”
#30 James Martinez
Thanks for being honest James. Immigration, especially the illegal variety, for many now days is not about living the American Dream. I include legal immigration because we’ve let hundreds of thousands of immigrants from places like Somalia and the Middle East as refugees who also don’t care to “melt” into the Great Melting Pot. They transform decent neighborhoods into miniature versions of the homeland they fled, refuse to learn English, demand special treatment or concessions, and often cause a huge burden on the local social programs while not contributing back to the system.
I don’t care if people come here legally through the proper legal channels. The refugee issue however bypasses the normal channels a legal immigrant must go through. A good example:
http://pajamasmedia.com/phyllischesler/2009/07/30/child-barbarians-in-phoenix-obama-extends-their-stay/
As usual, Navarette lies through his teeth. Guest workers are not just going to get jobs picking lettuce. If that were true, why is the Chamber involved at all. The are few farmers in the Chamber. But it is hoteliers like Marriott, manufacturers, and other service industries that want legalization and guest workers. And these are the jobs that Americans will take, especially black Americans. We should also remember just as the Demoncrats and Republicans are over a barrel on such an issue, that Navarette serves a foreign master and his race, rather than America.
Chuck Schumer has zero intentions to push any such reported legislation beyond committee. Immigration as a national issue is dead. The Blue Dog Dems are just now getting their feet wet challenging Pelosi’s leadership over health care.
This is the faustian bargin Democrats brought on themsleves. They only could manage the House majority won in ’06 by recruiting conservative candidates to capture districts once comfortably held by Republicans.
Not only has this tiny minority – most of whom are congressional rookies – overtaken the Health Care debate – they have thwarted the radical energy/Cap & Trade initiative.
It is FAR MORE POLITICALLY POSSIBLE that they bring down Pelosi than Pelosi quenching the coup; she had her oppertunity to buy them off with the Porkulous – and rather than throw the dogs some bones – she miscalculated.
The best news for all of us who have been angrily demanding deportation by attrition and some legislative sanity to ‘fix’ immigration is this; Mexico’s own struggles & the economy here there and throughout the world.
Obama’s honeymoon ended when he foolishly claimed the Porkulous would keep unemployment under 8.5% – stupidly boxing himself in. He then blundered off into the Skippy Gates affair and now is chimming in that the protests over his health care represents political goon squads.
The ‘ONE’ was talked into using the economic crises to push for everything under the sun all at once and it’s already blowing up in his face.
Chuck Schumers ‘job’ is to play footsie with immigration – his efforts represent the political polar opposite of what the late Wyoming senator Alan Simpson TRIED to do in ’84-’86 -which was actually impliment immigration reform – with a national ID card and employer sanctions as the foundation.
It was supply-side conservatives that destroyed what he tried to impliment with the late Barbara Jordan – granting amnesty and a virtual open boarders invitation throughout the americas from Argentina to Nogales.
Today it is vitual political suicide for either party to try and sell Americans that immigration represents a ‘vital’ necessity for promoting a stronger more economically inventive country. Americans have been having a vibrant debate for the past decade. Before that debate a guest worker program was not only possible but highly likely.
I don’t buy that it ever has a chance in the next 100 years.
We are all living with the nightmares hatched from this lie since Simpson Mazzoli in ’86. California is exhibit A – with the rest of the country suffering from the explosion of interior migration in the boom years – 1996-2004.
There is zero poltical capital to spend on immigration, not just from the jist of what this post implies, but from the latest evaporation of wealth among ALL AMERICANS in the past few years.
When the average american who HAD SAVINGS, be it in the form of housing value or a 401K, has seen 30 to 40% declines in that wealth, only a race hustler like Ruben could even pander such drivil for a dollar or a dime and call it ‘news.’ Add to this dismal record the fact that the MAJORITY OF AMERICANS had little or no such savings – and are in debt up to their eye balls.
While all the folks who love to hear from Ruben were off calling advisaries like myself lots of ugly names – we were waking up Americans to this dilution of our freedoms and livlihoods. We have made a difference. Cheap labor isn’t so cheap anymore. Illegals have repratriated. Many less are coming.
There isn’t much of a debate anymore. The Chamber Of Commerce folks are still trying to sell ‘comprehensive’ reform – it just happens to represent a political death sentence.
Which is why Chuckie Schumar of NY will dutifully put lip stick on a pig and hit all the talking head familiar venues – and then sigh – ‘if only…..’
Sometimes the best legislation is no legislation at all – a concept not entirely lost on some conservatives.
Here are the truly filthy secrets behind the invasion of The US: 1.The bipartisan plutocracy is behind it;the dems want ignorant,desperately poor immigrants,to degrade, debase,and addict to welfare, to gain their votes;the republicans(and many democrat plutocrats) want cheap labor to exploit,and to reduce wages of native Americans.2.The elites use affirmative action to hire intellectual lightweights of appropriate ethnic background to act as their spokesmen and support this racket.How does it feel to be a plutocrat’s stooge Navarette?