Yesterday this widely circulated "joke" was posted by a professional associate of mine on facebook.
My reply is below the fold. I welcome your input.
Here's my response. I'll call him Joe.
Joe, I don’t even know where to start with this. Well . . . here goes.
1) By citing North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran this person is implying that these countries are doing things the right way. I thought America was supposed to be a positive example to the world, not following in the footsteps of the planet’s most repressive regimes. I noticed that the person didn’t bother to mention the border policies of any western democracies. I wonder why. Maybe they secretly admire North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran.
2) “If you cross the U.S. border illegally you get a job, a driver’s license, food stamps, a place to live, health care, housing, child benefits, education, and a tax free business for 7 years?”
The assertions on this list range from misleading to outright lies.
• The jobs the undocumented do are, for the most part, jobs that others are unwilling to do. What states like Alabama have found when they crack down on undocumented workers is that businesses that had hired them find it nearly impossible to find anybody else to do the work.
From the Washington Post: “. . . a variety of employers in Alabama said they have not been able to find enough legal residents to replace the seasoned Hispanic field pickers, drywall hangers, landscapers and poultry workers who fled the state. There was an initial rush of job applications, they said, but many new employees quit or were let go. [According to Wayne Smith, an Alabama tomato grower] . . . Last fall . . . his entire Mexican crew ran off, and Smith and his neighbors scoured the area for new workers. The growers pay $2 for every large box of picked tomatoes, and a worker must be able to pluck fast all day, bent over in the hot sun, to fill two or three dozen boxes. He dismissed the argument, often made by critics of illegal immigration, that Americans might do the work if offered a higher and hourly wage . . . ‘The work was just too hot and hard for them,’ Smith said."
Read the whole story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
• Regarding the other things they are supposedly “given” : “a driver’s license, food stamps, housing, child care benefits, education, health care,” etc.
This is truly bogus. Most of them are too afraid of being deported to apply for such benefits. The undocumented tend to fly under radar and keep as quiet as possible. And they do pay taxes (sales and property taxes, mostly). So the idea that these people are a net financial loss for the country is ludicrous.
Bear in mind that the vast majority of immigrants come here to work, not mooch. And this has been the case since the founding of the country. And it is true whether they are documented or undocumented.
3) Finally, overall I find the tone of this entire screed to be very offensive. As if our country’s problems are the result of foreigners. I guess there are those who are always looking for a boogieman to blame our problems on (illegals, muslims, terrorists, socialists, liberals, the French). Maybe whoever who wrote this reprehensible piece of shit ought to look in the mirror when he/she is looking for the sources of America’s problems.
Joe, I respect your intelligence, and I think that upon reflection you may want to reconsider whether what you posted truly represents your views. Don’t fall for this crap.
So how'd I do? What would you have said differently? Did I miss anything?