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Bushite Betrayal of Working America
WND.com ^ | 12-29-03 | Buchanan, Patrick J.

Posted on 12/29/2003 6:07:08 AM PST by Theodore R.

Bushite betrayal of working America

Posted: December 29, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2003 Creators Syndicate, Inc.

On Christmas Eve, a story and column in the Washington Post caught the eye. For they tell much about the two Americas we are becoming under George Bush and a Democratic Party that has cut its roots to working America.

The front-page story by Mike Allen describes a Bush initiative on "immigration reform." Seems that U.S. employers would post jobs and the wages that go with them on a Department of Labor website. If no Americans came forward to take the jobs, the employer would be allowed to bring Mexican temporary workers in legally, give them the jobs, and put them on a fast track to permanent residency and citizenship.

What would this mean? U.S. companies would offer pay at or near the minimum wage for jobs they had open in, say, construction.

As few Americans can support a family and kids in school on $5 an hour, many of these jobs would go begging. The employer would then be allowed to go to Mexico, where the minimum wage is about 60 cents an hour, or countries where it is even less, and hire all the hard-working labor he needed at the U.S. minimum wage.

As there are billions of people on earth who do not earn anything near $5 an hour, what the Bush plan means is throwing open America's borders to millions of workers who will come in and suppress the wages of America's workers.

Why the U.S. Chamber of Commerce might love this is easy to understand. But what is Bush doing to the working Americans who put him in office? Yet, as one reads further in the story, it appears it is not Bush who is doing this, it is boy-wonder Karl Rove. Bush's guru seized on the idea as part of the campaign's "compassion agenda."

In addition to bringing in millions of workers who would take jobs at a fraction of a living wage for American families, Bush will propose that 10 million aliens, who are in this country illegally, be made legal.

According to the Post, Rove & Co. "concluded that they needed a response to the large population of undocumented workers for the plan to be credible and for Bush to get credit from Hispanic voters.

In that last clause lies the motive behind the sellout.

Rove is pandering to Hispanics, giving militants in the Latino lobbies what they demand – some form of stealth amnesty, where those who broke into this country are made legal residents of the United States and put on the path to citizenship. He is buying votes by selling out the white working class, which, presumably, has nowhere else to go.

As a sop to those who believe aliens who break our laws should be sent back home, the Bushites promise better border controls. In brief, if you want Bush to enforce America's immigration laws, you must permit him to pardon those who broke these laws. And if you agree, Bush will promise to be more conscientious in doing his presidential duty to defend the borders of the United States.

How are the Bushites shafting American workers? Let me count the ways. Under Bush's free-trade zealotry, the United States has lost manufacturing jobs for 40 straight months, the longest stretch since the Great Depression. Under Bush, hundreds of thousands of high-tech workers have been brought into the United States to take jobs at wages one-half or a third of those commanded by the U.S. workers they replace.

Under Bush, the "outsourcing" and "off-shoring" of U.S. jobs has accelerated, with tens of thousands of jobs once held by high-paid white collar and information-technology workers going to Asia.

Under Bush, millions of legal and illegal immigrants have poured into the country, putting downward pressure on wages.

Under Bush, the merchandise trade deficit has risen to $550 billion, which represents a massive annual transfer of factories, jobs and technology. China, Japan and East Asia are the lead looters of America's once-awesome manufacturing base. Americans today buy nearly 15 percent of the entire GDP of China. The Chinese buy two-tenths of 1 percent of ours. It's what the Bushites call "free and fair trade."

What are the consequences for American workers? In a Post column, "Un-American Recovery," Harold Meyerson says it all.

U.S. corporate profits have been rising for 7 months. In the third quarter of 2003, the economy grew at 8.2 percent, productivity at over 9 percent. Have our workers shared equally in the good times?

Writes Meyerson: "Since July, the average hourly wage increase for the 85 million Americans who work in non-supervisory jobs in offices and factories is a flat 3 cents. Wages are up just 2.1 percent since November 2002, the slowest wage growth we've experienced in 40 years."

That's right. According to Meyerson, the wages of Americans have gone up three cents since the economy took off on a tear in July.

Let it be said: Working America has no powerful voice in politics. Both Democrats and Republicans are open-borders, free-trade zealots, who troll for cash from corporate America and burn their incense at the altars of the global economy.

America needs a new party.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: bush; chambercommerce; corporateamerica; corporateprofits; democrats; freetrade; globaleconomy; haroldmeyerson; immigration; joblosses; karlrove; patbuchanan; republicans; sluggishpay; tradedeficit; zoutsourcing
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1 posted on 12/29/2003 6:07:09 AM PST by Theodore R.
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To: Theodore R.
Yes pat, we know. You ran, conservative America yawned, you lost (a the Little Big Horn was a minor loss for Custer) and you're still ticked off.
2 posted on 12/29/2003 6:10:17 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: Theodore R.
America needs a new party.

Perhaps...but you won't be leading it Pat.

3 posted on 12/29/2003 6:11:06 AM PST by Drango (Democratic fund raising....If PBS won't do it, who will?)
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To: Theodore R.
Go, Pat Go..........away!
4 posted on 12/29/2003 6:12:41 AM PST by cardinal4 (Hillary and Clark rhymes with Ft Marcy park...)
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To: Drango
Yes, pat tried that new party idea...and killed the party.
5 posted on 12/29/2003 6:14:38 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: CWOJackson
Watch out, apparently there's a ballot drive that's gaining steam!
6 posted on 12/29/2003 6:15:41 AM PST by ArneFufkin
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To: ArneFufkin
Oh no...not the buchanan juggerNOT!

LOL. Thanks for the blast from the past.

7 posted on 12/29/2003 6:17:04 AM PST by CWOJackson
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To: Theodore R.
The American middle class is increasingly being squeezed between a hight cost of living (higher prices and higher taxes come to mind real quick), and by a decreasing pool of good paying jobs.

Over Christmas, I visited my Yankee in laws. This was a lively topic of conversation. They as many I know down south are getting feed up and want this issue addressed in ways that help the middle class. Immigration amnesties are not it. And to quote my father in law who has 40 years as an accountant and investment advisor free trade is killing the middle class.
8 posted on 12/29/2003 6:17:22 AM PST by RiflemanSharpe (An American for a more socially and fiscally conservation America!)
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To: Theodore R.
This proposal is the type of crap from the President that makes me wish there were a true conservative running to unseat President Bush from the office.
I like the man but his policies are from the East coast block of the Republican party.
9 posted on 12/29/2003 6:18:16 AM PST by em2vn
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To: Theodore R.
If Pat is saying that Bush ought to be enforcing our generous immigration laws, Pat is right.

Every poll taken indicates that American CITIZENS, TAXPAYERS, LAWABIDING VOTERS--want these laws enforced.

And Rove just smirks and shrugs at us conservatives with --"Hey, we'll ignore you,where ya gonna go?"

Well, it won't do us any good to vote for Dean--so I guess we won't GO anywhere in Novemeber.

Maybe, Mr. Rove, we'll just stay home--while it's still our home!

10 posted on 12/29/2003 6:21:30 AM PST by Mamzelle
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To: Theodore R.
What would this mean? U.S. companies would offer pay at or near the minimum wage for jobs they had open in, say, construction.

Sure, Pat. American companies will jump at the chance to replace their highly skilled work forces with unskilled, non-english speakers. For example, hospitals would offer pay "at or near the minimum wage" for thoracic surgeons so they could smuggle in Guatemalan farmers to perform open heart surgery.

THINK, Pat, THINK.

11 posted on 12/29/2003 6:23:40 AM PST by Semi Civil Servant
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To: CWOJackson
Think how much fun this summer will be when the bitter and witless FR dead-enders try to get a Tancredo tsunami going.
12 posted on 12/29/2003 6:33:08 AM PST by ArneFufkin
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To: Theodore R.
What would this mean? U.S. companies would offer pay at or near the minimum wage for jobs they had open in, say, construction.

I keep hearing that.

I’ve been involved in various aspects of construction for 35+ years. (Framing, roofing, plumbing, painting and electrical.) I haven’t seen anyone making minimum wage since the mid 1970’s – that’s when I apprenticed with an electrical contractor. Now you’ll make anywhere from $28 - $45 per hour, depending who you work for and what you’re doing.

Not a single $5.00/hr job I’m aware of. Helpers start out at $10.00. That’s for a live body with no experience whatsoever.

13 posted on 12/29/2003 6:34:38 AM PST by Who dat?
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To: ArneFufkin
What if we got a Tancredo tsunami started in a GOP presidential primary vote--Bush would still get the nom, but would he get the message?
14 posted on 12/29/2003 6:50:03 AM PST by Mamzelle
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To: Mamzelle
What if we got a Tancredo tsunami started in a GOP presidential primary vote--Bush would still get the nom, but would he get the message?

Uh, there are no GOP primaries this year. None. Bush is running unopposed.

No wonder Tancredo can't get going; you guys don't even know the rules.

15 posted on 12/29/2003 6:54:55 AM PST by sinkspur (Adopt a shelter dog or cat! You'll save one life, and maybe two!)
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To: sinkspur
I know--was thinking "what if" and that's what I wrote--so, what's your idea? Shut up and take it?
16 posted on 12/29/2003 6:56:17 AM PST by Mamzelle
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To: Theodore R.
What he says may be true, but Pat is certainly not the answer to the problem.
17 posted on 12/29/2003 6:56:18 AM PST by MissAmericanPie
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To: Mamzelle
I'm happy with Bush. I'd rather focus on beating Howard Dean than go off in the weeds with some quixotic third-party quest that would go down in flames anyway.
18 posted on 12/29/2003 6:58:24 AM PST by sinkspur (Adopt a shelter dog or cat! You'll save one life, and maybe two!)
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To: Mamzelle
You HAVE no message, besides the fact you don't like Mexicans and most other foreigners. If all 5 to 11 million illegally resident Mexicans were located, trucked back accross the river to Mexico - and the employed, non-welfare taking parasites were immediately re-processed into this country legally you'd still hate 'em. You people don't like immigrants, period. Indian, Chinese, Mexican. Don't bring that platform to my caucus, we'll beat you down.
19 posted on 12/29/2003 6:59:25 AM PST by ArneFufkin
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To: Who dat?
Now you’ll make anywhere from $28 - $45 per hour, depending who you work for and what you’re doing.

Construction work in the SW wouldn't pay anything close to that --- but maybe in some parts of the country they pay that. No one pays an illiterate unskilled immigrant that kind of money and full health insurance benefits --- the whole reason they do is to pay dirt cheap and let the taxpayers subsidize them.

20 posted on 12/29/2003 7:02:31 AM PST by FITZ
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