"Guest Worker' Programs: Open-Ended Slavery

CHJ ^ | Dec. 22, 2005 | Chris Adamo

[WatchYourself]

In her December 13, 2005 article, nationally syndicated columnist Phyllis Schlafly issues a blanket indictment of “guest worker” and “amnesty” programs being proposed in Washington, bluntly characterizing them as “immoral.” In closing, she quotes Theodore Roosevelt, who when president likened such policy to slavery.

Hardly excessive, Schlafly’s contention is inarguably supported by history and fact. If anything, she did not fully elaborate on the dire consequences of any “guest worker” program that the Washington crowd may consider.

Recently, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff announced an ostensible policy that elated those Americans who have been increasingly concerned about the invasion of illegals across the nation’s southern border. According to Chertoff, all such people needed to be escorted out of the country, and within the amazing timetable of one year.

[Uncle Vlad]

I've often thought having everything in English and Spanish is partially a very cynical attempt by the powers that be to discourage illegals from learning English. If they can't speak the language and assimilate, they can be assured of a permanent underclass, working for $5 an hour. If the illegals complain, they can be easily threatened with deportation.

If that's not slavery, I don't know what is. I'd like to see some of the business criminals who hire these people do some hard time.

[Tzimisce]

So...

Letting them in = racist slavery

Kicking them out = racist slavery

Expecting them to work = racist slavery

Putting them on welfare = racist slavery

...I'm stumped - what are we supposed to do then?

[Natchez Hawk]

Exactly!

What good host would make his guest work?

[Sam the Sham]

Washington bureaucrats are confident that once this Pandora’s Box is opened, it will be impossible to close. So if they propose and adopt a twenty-point program to “secure” the nation’s borders, Americans can be assured that the first nineteen points will ultimately be ignored, and the last point, a “guest worker” program (surprise, surprise), will be the only agenda item to see the light of day.

Exactly. Any "reform" that contains the words "guest worker" will be just so much empty promises of enforcement wrapped around the reality of open borders.

[Texas Eagle]

America’s recent media-inspired floundering in the “War on Terror” unequivocally proves that the greatest threat to the future of the country results not on account of foreign aggression, but from an ascending culture within our homeland that is indifferent or ignorant of the principles on which America was founded. Until the border crisis is honestly and realistically addressed, it will only continue to aggravate this dangerously burgeoning problem.

Game, set, match.

[CondorFlight]

"I'd like to see some of the business criminals who hire these people do some hard time."

If business people can do hard time, say goodbye to employers ever hiring anyone of Hispanic descent again.

Businesses (including your local fast food stand) are just not equipped to be able to determine if someone's ID is a fake.

And if prison is the result of making a mistake about where someone is from, nobody will hire any Latino, period.

[proxy_user]

What about credit card peonage? You can make much more off a middle-class guy with a $80K balance than you'll ever get from a minimum-wage slave, especially if you raise the interest rate to 28%.

[CondorFlight]

"an ascending culture within our homeland that is indifferent or ignorant of the principles on which America was founded"

Really? Most of these people are conservative Roman Catholics. They are anti-abortion and anti same-sex marriage, and for religion in schools; and they are very pro the traditional family.

Can't see any reason not to want more of these people.

[Uncle Vlad]

You've hit on something there. One of the dirty little secrets of illegal immigration is that some of the people who are most angry about illegals are Americans of Hispanic descent, like my future son-in-law. They waited their turn and played by the rules, and yet they are the ones who have aspersions cast upon them all the time by everyone else.

[Uncle Vlad]

Ah, yes--legalized loan sharking--ain't it wonderful?

[television is just wrong]

How about, not letting them in, in the first place...

[Aznar5]

Oh and they vote for socialist policies. Other than that incident, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln.

[Boiling point]

Businesses expect to continue with cheap labor after a "Guest Worker" program, but with a newfound legal status, won't the guest workers be able to demand the same pay as Americans?

[DTogo]

Recently, Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff announced an ostensible policy that elated those Americans who have been increasingly concerned about the invasion of illegals across the nation’s southern border. According to Chertoff, all such people needed to be escorted out of the country, and within the amazing timetable of one year. Yet, as with all great deals that sound too good to be true, this one certainly was. Within days, Chertoff was backtracking and waffling, ultimately revealing the real goal of his outlandish pronouncement to be a grand scheme of smoke and mirrors, with a “guest worker” program residing far back within its dark recesses. Here, Chertoff tipped the hand of Washington insiders whose phony professions of alarm over the illegal problem belie an ominous agenda.

Yep!

[voteconstitutionparty]

You got that right.

As I've said before...

If those who employ illegals were given tickets and fined for every illegal for every day they employ them they would stop hiring illegals and the illegals would stop coming. This would change the flood of illegals coming across the border to a tricle and would leave just those involved in smuggling or some sort of criminality to pick up. It sickens me the way these supposedly Conservative commentators work overtime to sell this "Guest Worker" nonsense. Their "Put Troops on the Border" talk is just talk to make them sound like they're really tough on illegals,when what they're pushing for would bring even more of the third world here to take jobs use services and drive down wages for everyone. It's a lie that "They are only taking jobs Americans won't do." There are already exemptions for migrant agricultural workers who do the harvesting, as their should be. There should be no fines for those hiring migrant agricultural workers. Under "Guest Worker" however they wouldn't be taking just the low wage jobs. It would be any job where the employer says that they can't get enough people to apply for the job at what they are willing to pay. Might your employer like to pay less? If Rush and Bill O`Reilly love "Guest Worker" so much maybe some graduates of the University of Bombay with degrees in broadcasting can take over their jobs for much less pay.

[Sam the Sham]

You've hit on something there. One of the dirty little secrets of illegal immigration is that some of the people who are most angry about illegals are Americans of Hispanic descent, like my future son-in-law. They waited their turn and played by the rules, and yet they are the ones who have aspersions cast upon them all the time by everyone else.

Immigration from a country, as it increases, tends towards the norm. The first wave of Cuban emigres were the Americanized elite of Batista Cuba. As emigration continued, it ended up as Marielito criminal trash. Right now immigration from India is white collar professionals. Were it to continue at the same level it would end up as Calcutta street beggars. The same with Mexicans. As the volume of immigration increases, it will become poorer and poorer Mexicans.

[Mulch]

El Busho and his crew selling out his own country. I'm counting the days until he's gone. The only problem is that who comes next may be even more frightening.

[seastay]

Hiring illegal immigration is a modern form of virtual slavery. Slaves may have been killed for not working, but an illegal immigrant ‘voluntarily” leaves his family and homeland for fear of death from starvation and or poverty.

Slaves from Africa were sold by the rulers in their homeland, while illegal immigrants with their remittances make payment to the ruling class in Mexico, leaving Mexico with extra cash to spend on their elite class since they are paying nothing to their poor.

This kind of modern day slavery, where the slaves are made to pay for themselves in the form of remittances is even worse than the slavery of old, at least the slave owners housed their slaves in the past, instead of passing the housing and social care to the US middle class.

But in pre-civil war era it took a group known as the Radical Republicans to stop slavery, so where are the Radical Republicans today?

[azhenfud]

PING! Esp. to the quote in post #15!