Boogie is not only a skilled machinist, he's the kind of guy that would help get any concern off the ground if he committed.
Who employs all those American guys you know?
I stand by my position that it would be suicide stupid to put an embargo in legal immigrants, especially highly skilled and educated ones. They come here and create jobs when they're entrepreneurs. I see it all around me in abundance, here in Southern California. They are fresh blood, and many are patriotic and committed, if new, Americans. How about those American guys you know creating their own jobs? Sorry, but "Americans first" as a justification for barring legal immigrants, STINKS.
It would have prevented my skilled grandfather to immigrate here from Scotland in the early 1900s, and I'll bet it would have prevented someone in your lineage somewhere from ever getting to America, too. It wasn't okay for them but not okay for Boogie because "the time was right back then," it's because it was grounded in a PRINCIPLE. And America became great because of it.
You propose to abandon that principle, and I say that stinks.
I’m sorry it took so long to get back to you today Finny. Grandkids here. The thread is probably long over but I wanted to make sure I answered you.
“It would have prevented my skilled grandfather to immigrate here from Scotland in the early 1900”
Things are much much different here than they were back then. Back when you skilled grandfather immigrated he made a stop on Ellis Island first. Immigrants were screened for various things including illnesses. This is no longer the case. We have genuine health issues now in this country with diseases that we thought were irradicated here now re-appearing along with new ones. We made sure that the immigrant had a skill and someone to sponsor them here. I know of a muslim visitor, educated in this country from Pakistan who has come here specially so his wife could give birth. Did we give citizenship like that back then?
Our immigration policies have never been so free and loose in our history. This is not what was intended. In the beginning we were trying to settle a large area, working our way west, building big railroads. Immigration was encouraged in the early years and after the civil war the states started to pass their own immigration laws.
In our past history immigration has been limited to certain countries, certain occupations, political persuasions etc. to manage to makeup of the country. The feds did not take over immigration until 1875.Immigration laws were even passed to address economic concerns.
Never have I read that immigration policy in the US was based on an emotional issues. It was always (in the past anyway) based on what the country needed and what was best for the US. Now all of a sudden it seems that policy has changed and it hasn’t been good for the country. Now is seems immigration is a social issue akin to gay marriage.
Do an internet search “Immigration History in the United States” and you’ll get some good information. I don’t know of any country who has a more open immigration policy than we do or a more foolish one I should say.
I would say to people who want to let in every tortured soul into this country regardless of how it helps or hurts our own citizens then they should sponsor an immigrant themselves because personally, I am sick to death of doing so.
In answer to your question about what industry the unemployed people I know worked in, one worked for a phone company and the others in manufacturing. In the small town I lived in there were a couple of large industries that hired mainly Mexican immigrants. The company provided housing for them and I would see them at the bank on payday cashing their checks and sending money home. These people have displaced American workers. My husband lost a part-time teaching job to an immigrant who cannot speak English.
The farms in WI employ large number of immigrants, many undocumented. 40% of WI farm workers are immigrants. The canning industry also uses cheap Mexican labor and provides housing for them while they are here during the harvesting season.
Most of the people who lost their jobs were middle aged and it is difficult to find a job in a bad economy when you are that age. One of them found another job after going to school and switching professions.
What I am proposing at this time is nothing different than what our country has done in the past. It’s the open policy that we have now that is new.
The words written on the Statue of Liberty are not our words. They were not put there at the request of the US citizens and they do not nor ever have defined our immigration policy until recently. They are pretty sounding feel good words but if turned into a formal immigration policy is suicide for a country. Most other countries know that and have much stricter immigration law.