Just hire Americans

The Arizona Republic ^ | July 23, 2003 | Tim Johnson (letter to the editor)

[Willie Green]

We will never stop the flow of illegal aliens until it becomes too costly for the people who hire them.

Our manufacturing businesses moved factories overseas for the cheap labor, and now the service industry (which can't move overseas) has learned that it can increase profits by hiring uneducated, poor Mexicans. The big lie is that the illegal aliens are doing jobs Americans won't do. The truth is that Americans can't do the jobs for the pay Mexicans will work for.

[Texas_Dawg]

What are we going to do with all the non-working immigrants and Americans that are here now?

Cut welfare payments. Keep fighting, keep cutting. They'll either work harder to find or create jobs, or they'll go back to somewhere that the cost of living is cheaper. I'm not for opening the flood gates. I'm for controlling our borders and then bringing in enough people to do the jobs needed at the cheapest price. I am NOT for cutting off immigration in order to force me and other Americans to have to pay high prices to support ridiculously inflated wages for union workers. If someone out there is willing to do the same job for less than someone here, bring them on.

[austinTparty]

If we could get rid of the welfare state in one fell swoop, eliminating all government transfer payments, many of the anti-immigration crowd still wouldn't change their mind, they'd just find a new reason to be against it. That being said, I am for abolishing the welfare state. Lock, stock and barrel. Private charities do the same thing far better with VOLUNTARY contributions, not the "robbing Peter to pay Paul" system we currently have.

[Texas_Dawg]

many of the anti-immigration crowd still wouldn't change their mind, they'd just find a new reason to be against it.

Of course... I'm against lawlessness and illegal immigration as much as anyone is. But with this crowd, "illegals" means "Mexicans", legal or otherwise. I'm from Texas and live in NYC. I've worked warehouses in 100 degree Texas summers with Mexicans who couldn't speak English, and from my experiences, if I've got a job I need to do, I will take those guys over many of the unionizes "Americans" I've seen up here. A friend here was telling me recently about a union worker who had been hired by his firm to move some computers from one building to another. My friend's computer was slow in arriving and it was getting late in the day and he HAD to have the computer in place before the start of the next day... yet the union workers (still on the clock) would not bring his computer over from the other building because they had filled their pre-arranged quota for the day or something. So my friend, fed up, finally just said, "Fine. I'll go over there and get it myself," at which point the union worker told him to hang on, he could not be doing this since it was their job and this would cause a legal conflict, and that the union worker would call his supervisor to see if it was OK for the union worker to go get the computer. This kind of story in the completely unionized Northeast (they're blue states for a reason) is nothing unusual. I am so glad that this type of Marxist insanity is so inherently absure to Texans, and I would take every single Mexican I have ever met in my life over white, American, union workers like the one my friend encountered.

[austinTparty]

As far as I'm concerned, protecting our borders means "keep the terrorists out" and let the hard-working (legal) immigrants in. Of course we want to pay attention to who comes over our borders, but after 9/11, I'm a helluva lot more worried about the Arab immigrants crossing over from Canada, than I am about José who is coming across at Tijuana to go pick tomatoes in an American field.

[Willie Green]

and I would take every single Mexican I have ever met in my life over white, American, union workers like the one my friend encountered.

Blacks were more likely to be union members (16.9 percent) than either whites (12.8 percent) or Hispanics (10.5 percent). Black men had the highest unionization rate (18.2 percent) among the major demographic groups, and Hispanic women and white women had the lowest rates, 9.8 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively.

Source

I know facts don't mean much to you, but I figured I'd post them anyway.

[LNewman]

Oh, how's about offering a percentage of that $10,000 fine to the local city's coffers. Sounds motivating ... instead of these charity queens (the build-a-slum babes), et al, rushing to inundate my area, possibly yours, lest the scourge reach their neighborhoods.

I'd like to see a list in every morning's paper, naming those, individuals and businesses alike, apprehended for hiring illegals. They list restaurants with health code violations. They do the same, or at least my local does, for those suspected of DUIs. And, by the way, I no longer purchase Tyson products, do you?

Oh yeah, I forgot ... my city RUNS an illegal alien job center and the county HR nimnod says we shouldn't have "too many rules" there, while the legitimate temp company "Labor Day" less than a mile away has to follow laws.

[King Prout]

agreed.
the trick would then become one of identification of those companies.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

To my surprise most of the hotels, restaurants, and carwashes were staffed by American citizens.

And it's the same where I live, local citizens doing all the jobs "no one wants to do".

Illegals are not needed except by businesses who want the cheap labor. Enforce the laws and put Americans back to work.

[harpseal]

Illegally entering or staying in the uSA already is a felony. It already is a felony to assist a person in being in the USA illegally. We need to enforce the imigration laws already on the books.

[harpseal]

Ping.

If you want on or off my economy ping list let me know.

[A. Pole]

The truth is that Americans can't do the jobs for the pay Mexicans will work for.

Can't? Or don't want to?

I wonder how many free traders would accept the average Mexican standard of living?

[MissAmericanPie]

Can't. Mexicans live eight/ten men to an apartment, share expenses and send the rest home to Mexico to the tune of nine billion a year. No American family lives 8 familes to a house. Americans can't live on the salary illegals can.

Besides the tired excuse sold to Americans as to why it has been and continues to be "our duty" to endure high taxes, pay billions in foreign aid, hock our future to the tune of 34 trillion IOU's, and allow ourselves to be inundated while turning the U.S. into a third world flop house was to raise the boats of the people of the world, NOT SINK OURS, and certainly not lower our boats or standard of living on the altar of the "god of diversity". We are being strip mined by pandering politicians in the pockets of greedy corporations.

[clamper1797]

Well ... it happened. Our departments H1B got called back to India ... stated reason was immigration issues ... apparently the company is getting rid of the H1B's. Though he is a nice kid and I liked him a lot ... I'm really not sorry to see him go. This company has had 4 lay-offs in the 10 months I have been here. The guy in the cube next to me who has been with the company 22 years said to me yesterday that he's lost a lot of good friends and the company lost /laid off a lot of good workers to bring in the H1B's. He said he felt that they had NO BUSINESS here when there are so many laid of American engineers (my sentiments exactly) He said he has worked with a lot of them and most can't hold a candle to an American engineer. That is the same experience that I have had with them as well.

I did not realize the level of hostility there is for the H1B's held by the other engineers I work with until I talked with several yesterday. BTW I've been assigned to take over / cleaning up the mess left by the H1B in question.

[CholeraJoe]

Interesting perspective re:Ohio. I live in Montana and it's the same. Hotel housekeepers, landscapers, construction workers, agricultural workers - all Americans. Some are Native Americans but Americans, just the same.

[Reaganwuzthebest]

If you get a chance harpseal please put me on you ping list.

[Texas_Dawg]

Americans can't live on the salary illegals can.

Sure they can. They just don't want too many times.

[Texas_Dawg]

I wonder how many free traders would accept the average Mexican standard of living?

I would never, ever, ever sit around and demand that the federal government protect my salary with other Americans' money.

[harpseal]

I'm for controlling our borders and then bringing in enough people to do the jobs needed at the cheapest price.

In other words you are for artificially manipulating the marketplace to give benefits to yourself.

[harpseal]

Well ... it happened. Our departments H1B got called back to India ... stated reason was immigration issues ... apparently the company is getting rid of the H1B's.

Glad to hear it.

BTW I've been assigned to take over / cleaning up the mess left by the H1B in question.

I am certain that will keep you busy for a while.

[harpseal]

I would never, ever, ever sit around and demand that the federal government protect my salary with other Americans' money.

Yet because you think yourself immune from the pressures overseas outsourcing and illegal immigrants and H1-B guest workers provide you demand the Federal government subsidize you through no tariffs and violation of immigration laws and bringin foreign workers. you are of the dame stripe as the Union thugs you talk of just you get the benefits instead of them.