Bush declares war on immigrant cleaning ladies

The Hill ^ | October 29, 2003 | Dick Morris

[paulklenk]

Taking time out from the war on terror and the war on drugs, President Bush, to the purple born, has declared war on cleaning ladies.

The agents of his wrath swooped down on 61 Wal-Mart stores in 21 states where men and women from South America and Eastern Europe toiled at minimum-wage jobs mopping floors and cleaning toilets until Bush closed them down. One wonders if the president remembers the words of the man whom he once cited as his role model: “That which you do to the least of these, you do to me.”

Perhaps the president and all his advisers have forgotten that their ancestors, too, were immigrants who had to struggle to make it in this new land. The fact that their forebears may or may not have come here legally and these plunderers of our national treasure came without sanction of law merely betokens how self-involved we are in our prosperity, narcissistically refusing to share it with those in need.

These men and women now in jail came here seeking work, not welfare. The $11 billion a year Mexican Americans send home to their impoverished nation gives every man, woman and child back home $110 with which to buy food and other necessities. Bush no doubt has no family memories of immigrants who sent money home, but those of us of more recent vintage recall clearly the stories of our fathers and grandfathers. It was that money that allowed our ancestors to survive.

Does Bush seriously contend that, with 6 percent unemployment, there are Americans waiting to take the jobs of those he arrested at Wal-Mart? He knows full well that the alternative to illegal immigrants performing those jobs is to use robots to do it. He has not saved jobs for Americans. He has saved them for robots.

For those in high dudgeon who are reading this column and would intone piously about the rule of law, let me ask if you are sure the toilet you used at the gas station was cleaned by a legal immigrant or a U.S. citizen. How about your garden and lawn? And your housecleaners? And the guy who waits on you at the lunch counter or cleans the dishes after you have eaten? Are those all here legally? I invite you to vindicate your self-righteous views on immigration by mowing your own lawn, cleaning your own toilets and cooking your own food — or do so for $5.25 an hour.

America needs Bush to crack down on illegal immigration, but from nations that harbor terrorists or sponsor them. We need an end to immigrants coming in on student visas from those nations. We must have more aggressive efforts to round up those who have overstayed their visas who hail from lands that wish us no good.

We need an immigration policy along the lines of legislation proposed by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) that would reward with amnesty and citizenship those who pass certain criteria such as English literacy, no arrest record and employment with contributions to Social Security.

The Republican Party can continue its war on Hispanics and its battles against cleaning ladies if it wants, but it does so at the price of its own electability. What message does the Wal-Mart raid send at a time when Bush is attempting to overcome past GOP insistence on cutoff of aid to legal immigrants by adopting pro-Hispanic policies and appointing top level Hispanics to key jobs?

Americans do not confuse hardworking Mexican and Eastern European immigrants, legal and illegal, with those who come to our nation from nations that sponsor or harbor terrorists. We know that the former build our nation and the latter want to tear it down. Bush does himself and his party no good by attacking the good immigrants and letting the bad ones go free.

[JustAnAmerican]

(Pauses over the Abuse button), carefull what you wish for. Might want to read the posting policy here.

[paulklenk]

I don't buy your appeal to emotionalism in this.

It is not an appeal to emotionalism. It is an appeal to basic human decency and mercy.

[paulklenk]

Oh, you do not scare me one little bit. If you can't handle a strong debate, and getting back as much as you dish out, you are talking with the wrong person.

Go intimidate someone else.

[what's up]

You are very emotional. You are refusing to see that most arguments here are presented on the basis of breaking of law. You choose to see these comments as racist instead. You are not using logic, but emotion.

[netmilsmom]

My friend, you are living in a dream world. You need to get on a bus and ride to Dearborn or Sterling Heights Michigan. Try to open a Christian center there. If the Arab Christians cannot make it there (and trust me I have seen it first hand from my church to the community there) you will not make it either.
Get a copy of the Quran and honestly read it. You will understand why those who follow the religion truly will not trust you.

You look at the situation as an outsider. I have seen it from an insiders point of view. Not all people think Christ is their savior.

[dmz]

nah, that doesn't even make the top-10.

[paulklenk]

Why don't you go complain to Jesus Christ that you're being forced to give people free health care who don't pay for or deserve it?

"Dear Jesus, it's y2k_free_radical coming to you in prayer. Jesus, I'm just so mad that there are these sick and injured folks here, they cross our borders without having their papers in order, and now some of my tax money is being used to perform medical care on them. Dear, dear Jesus, could you please look into this situation and make it go away? It's not FAIR!!! Your friend, y2k_free_radical."

"Dear y2k_free_radical, why are you talking to me? I don't even know you." -- Jesus

[dmz]

wow, 30-some posts before the illegal immigration situation was blamed on Clinton.

[jpl]

Do you feel this way about people who try to cut in front of you on line in the store?

[from occupied ga]

Originally occupied by immigrant yankees and home grown scalawags. It used to be a place that wasn't quite as "politically correct" ie socialistic, but then hordes of yankees from places like NJ, MA, and NY moved in because of the economic opportunities here were lacking in their home states. Why were the economic opportunities lacking? Because their local socialist tax and regulate governments killed the goose. Unfortunately these people came here with their "I want government to do everything for me" attitude and have started to ruin what was once a pretty good place to live.

Now there are additional occupying forces that speak spanish, have their own crime wave going, and are doubling the taxes that local government extracts for the rest of to pay for "essential services" (otherwise known as welfare) for the vast hords that have swarmed over the border. My county (at least according the infamous liars of the Atlanta Urinal/Constipation) has the highest percentage of hispanic immigrants of any county in the USA. You can drive alons Buford Hiway and see more signs in Korean than English and more in Spanish than both of the aforementioned together.

[mabelkitty]

Have your taxes increased to accommodate illegals? Has your school system tried to shake you down for more cash to teach illegals English?

Try again. Deport now.

[Map Kernow]

If there's any issue that's going to hammer Bush and the GOP in 2004, it's not Iraq or the economy, but our porous borders and uncontrolled illegal immigration. No one out in the middle class is fooled by all the corporate and pundit buzz-word invocations about "nation of immigrants," "doing jobs Americans won't do," "decent people just trying to put food on the table," etc.

Instead, they see a vast scofflaw conspiracy between a failed nation-state and its unwanted unemployed poor, greedy US employers who want to undercut the US labor market wages, benefits *AND* withholding, and a brain-dead Republican punditocracy that's talked itself into thinking that all these illegals will "eventually" vote Republican. And they also see that they, the taxpaying American middle class citizenry, is "paying the freight" for this "wink-and-nod" "compassionate conservative" gutting of our immigration law, in the form of increased health, education and welfare expenditures for illegals, increased congestion and crime, erosion of their voting and citizenship rights, and yes---GODDAMMIT!!!---increased risk of terrorist infiltration. And they're starting to wonder why the F*** they have to obey all these laws, like the tax code that takes so much of their hard earned money and gives it to illegals, if illegal immigrants don't.

[what's up]

Well, I didn't actually blame it on him. I just said the widespread trend in the US these days was not to obey the law and used him as an example disregarding the rule of law.

But I suppose his example does encourage all types of illegal behavior, huh?

[TheBigB]

[mabelkitty]

They send $18 BILLION back home each year.

They come here for money - not out of love for the country. If they did, they'd start by learning the language, then getting the papers.

[paulklenk]

I'm not talking about overtly witnessing to them. I'm talking about relationship evangelism, and servant evangelism. Start one relationship at a time. Make a friend, help them any way you can, and let God worry about changing their hearts -- that is NOT your job, it is the Holy Spirit's job. And yes, He's good at it -- he converts Arabs EVERY DAY.

I am not living in a dream world, but I am also not living in the natural world. I am living in God's kingdom, a world where His supernatural power supersedes everything -- even your thinking. I'm doing my best to show His love and kindness to people.

[paulklenk]

What is THAT remark all about? Have you taken your meds today?

[what's up]

Your words would have more impact if you spoke from experience. How many illegal immigrants have you ministered to?

Do you foresee any ministry you've undertaken as helping to stem breaking of laws?

By the way, it's not the government's job to evangelize...it's the government's job to make and enforce law.

[lady lawyer]

All my immigrant ancestors came here legally. At the time they came, there were no government handout programs, so they never became a drain on the rest of society.

In the mid-20th century, Americans were convinced to create minimal social programs for the poor among them. Since that time, the social programs have become more elaborate and expensive. But at least, when those social programs were created, anyone immigrating to the United States had to prove that they wouldn't be relying on the taxpayers. They had to show they had the means to support themselves.

Now, we have these expensive programs in place at all levels of government, and more poor people flooding in illegally by the millions to milk the programs. There is no foreseeable limit to it.

This is a much different situation that the situation of immigrants in the past. We have a right to be furious about it.

All things considered, I think that millions and millions of people who are fundamentally scofflaws, and who bring with them a third world culture and little desire or ability to assimilate, can only hurt this country.

[dmz]

It would seem you live in one of those McMansions you so decry, if you paid 12,000 for a new roof.

Had a new roof put on my house (4br colonial) a few years back for WAAAAY less than that.