March 27, 2006
Employers Protest Potential Cheap Labor Cutoff
"Here lies the dilemma facing Congress as it attempts an immigration overhaul. Businesses say it is hard to persuade Americans
to perform the unskilled jobs that immigrants easily fill. Significantly higher wages might work, but that increase would be passed on to unhappy consumers, forcing Americans to give up under-$10 manicures and $15-per-hour paint and lawn jobs," warns the Washington Post. "Employers in many of these sectors have gotten themselves into a Catch-22 situation where if they do not look the other way and hire illegal workers, they will not be competitive with other businesses. The wages and working conditions where there are large numbers of illegal workers have been driven down to the point where those jobs are not as attractive to American workers," FAIR special projects director Jack Martin told the Post.
Read the full story
Criminal employers need to be the primary target of legislation. As it stands now, American citizens subsidize these criminal enterprises through their tax dollars to provide for health care, housing, education, and other benefits to illegal aliens. What makes this especially repugnant is that low wage earners actually have lost economic ground and still had to pay for these benefits to those who have eroded real wages.
Huge fines probably aren't enough, either. Criminal employers need stiff prison time and their shareholders need to feel the sting of assets stripped from their corporations. But one step at a time, and the House has at least started down that path however tepidly. The liars, thieves, and prostitutes in the Senate and Bush Administration had better wake up and realize the House merely has given voice to citizens who know this is a fraud.
What is missing from this information...the article states that "Brett McMahon," as V.P. of "Bethesda-based Miller & Long Concrete Construction Co., one of the biggest concrete contractors in the country, with $300 million in annually, claims that...the House bill threatens to bring his business to a 'screeching halt' because there is no provision for a guest-worker program or for dealing with the undocumented immigrants already working..."
And yet the article earlier states that, as to McMahon's "business": "...in the past 15 years, the Labor Department has audited McMahon's company five times looking for illegal workers -- each time finding none..."
THUS, which is it: that McMahon employs illegal aliens or that those he employs are not being identified by "the Labor Department"? Certainly not by McMahon, from what the article writes, if it's to be believed.
IF his "business" "grinds to a screeching halt" because he'll be asked to identify illgal aliens who he employs, well, then, the "Labor Department" findings make no sense.
"Business" again squeaks and greases the laws that individuals in the U.S. are expected (required) to respect and abide by and it's outright horrible that the U.S. Senate is now working so hard to accommodate these squeaks and greasings. It's, actually, disgusting.
What it does indicate is that the profile of what it means to be profitable and "in business" in the U.S. today, to many organizations, is the same as it is in places -- like Mexico, for example -- where the "cartel" behavior has replaced the once-honorable capitalist, free society commercial process. But the U.S. via our U.S. Senate should not be aiding and abetting this corruption just because they're seeing millions of dollars streaming their way. Unless they're willing and able to admit they're in the business of graft.
Why they are not willing and able to enforce our existing immigration laws ('if you're in the U.S. illegally, you will be deported'), much moreso write and pass current legislation to make it possible for them to enforce our Constitution. I get the impression from these recent weeks that the Senate is going to great lengths to make unlawfulness possible and to rationalize why it's not their job to defend and protect the country.
As an individual voter, I am very disillusioned at the Senate's behavior as to illegal aliens. It's as if they're all scrambling to appear foremost as the least capable of enforcing laws, and are even, worse, proud of that. Principle is not alive and well, it's being pummeled into concrete dust by the U.S. Senate, with a lot of encouragement under the ruse of "business."
>"...on to unhappy consumers, forcing Americans to give up under-$10 manicures and $15-per-hour paint and lawn jobs," warns the Washington Post." WARN, do they? are we being WARNED that we ought to adopt a certain course of action? What other types of transactions are conducted under such circumstances, might I ask? Elsewhere we are told that 'without [mexicans] your economy would collapse' - another fear driven arguement. Under ANY circumstance fear driven arguments are to be shunned by civilized people. To answer to it it needs to be said that only that portion of the economy which operates under dishonorable conditions will fall, and Glorious the sound of its collapse! Americans have endured much in our history, and some of us are going to learn the hard way how to trim a hedge, etc. By way of implication, the arguement above states that America stands for cheap consumer prices-AT ALL COSTS! and that is the market-based reality that is driving almost all of this horror. We in this neck of the cyber-woods believe that nationhood means more than unfettered universal consumer choice-May we be vindicated by God!
Jack White, you are so right that criminal employers should be the target of legislation.
Forget about under $10 manicures and such. These clowns cost us plenty by keeping illegals in this country, while their businesses and wallets grow bigger.
Congress owes it to the American people to at least try a program for a period of time that works for the citizen. No amnesty or more guestworkers.
There must be some way to fill those jobs without allowing millions of illegals to be here to fill less than millions of positions.
These traitor businesspeople should be stopped with legislation. It's obvious they have no incentive to do the right thing.
I would gladly take one of their $10 an hour jobs! Employers need to be forced to follow the law, so be it! I'm tired of watching this country slide into 3rd world status!
This is sickening, plain and simple...while those fat cats make millions off the backs of exploited labor, are they passing that labor savings on to the consumers? Hell No! They don't deserve any more free rides!!
My fellow Americans. They did indeed show their true colors today. Rather than marching with an American flag, shouting how much they love this nation and want to be a member of it, they instead chose to display the mexican flag and show their true loyalties to a foreign nation. Had they waved the Amercian flag, I would have at least felt relieved that my fears were misplaced. Sadly, they confirmed it. It it is the epitome of stupidity to allow foreigners to enter your nation illegally, then allow them to wave their national flag in protest while demanding they be given amensty while allowing even more illegals to enter at will. And our gov't does absolutely nothing. This is an invasion and an army of millions we have foolishly allowed, not only to enter, but encouraged.
I am afraid, all is lost. Our spineless represetnatives will bow to the pressure, afraid of an uprising, rather than standing up to an invasion of our nation. Then I listen to our president, condoning and asking for more immigrants. All of the silent majority will not realize the danger until it is too late. I am disgusted when bush talks about democracy when discusing immigrants, but in reality the majority (which is what defines a democaracy) is asking for an halt to immigraiton. Our pols will give these scum illegals amnesty then proceed to do nothing about securing the border. I am completly sickened by the whole affair. How is it US citizens do not recognize this is an invasion with dark ulterior motives. I can not see how in the hell we can be so stupid, while at the same time be the most advanced nation on earth. We have been duped by our politicians and by the low life race baiting scum bags. And of
course EVERY single press coverage is positive to those that come illegally and want open borders, while faithful American patriots are treated as toothless unducated hicks. What sovereignty is left? We will be a 3rd world country in 30 years.
So, what happens, Mr. Businessman, when all of this cheap labor wakes up to the fact that they have essentially been treated like slave labor. Does the word 'reparations' mean anything to you? US taxpayers, who have not wanted this level of legal or illegal immigration, are going to be stuck paying for your need for cheap labor in the form of giving a willing group of slaves money for being so damned dumb and criminal to begin with. If this is all about money from your end, then ultimately it will be all about money from their end--human nature, being what it is, means greed will abound. They will learn from your example. However, it will be the rest of us, who will pay so you can play. What I find truly frightening is the lack of shame or remorse on your part for hiring them to begin with. It is against federal law to hire anyone, who is in this country illegally or to aid and abet them in any way. I don't believe there is the worker shortage businesses claim, when 14-16 million US citizens are out of work. It's all about trying to make enormous profits and not wanting to pay taxes to cover your fair share.
Good question, Jaded. I hope the cheap creeps they hire, turn around and screw the life out of them.
Once everything collapses around us, then we can take old fashion retribution against our official idiots and businesses who were responsible for allowing it to happen. Stupid lowlife scum.
