He’s so far off. Here’s a guy who fights so hard for the middle class that you have to respect him, but then you peer more closely and realize that his anger is so misplaced! Why does he insist on scapegoating Mexicans? Why did he say on CNN just now that we should address border security before deciding the fate of the 10-12 million people at risk of deportation in this country? Can’t we do both simultaneously? Our markets are already open, if we close the borders (for real this time) and invite our already contributing guests to join in on the benefits of our society, then shouldn’t that expand our economy?
People always complain about ‘losing their job to a Mexican,’ but what they don’t realize is that in the new global economy, their job could have also either been downsized, outsourced to an Indian firm, or even given to a Mexican in Mexico! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, we need to work with the Mexican government to provide their citizens the opportunities they need to make more-productive lives for themselves in their own country.
The economic reality of the situation here in the States also shows that many Mexicans will underbid their American counterparts for jobs, and they do this because it provides the employer an incentive to take a chance on undocumented labor. Legalize these workers and you’ll finally allow them to lift themselves out of their much-cliched poverty. Now we know why the pro-business right doesn’t want amnesty. They want to protect the profit margins created by their cheap labor force!
While I still consider border jumping to be tantamount to trespassing, I also think we need to remove the incentive. Seriously, if someone came into my house and stole a loaf of bread because they didn’t have anything to feed their family, and then they decided they would pay me back by working it off, I would graciously accept their offer. But I wouldn’t invite their whole family to come stay with me either!
By no means am I an immigration activist, It’s not an issue that really affected my life in Boston. But now I live in a community surrounded by Mexican immigrants. Some undocumented, some citizens. All very nice, hard-working people, many are just parents trying to give their children the best life possible. Most get a paycheck and pay taxes on that paycheck. In so many ways, these immigrants are just like any other Americans and if they were lined up with ‘legal’ Mexicans, one would need to be omnipotent to know who is which.
So why is the anti-amnesty agenda gaining steam? It’s because of all that hot air coming from a usually cool cucumber. Does that make Lou Dobbs a biofuel?
SMS
