Posted on 12/22/2004 1:14:36 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
WASHINGTON (Talon News) -- Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) issued a statement on Tuesday contrasting the government's zeal in preventing parrots from Mexico from illegally entering the country with their efforts to stop illegal immigration in general.
Under the headline "Apparently There Are No Jobs Available That American Parrots Won't Do," Tancredo said he was surprised to learn of the "incredible success that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers enjoyed in apprehending smugglers attempting to illegally smuggle 150 Lilac Crowned and Mexican Redhead Amazon Parrots into the United States."
The statement points out that ICE, however, has not had the same luck in preventing an estimated 3 million illegal alien human beings from swarming into the U.S. annually unchecked.
"It's nice to see that ICE has their priorities in order," quipped Tancredo, head of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus. "Now that we appear able to successfully identify and apprehend parrots attempting to enter the U.S. illegally, perhaps doing the same with people is just around the corner."
In addressing illegal immigration questions at Wednesday's press conference, President Bush said that America wants border patrol agents "chasing crooks and thieves and drug runners and terrorists, not good-hearted people who are coming here to work."
"And therefore, it makes sense to allow the good-hearted people who are coming here to do jobs that Americans won't do a legal way to do so," Bush added in reference to his guest worker plan. "And providing that legal avenue, it takes the pressure off the border."
The president said that the border should be "modern" and that border patrol should be upgraded.
"Now, one of the important aspects of my vision is that this is not automatic citizenship," Bush explained. "The American people must understand that. That if somebody who is here working wants to be a citizen, they can get in line like those who have been here legally and have been working to become a citizen in a legal manner."
Tancredo, who supports some form of guest worker program but who has been a vocal critic of the administration's efforts to increase border security and stop illegal immigration, noted in his press release that an international environmental organization called WildAid congratulated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ICE for "foiling the diabolical plot of the sinister bird-smugglers in San Diego earlier this year, and 'deporting' the parrots to Mexican wildlife authorities."
"Better yet," added Tancredo, "Perhaps we should explore the possibility of moving the Fish and Wildlife Service from the Interior Department over into Homeland Security."
Copyright © 2004 Talon News -- All rights reserved.
You don't see how raising the minimum wages high enough to get those jobs filled would damage the economy?
The cascade effect of that would reach all levels of our financial establishment. Most especially the small business owners, but it would rapidily reach each and every one of us.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not favoring ILLEGAL immigration, but I do favor the President's plan for a quest worker program as the best thing that can be done given all the facts.
Having recently been exposed to the foreign worker, I wonder if the foreign worker guest program should not be changed to foreign worker program or would that be too misleading?
kinda hard to support unions when they use memebers' dues against the members will (by supporting liberal politicians amd leftist agendas)
"You don't see how raising the minimum wages high enough to get those jobs filled would damage the economy?"
Actually, I think it would be great for the economy for all industries to start paying at lest minimum wages. Here is why:
1) The consumer economy would increase and this would cause a boost in jobs at other businesses.
2) There would be a boost in federal tax receipts that would reduce the deficit.
3) It would afford more working class families a decent living.
Dont forget, the reason that most of these illegal families can afford the low wages they have is that they violate the law in other ways also. They live multiple families per housing unit. What kind of boost to housing demands would it cause if individual families in these groups of families went out and got their own place to live?
Also, keep in mind that part of Bush goal is to make these laborers legal and then that would allow them to make minimum wage, so that is in keeping with his goals in the first place.
Frankly, I think most business people that hire illegals do not want any change in the status quo and so they will cockroach the Presidents proposals and cause them to fail.
If there is, put me on it. I have 2 parrots as well as cats and a dog. The aweful truth is that the dog sits under the cages hoping for the birds to spill their food so he can get a free snack. The cats are scared of the parrots. Those beaks can cause quite a pinch in a kitty nose and the wing flapping is too fast for the cat's comfort. One bird will bully the cats away from its food to have it for himself. It is funny when the African Grey calls the dog by name using my wife's voice and the dog comes running!
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I know plenty of people who are working for $5 to $7/hour now and they are not illegals. I know people who hire migrants every year and they don't get paid anywhere near $7/hour. Not sure where you live but it sounds rather unique to me.
Depends on what you call a "livable" wage. If it has to enough to pay rent, food(including cigarettes and alcohol), insurance, car, and some spending money, I've heard that that is about $25/hour. How many people make that with one job? Lot's of people work more than one job or more than one member of the family works.
Hey now!You know how to build a retaining wall correctly so that it doesn't collapse in 10 years?How about a waterfall cascading into a pond?No talent indeed.( I own a landscape business)I know what you meant though :D
Also,as for the comment(not by you) that they don't see Americans lining up to do yard work.HA!Check out Lawnsite.com.Over 25,000 current members of American lawn care and landscaping providers on this one forum alone.All trying to make a living from "yard work".
Exactly - we need to separate welfare of all forms from vote buying politics - which means separating vote buying politicians from their fat government job. We need more people active in forcing change in this system.
"Depends on what you call a "livable" wage. If it has to enough to pay rent, food(including cigarettes and alcohol), insurance, car, and some spending money, I've heard that that is about $25/hour. How many people make that with one job? Lot's of people work more than one job or more than one member of the family works."
Good point. A lot of jobs are traditionally held by students or less qualified workers with no skills.
But when I was in such a situation in Texas, I was able to support a family of 4 on $1200 a month after taxes, making about $10 an hour.
Mexicans typically make far less than that and drive the wages far further down. I saw drywall hanger pay go from $2.80 a sheet down to $1.50 a sheet in the course of 5 years, from 1978 to 1983 and that was almost all due to the effect of tons of illegal labor.
Imagine what the drywall hangers went through losing about 45% of their income because the government stopped enforcing the immigration laws.
The EXCUSE that we need ILLEGALS to "do jobs Americans won't do" is a farce! How long do illegal immingrants intend to do these jobs? Forever? No. AT most they will do these jobs for a generation and their offspring will not be doing them at all, since that is the American Dream.
So, inevitably, the stream of illegals coming to the US MUST NEVER END. It MUST continue indefinately so that no American born passed 1980 will EVER have to work at McDonalds or clean a toilet!
But let's not kid ourselves with the "talking points" from BOTH sides of this matter - we have to fix both sides of this problem.
My family survived on Enlisted Military Pay IN SAN DIEGO, CA for ten years so I know what reality is for a lot of people - you have to live within your means, which is not what television and public school are teaching our kids.
My wife grew up eating whatever was grown or slaughtered by the family. Store-bought was a rare luxury city slickers enjoyed.
But I will say it again, the number of Americans who are willing to WORK and make life work out no matter what is getting very slim. Teens and twenty-somethings are constantly complaining about what they ain't got and refusing to work for the money they do get paid. How is customer service for you these days? I help people every time I go to any store because nobody in the store knows the answers anymore. I do nearly all repairs to my home and cars because the "Americans" I go to either don't fix it right, can't fix it, or want 500% in fees for what it would cost me to do it myself. I don't hire suspicious or obviously illegal alien workers because I've seen too many things not work out right, codes are not necessarily met, and some people get burned.
I agree.
I want to add one thing to all this; Mexicans are some darned good people, and I want a whole lot more of them in this country. I think in the near future, having so many people that work hard and have tons more common sense than you average academian will be a huge blessing for this country, and already is.
The problem is the RATE at which these people are coming in. It is too fast, too many and out of control. That is the problem.
As I ahve said on other threads, I thank God quite sincerely that we are having this problem with Mexicans instead of Muslims like Europe is having, and that is for certain. While a respect Islam, I dont think it mixes well right now tih modern democracy, especially with the Islamacists mixed in.
I never wanted to work in a pet store...
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