Posted on 08/22/2005 1:10:58 PM PDT by bayourod
Illegal immigration is a complex national problem.
It won’t be solved by piecemeal attacks such as that of GOP gubernatorial hopeful Jerry Kilgore in opposing a day laborer site in Herndon.
Such tactics fuel anti-immigrant prejudices while skipping the hard part, acknowledging the broad tradeoffs and difficult compromises necessary for a permanent solution.
If exploitation of nativist emotion isn’t Kilgore’s intention, then he should pull the plug on this line of campaigning.
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At issue is the proposal of a coalition of community organizations to open a day laborer site in a soon-to-be abandoned police station straddling the Herndon-Loudoun County line. Currently, scores of men gather daily at a nearby convenience store to await the arrival of private employers who hire them for day labor in construction, yard work, and the like.
Kilgore joined critics calling the proposed site a haven for illegal immigrants and a breeding ground for illegal activity.
But others argue convincingly that an official site, including a police or security presence, would more likely contain bad behavior while serving both small-time employers and legal workers. The Herndon council validated that view with a 5-2 vote Wednesday to open the center.
No doubt, some illegals will turn up there. But frustration with U.S. failure to stem the flow of illegal immigration ought to be directed toward Congress, the immigration service or others with an opportunity to make a real difference.
Virginians who grouse about illegal immigrants should open their eyes and see who’s really tending their lawns, putting new shingles on their roofs, cleaning toilets in their office building and hotels. Illegal immigrants are doing the dirty jobs that Virginians don’t want.
Kilgore characterized the problem in Herndon as one of illegals taking “hard-earned dollars from law-abiding citizens.”
In fact, the issue there and elsewhere wouldn’t exist except for America’s addiction to cheap labor. Undocumented workers sustain many of the services and prices Americans have come to expect.
Politicians as diverse as President George Bush, GOP Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy acknowledge that a much-expanded temporary worker program, combined with some form of enforceable amnesty for illegals with long tenure here, is the only hope for getting a handle on the problem.
Name-calling about undocumented workers who supposedly leach the system dry might win votes. But it won’t make the problem go away.
"Workers comp is fraud central."
That's why it's so expensive for legitimate businesses......who get slammed if they don't have it.....(for their documented workers)
Don't you love how they line up and down Yonkers Ave. in morning all the way up to 87? Dunwoodie Deli sure loves them right?
Isn't getty square and South Broadway such a wonderful place???
How about Schlobaum houses and School Street?
i love these immigration threads, they're the most lively on FR imo ;)
Next we'll be known as immigraphobes.
Oh really? Try telling that to Americans living in San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and many other cities, large and small, in the American southwest.
Chronicling the harm done to this country by immigration is not bashing, its called telling the truth.
Close the border and begin the deportations.
Yes they are. If you ignore the OBL posts, they are quite informative too.
I also like the Housing Bubble threads as well.
that is a keeper, thanks for posting that!
We did a lot of it ourselves. It was expensive to get domestic help when I was a kid. Course we had stay at home moms then... Now since every body has to have two incomes that created a demand.
See, it isn't that we WON'T do these things for ourselves, but we're out doing other things that make more money for ourselves so it's a net gain to pay someone to do it so we can chill when we're off work. It's called (in economics) comparative advantage and if you were to ask Booosh he'd say it was exactly right and normal and natural, and that that is how the relationship between us and Mexico should be too.
But ask him about security and crime and welfare and scofflaws and OTM terrorism and ER closures and drug cartels and I'm betting he doesn't have such glib answers.
Then it shouldn't be too hard for you to come up with some hard proof that housing, food are cheaper due to the massive increase in illegal immigration over the past ten years. When I look at the number I see a steady increase of about 3 percent inflation over that same period. And the cost of housing has shot thru the roof.
Great. Why not expand the 2nd Amendment to cover these people too? This is nuts. They are just looking for ways to give away cash to these people.
i get a laugh out of the FairTax threads, i dont know enough about it, but there seem to be some dane-like and bayourod-like characters on there
Most Americans don't live in those areas. The rest of us see benefits, but no concrete downsides.
Quote from a personal blog by a woman who was completely ruined by a corrupt Mexican husband, the Mexican government, and our own government's unwillingness to do anything:
No I don't feel sorry for Mexicans anymore. If they would spend the same effort to overthrow their corrupt government as they spend destroying our nation they could have a better life in their own country. Instead they come to America with the blessing of Vicente Fox to destroy us and bleed the hard working American people dry. Tragically, our President, Congress and our Senators are giving them the key to America with no regard for the American people.
If the Mexican people are so proud, courageous, honest and decent why don't they fight for their country? Why don't they fight the corruption in their government? Why don't they fight for their rights? They come here and fight us for their so-called rights! They are cowards, plain and simple.
Americans have always fought to defend our land and our people. We even shed our own blood to better other people. But something has changed. We have become the lap dog of the world, no longer holding dear all we have cherished from our birth. Instead we let the cancer of immigration eat away at us. Instead of fighting to protect our borders, schools, hospitals, cities, jobs and health from unchecked immigration disease, we have let our greedy politicians decide what is best for Americans. Shame on us!
It has made us a weaker society as people. Look at how many physically weak men there are. Its a sin how many men are nothing more than women with parts.
They're not cheaper than they were before. They're cheaper than they would be if there were no illegals to do those jobs.
Or do you think that without illegal workers, the construction industry would be able to find people willing to do such jobs for $8 an hour?
If illegals aren't an economic boon to employers, why do you think people hire them?
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