well said ... it’s people like you who run small businesses who get squeezed by the corporate guru’s and their K Street lobbyists. Unfortunately, few recognize that.
The current immigration bill would not be out there were it not for big business and the multitude of related trade associations in DC lobbying full time. We can complain about LaRaza all we want, but on its own it wouldn’t have been able to pull in enough Congressmen and Senators to bring this bill to the Floor, much less have a chance of passing.
It doesn't affect my business too much. But the blame needs to be squarely apportioned between the chamber guys, who drool over the prospect of an underclass to exploit for cheap labor and the leftists, who drool over the prospect of another underclass to exploit for cheap votes. Also, companies like First Data (Western Union) who make huge amounts of money remitting money to Mexico.
A guest worker class is perfect for both groups. Underclass members work for cheap, are second class residents and their kids (citizens all) grow up with the typical resentments and entitlement sense of the underclass and grow up to be perfect little exploitable democrats.
On balance, the left is more to blame--you can look at the senate votes and see where the balance lies. But without the chamber guys, the left would be unable to realize its takeover vision for America. It's an unholy alliance of venal motives all around.
But there it is. Either we beat it as citizens without huge money resources and no support from the major media outlets or we're the Senate's clay pigeon with Trent Lott, John McCain and Teddy Kennedy taking shots at us while they laugh in Senatorial bonhomie and congratulate each other on the good shots.