With all that's in the news lately, regarding "illegal immigrants," and "guest workers," I keep hearing the justification that there is value to having such people come here because they will perform the tasks that we're just too good for.
Sort of a bizarre thing to claim, but I've seen how people on the School Debating Team had learned to argue almost any point of view from any side and make it sound convincing, or at least palatable. But, this one leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
No argues that the people who pick our produce, baby-sit our children, and clean our toilets are not given a fair living wage. It's a given that those same workers are not afforded the guarantee of safe and clean working conditions, adequate employer sponsored health care, or the job security and protection offered by organized labor and government oversight.
The simple truth about illegal immigrant workers is, they come here because they'll take any job, even a bad one, because low pay for us is a higher pay for them. And... the simple truth about us is, Americans won't take those jobs because they don't pay enough to make it worth the effort, given our cost of living. It's basic, personal living issues -- not some lofty plan to help those less fortunate than us, not a design for preserving the economy, not a way of providing a workforce to replace all of us who have gone on to bigger and better things.
I've been thinking about the sort of jobs I wouldn't do. I wouldn't have a job that required harming people, or that would force me to leave some behind while others advanced. I wouldn't take a job that caused me to create rules and compromises that were not in the best interest of "all" others. And, I don't think I'd want a job that placed me in front of vast audiences, making claims that my side had a solution that would make things better soon -- and that, although it looked bad, it was actually a good thing, even if it would only slightly help some people, some of the time. No, I wouldn't ever become a professional politician, no matter what it paid.
1 comment:
Well stated Thunder Walk. I believe that Americans get afraid when we use the phrase, "They're taking our jobs." But the truth of the matter is these immigrants, aliens, what ever term a politician wishes to call them, are just as open to the American system as its citizens are. To shift the subject a bit, America was founded by immigrant groups that believed in and were searching for not just religious freedom, but equal opportunity. With that said, I despise of any "native" American that looks down on foreigners. The comments like, "Why can't everyone speak English" kills me. Our boarders are open to those who wish to seek a better life. The Americans who think like this are failing to realize how great this nation is not just to themselves…but to others!
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