[FITZ]

Marx was a European visitor, so he's right about communism never being a homegrown phenomenon here.

Americans weren't much into unions or Socialism until after the late 1800s and large waves of immigration brought in the type of people to support all that. Before then there weren't the kind of people who would support Socialist programs in the US.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

The unions used to be the biggest opponents of illegal immigration. But just like big business the leadership has jumped on the bandwagon of late viewing them as a source of paying members. In upstate NY though at least, the rank and file does not want illegal immigrants around because they undercut wages. The INS has been getting called at construction sites where the illegals show up and they're removed. Too bad they don't do that nationwide.

[Twodees]

Yep, but the first influx of communist/socialists came in the 1850s when the failed '48 revolutionaries came over. Lincoln's army had a lot of them.