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I have yet to understand why they love picking on them >.<
My guess it's about their relative inability to fight back. I mean who can they complain to if they're paid less than minimum wage, have to work in an unsafe environment, and so on.
The problem is they are not making below minimum wage and haven't as far as I know. What they are making is the same as everyone other non-union worker out there. Alot of them are making the same money but not having to pay taxes. What is funny about that cartoon to me is that is the same guy who will be shocked when his plant is moved overseas because the company he was working for got tired of the union screwing them over. I worked in a union shop for over 9yrs and for the most part, union workers are overpaid, over benefitted, and do next to nothing. They are unskilled labor getting paid what skilled labor should be getting.
When a union worker looses his job he is generally screwed because if it isn't manufacturing he isn't qualified for anything else and they think they should still get paid union wages for the scrub work they are qualified to do….Seen it so many times at my teaching job it wasn't even fun.
The problem with "illegal aliens" (not just hispanics) is one simple thing. They broken the law to get here and put a drain on regular american tax payers for government services they are not only not entitled to, but aren't contributing to.
If you buy something, it's still going to have a tax attached to it.
I love (not really) how people comment that immigrants are ruinning things for "hard working americans" by being willing to risk their life for low pay and being unable to be covered by most of the services alledgely paid by the taxes they aren't paying, all while businessmen really don't give a flying peanut about "hard-working americans" and hire illegal immigrants because they then don't have to actually care about their employees and don't have to fear getting sued.
People cross illegaly for some reason, getting the papers isn't as streamlined a process as people make it up to be. Even if they got the work visa people would still complain that they are taking the jobs out of the hands of "hard-working americans" all the while having an immigrant fix their lawn for them, you can't deny this. Don't you think that, maybe, businessmen and other influntial people could do something, anything, to make more jobs for americans?
Answer me this, besides sweatshops, what jobs are being taken by immigrants that are soooooooo harmful for born-and-raised americans? (Come on, gardening isn't that much of a job).
I've noticed these laws about illegal immigrants tend to focus on the people and not the businesses who employ them (thus providing incentive for more to come over).
I find the concept that someone who is not a criminal can be denied access to 'the land of the free' based purely on their lack of birthright most disturbing.
Really? I find it hilarious, and then the government wonders why all these other countries calls them douchebags, right after they act like one.
life, the ultimate joke. The Comedian was right.
Except, you know, illegal imigration IS a crime. If they went through the proper forms and paperwork, it would be easy to get in. For example, there is somthing called a work visa. It states that you would like to get a job in America. You take the work visa, come to America, work, and you can apply for citizenship while here. It requires some work, yes, but there is no fear of your entire family being deported because of one mistake on your part. You are here free and legal.
I love how people say that “Why don’t they get the correct documentation to cross?”
It’s not that easy. I went to Texas to study for a month and the documentation process was both lengthy and expensive, and I have a fairly good paycheck. People who cross illegally are in dire need for income, they don’t have the money, nor the time do get their papers in order.
Huh? All countries have the right to control their borders and say who can enter and who cannot. As for “doing jobs that American’s won’t do,” I have a unemployed children who would love to get jobs doing landscaping, etc. Small problem: my children, being U.S. citizens, are subject to little things like labor laws, minimum wage, payroll taxes, etc, etc. Illegal aliens are not. Sort of stacks the deck against us citizens, doesn’t it.
Good one. I think the way the American is acting is more accurate than most people care about.
Old joke, but still a good one.
OK, I can't resist this one. First, the comic. Yeah, most of the people I know have illegal immigrants working on their yards and houses (not). I do know several people who have started lawn services…and can barely make ends meet bcs they have to keep their prices too low bcs of lawn services that use illegal immigrants.
2nd, Alverant's 2nd comment is wrong. Most of the current laws being passed require businesses use E-Verify to check an applicant's status (such as the recent law passed in Fremont, Neb) – and there are fines and jail time for those who refuse to.
3rd, Bennee's comment – have you never heard the term ILLEGAL immigrant? It is a criminal offense to be in this country illegally. By definition, that means that if you are in the country illegally, you are a criminal.
Are any of the comments I just made incorrect?
And how often are those laws enforced? The people pushing for anti-immigrant laws tend to also against government "interfering" in business and calling anything that makes businesses accountable for breaking the law "socialism". If you have a link to a news story were business leaders actually got a serious fine and/or jail time for breaking hiring illegal immigrants, I'd love to see it. Take those lawn care businesses you mentioned. Were the owners arrested or fined? Or are they still in business because they use illegal methods to make money? In either case, the fault is not with the law but with the businesses. That should be the target.
Businesses want to make money and if they can make money by hiring illegals then the pro-business/anti-immigrant politicians will look the other way and or issue some token "punishment" for a really blatant offender. As I said, most of the laws FOCUS on the people and not the businesses who make the problem worse. At most, I've seen a token effort that often amounts to nothing more than a small fine (less than what they made by breaking the law) and a promise to never do it again.
You've heard of Walmart right? Who was arrested when they hired illegals or locked them in the store to force them to work unpaid overtime or refused to call an ambulance when an employee had a fatal heart attack because they didn't want to scare the customers? That's just one example.
Under aWol, prosecution of businesses who hired illegals went waaaay down as opposed to Clinton. Guess under which President the country had a more serious problem with illegal immigrants. So yes, your comment is incorrect because these laws you're talking about aren't enforced.
So they are an illegal immigrant because they are a criminal and they are a criminal because they are an illegal immigrant…
Circular reasoning is circular reasoning is circular reasoning…
Coming into a country without the proper papers is illegal and that in fact does make you a criminal by law (though i find that a bit too harsh a verdict).
What you forget here is that illegal immigrants do often work and work hard, that's not the problem, but they do not pay any form of taxes, they do use public services which are provided by people that are paying taxes.
And last but not least because of their willingness to work at a low rate and accept unacceptably dangerous situations they are in fact ruining legal businesses. So they are in fact putting people out of a job by undercutting honest hard-working people.
However there's plenty of "legal" inhabitants of the country who need to get of their high horse and/or lazy asses, and do the "bad" jobs no one else but illegal immigrants are willing to do.
They do pay taxes. Immigrants who get paid 'under the table' don't pay income taxes, no, but they are still subject to sales taxes, property taxes (if they own property), gas and sin taxes, etc. Those who manage to avoid the e-verify have the same income, medicare, and social security taxes taken from their paychecks as everyone else, but they have no way of getting any refund they may qualify for. And they remain ineligible for the very programs those taxes are paying for.
Going to any country without proper visa is illegal in EVERY country. We are the only country that doesn't deport them as soon as we find them….Even Mexico will deport you immediately if you are there illegally…..
Nice discussion guys. It's good to see an exchange of views without the snipping and name calling that so often happens on the internet.
I think major cause is the 'us and them' mentality that develops in these situations. Illegal immigrants, and all Hispanics in general (have you ever heard anyone complaining about illegal Asian or Canadian immigrants?) have been shoved into the 'them' category by many people, including politicians, media gurus, religious leaders, and common folk. People in the 'them' category aren't people in our minds– they're nameless, faceless creatures with no connection to us. They have no family (as we understand family), no history, no worries or fears or hopes or dreams. They simply exist, usually for a nefarious or mysterious purpose, and are generally considered to pose some threat to 'normal people'. The only things that can be done with them is to exploit them, ignore them, blame them, and/or get rid of them (see: historical treatment of Jews in Europe).
This is an excellent article explaining why this happens: http://www.cracked.com/article_14990_what-monkeys…
Very nice article Dani. Thanks for posting the link!
Don't forget these are some of the same things that were said about EVERY wave of immigrants that made their way here. Ask the Irish or Chinese how they were "welcomed" to the land of the free. History is not as pretty as some believe. For some people there will always be a "they" to hate even if only in their minds.
Reminds me of a Simpsons episode. THE ALL AMERICAN IDIOTS!
Too bad none of you guys around here have ever talked to "THEM" and actually heard what "THEY" say about things. I happen to be one of "THEM" and I am appalled at how the illegals are treated in this country. If they were processed into a system, the subjugation of these modern slaves would end.