I lobby on the Hill and in Richmond on this issue as part of a grassroots organization. I have been doing this for over six years. I have worked with and know personally many of the key players on our side including Roy Beck, Mark Krikorian, Kris Kobach, Steve King, etc. I am not the one ignorant of the facts, you are.
You really do think they are all working under the table and that greedy evil businesses have put all of this in place as part of some grand plan. Chill. That’s just simply not the case.
First, I never said they were all working under the table. I know illegal aliens commit ID fraud, steal or make up phony SSN's etc. And many employers don't care and don't use E-verify. It is illegal to hire these lawbreakers and it is also illegal for them to work here. Many employers want to privatize the profits and socialize the costs. They could care less what this does to our nation.
From personal experience I can tell you that the Chamber of Commerce is our archenemy when it comes to the immigration issue. They have spent lots of money in legal fees trying to block legislation like the AZ law that mandated E-verify and was upheld by SCOTUS. At the state level they have always been on the other side. They control many Reps thru campaign contributions.
Motivated by parochial self-interest, the pro-mass immigration, open borders, amnesty advocates have formed a powerful coalition including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, labor union leaders, the Catholic Church, ethnic and racial groups, “moderate” Republicans, and the Democrat Party. The common thread that unites these groups is power, money, and the prospect of increased constituencies, even at the expense of our long-term national interests and survival.
It’s the business customers who benefit from the low prices, as margins are what they are.
Fool's gold. The additional costs incurred by the taxpayer to pay for the costs of immigration far outweigh lower prices. Illegal immigration costs this nation more than $100 billion a year. And those are conservative numbers.
I actually agree with a lot of what you said, and we are in agreement on the destination of this bill. I will also tell you, that as much as I like Steve King, and as much as he likes my recent book on Karl Rove, I frankly have a lot more hiring and firing experience than he does, or than any member of Congress does. Lobbying the hill indicates interest, not experience.
Now, I also think you are right in part on the Chamber. And I think you are right in part on the “fools gold” part of the cost of labor. None of that changes my point on this, which is two fold: A: many are paying taxes and B: businesses are the victims of poor government for 60 years on welfare, EBT, border, etc. They are NOT the cause.
Yes, it is fools gold, but customers are just as much of a beneficiary of that fools gold as are the businesses - and while some big biz may be trying to influence the outcome...the small contractors are just trying to get folks to do the damned work. I will assure you of one thing, the American blue collar work force sucks. It just does. And govt policy is a big part of that. All of this is tied together with welfare reform, regulation, unions, etc.
Like I said, you and I agree on the politics of the bill. But if you think there would be a magical transformation of the native work ethic if you could somehow vaporize 100% of all illegals today, you are sadly mistaken. When you can live a 60K lifestyle on the government dole, it makes hiring labor that is market worth of something like 20-40K damned problematic.
Are you picking veggies or making beds today? Is anyone you know doing it, or willing to do it? Just something to think about. This bill sucks, and the Dems are playing the GOP for suckers ,but this is far more complicated than your realize.
It’s why I divested from this industry.....at great personal cost to me. I think thats called putting your money where your mouth is.