This is my rant on the current illegal immigration debate. I'll start by being real clear how I feel so you don't have to waste your time here.
Undocumented worker Criminal.
I believe that we cannot be a valid voice in our goverment, calling for the trials and jail time of crooked politicans while we refuse to admit that it is criminals crossing our borders. As soon as they make the decision to cross our borders illegally, they become a criminal.
What about all the familys, the children, people ask ? There are hundreds of thousands of Our citizens in prison today who have lost their family by breaking far less serious laws.
Why should citizens of another country expect better than we treat our own ? Follow below ?
Some people on here may have seen what I have commented about this issue, and a few others, but I'll give you a short self history. I have been in the floorcovering business since the age of 16. From warehouse, to installation helper, to apprentice, to journeyman. Most of my life, with a few stabs at other things. I have always worked piece work, never hrly, never union. When I began in the late 60s, the going rate in Fl. was about 1 dollar a sq yd. That meant to a installer about 500 to 700 dollars a wk, not bad back then. More then enough to buy a home, have a family and take a few vacation. In 1995 the rate I was receiving was appox 6.00 per sq yd. with a lic..After expenses and taxes appox $65,000 a yr. Great. This was in Ca. I moved to Las Vegas in 1998 because of the amount of workers from across the border had whittled away at the amount of work I was getting a week, to the point of not working at all some weeks. This was something I was not used to, and could no longer afford to live in the place of my choice.I returned to Ca. because of my wifes health, last year. In trying to return to work, I found the the going rate had been driven down to 1970s rates because of ethic labor.
I'll try to quicken the pace here a little. Many say the workers come here to find a job because there is no work in Mexico, not true. From Pew Hispanic Research :
The vast majority of undocumented migrants from Mexico were gainfully employed before they left for the United States. Thus, failure to find work at home does not seem to be the primary reason that the estimated 6.3 million undocumented migrants from Mexico have come to the U.S.
Now about the myth of they creat work by spenting the money here that they make , and a few other points from Time, in 2004 :
. Because of the exploding illegal population in the U.S., Mexicans sent a record $13 billion back home in 2003, the 3rd largest source of revenue in Mexico's economy.
13 Billion Not spent in our economy Wages / Unemployment: Evidence suggests that it is low wage rates, not the type of job, that American workers reject. Managers testify that that they hired illegals because their corporations refused to pay wages that would let them attract American workers
Damn Yankees expect a fair wage, how dare they. Costs / Crime: Illegal immigration holds down the pay of American workers, rewards illegals and the businesses hiring them, and breeds resentment among citizens who can't understand why illegal aliens receive government-funded health care, education benefits and subsidized housing. Community hospitals might be forced to shut down due to growing deficits from treating increasing numbers of illegal aliens.
Rewarding criminals ?
Why not, Bush and Cheney are making a fortune. Open borders allow illegals to come into the country, commit crimes and return home with little fear of arrest or punishment. The U.S. Border Patrol stops literally thousands crossing into the country illegally with U.S. criminal records, whom returned to Mexico and were trying to re-enter the U.S. Of 400,000 illegal aliens ordered to be deported, 80,000 have criminal records.
Borders / Terrorism: An estimated 3 million illegal aliens will come into the U.S. in 2004 - roughly 3 times the number of legal immigrants. An estimated 190,000 illegals have come from countries other than Mexico and have melted into the U.S. population so far in 2004, including from Middle East nations with large populations hostile to the U.S.
As for the last 2 paragraphs, I think they say enough by themselves. I'm more of a liberal than most folks. I was Antiwar before it was popular, I have been Prochoice since the 60s, I have worked as a volunteer around such issues as Rape, Child Abuse, Drug and Alcohol dependancy,and the Homeless. The only reason I was free to do this was because I made a decent living.
I contend, that if you haven't lost a job to, lost pay rate, had to relocate because of, can't find a job today, because of ethic criminal labor, you really aren't qualified to lecture me on how good they are for the USA, and our citizens. You are welcome to agree, disagree, flame me if it will make you feel as good as writing this diary down did me.
Spare me the everyone is a immigrant rant, I'm a total mutt, Heinz 57, but it goes back to a time when there was more buffalo than people.