The more chatter I hear about the immigration bill in the blogosphere, the more I come to the realization that most folks (mostly liberals) just don't get it.
I'm as progressive as they come. I'm pro choice, pro gay marriage, pro universal health care.... etc etc. I'm also a black man in my 20s, a full time college student, and I work a full time job making $7/hr. I'm fortunate, I come from a family that advanced into the middle class. My mother graduated college as a single woman with 3 kids while on welfare at the age of 30 (I was 6 at the time). My mom has worked hard all of her life, she sacraficed so much to provide a decent standard of living for her family, she worked long hours to pay the rent because she never wanted us to be subjected to living in housing projects.
My coworkers were not so fortunate. They live paycheck to paycheck, they work hard for low pay, they have no health insurance, and they are doomed to a life of poverty. These people are standing on the front lines of that "Quiet Riot" that Obama spoke about.
The debate I hear on this immigration bill seems to be completely disconnected from, (and oblivous to) the Americans it will effect the most. Its like that great Ice Cube quote from 'Boyz In The Hood'
Either they don't know, don't show, or just don't care about what's going on in the hood."
here are some stats from a great NY Times article last year on the plight of black men
The share of young black men without jobs has climbed relentlessly, with only a slight pause during the economic peak of the late 1990's. In 2000, 65 percent of black male high school dropouts in their 20's were jobless — that is, unable to find work, not seeking it or incarcerated. By 2004, the share had grown to 72 percent, compared with 34 percent of white and 19 percent of Hispanic dropouts. Even when high school graduates were included, half of black men in their 20's were jobless in 2004, up from 46 percent in 2000.
Incarceration rates climbed in the 1990's and reached historic highs in the past few years. In 1995, 16 percent of black men in their 20's who did not attend college were in jail or prison; by 2004, 21 percent were incarcerated. By their mid-30's, 6 in 10 black men who had dropped out of school had spent time in prison.
In the inner cities, more than half of all black men do not finish high school.
The jobless rate for black male high school dropouts age 22-30 is 72%... compared with 34% for white male dropouts and 19% for hispanic male dropouts.
The jobless rate for black males overall age 22-30 (who do not attend college) is 50%. that compares with 21% for white males and 19% for hispanic males.
This is an absolute crisis that is just being ignored. There is nothing "quiet" about this. Just because the mainstream media doesn't want to acknowledge it doesnt mean that it doesn't exist. Times are tough for us working class black folks.
So Why should black folks be for an immigration bill that will create a permanant underclass of people that will drive down (already low) wages? Why should black folks be for corperate indentured servitude? Why should black folks be for exploitation? Why should black folks be for the almost nonexistant and completely unenforcable "workers protection" that this bill offers? How does this bill strengthen labor?
The problem isn't Amnesty, I'm actually FOR Amnesty! Amnesty would be a good thing. For better or for worse these people are already here, they already have jobs, and already have established families. FINE, give them amnesty, put them on the same footing as everybody else, give them the same workers protections and workers rights as everybody else, give them the incentive to unionize, end the exploitation! Then, SECURE THE BORDER!
But that is not what congress or the corporations want. This isn't about the people who are already here. They want a permanent group of indentured servants whom they can exploit FOREVER! 200,000 to 600,000 "indentured servants" a year, all with no hope of ever getting out of poverty. Bernie Sanders (a freakin socialist!) and Byron Dorgon seem to be the only vocal democrats who get it.
"All of these jobs which temporary workers will assume are going to compete with workers at the bottom of the economic ladder of this country," - Byron Dorgon
I'm not a crazy wingnut, racist, who thinks all illegals have leporsy and drive drunk. I support amnesty for god sake!
I just know that if this immigration bill passes, as is, guest worker program and all, that "Quiet Riot" that Obama talked about won't be so quiet anymore. And when it hits the fan Democrats won't be able to portray Bush as a scapegoat.
A vote for this bill is a vote for more crime, more poverty, and more unemployment. Its that simple.