Immigration - Part 1

I am going to post some thoughts on immigration debate in 2 parts.

Immigration Part 1

One thing that really gets under my skin when it comes to the immigration debate, is when Republicans say that illegal immigrants are driving down wages for American workers. It is not illegal immigrants that keep wages low, it’s the United States Congress that keeps wages down. The minimum wage has not been raised since 1997 when it went from $5.15 to $5.35. Each time Congress has had the opportunity to raise the minimum wage, it has been voted down by Republicans in Congress, if you don’t believe me, just look at the voting record on the minimum wage bills. Time after time, Republicans in the House and Senate voted down any attempt to raise the minimum wage, however, when it came to their own pay, they have twice voted to give themselves raises. So Conservatives shouldn’t start using illegal immigrants as scapegoats to justify their corporate greed.

The other point being used as a justification to secure the borders is the threat of terrorism. The fear perpetuation of 9/11 rears its ugly head again. There are those who say that terrorists will flock to Mexico, and easily enter into the U.S. and carry out attacks here in the states. Now, I do agree that this is a serious issue, but it seems a bit naive to believe that there are not already terrorists living in this country planning to carry out attacks. I mean we live in an open society, and as great as it is, one of the trade offs of having personal freedom, is that you cannot be completely safe all the time. The worst thing our government can do is continue to perpuate the notion that all people can live in a safe and secure society. It’s not possible, the fabric of society is far too complex, and mulit-layered for that ever to be possible.

The thing that I find most entertaining about this issue is that the two sides fighting it are the Republicans, and the Republicans. The liberals are kind of out to lunch on this one, as they have been on most other issues these days. But one side of the GOP says that we just “build a wall to keep them Mexicans out,” apparently after their great, great, grand pappy wiped out the last of the Indian tribes, their control over the new world became absolute. Then there is CEO asshole side of the party that says, “well I don’t want those damn people living here, but whom else can we get to put telephones together for 38 cents per day? Maybe we can just give them a card that allows them to come work here, but they have to go back over the border at the end of the day.” See illegal immigration is the dirty little secret for a lot of companies. They love it.

Neither solution will work. The work-visa program that the President supports does absolutely nothing for these people, and frankly, it’s a bit of an insult. These people can come and work, and support the infrastructure of this country, but they are not allowed to live among us. What a stupid idea. Only a country with ignorant leadership would call that a solution. People are not just coming here for work, they are coming here because, and I know this may be a quaint notion, they believe in the American Dream. They are seeking out a better life, and such mentality should be encouraged because many of these people have the kind of work ethic that more Americans should have.

As for the wall, just ask China and Berlin how well that will work. See the idea of building a wall may seem like a good idea to keep people out, but no physical structure can stop an intangible. People’s desire to seek out a better life for them and their families will motivate them to get around any obstacle. They will climb, they will dig, they endure whatever hardships they have to endure to come to the land of opportunity. For years European immigrants, my grandfather among them, endured an unbearable trans-Atlantic ride on a crowded ship in uncertain seas, just so that they may have the opportunity to be an American. History has showed time and time again that there is no wall that can block determination. There is no barrier that cannot be overcome in pursuit of such a goal.








Here is a fantastic piece from Bill Maher, from HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher.

Don't blame illegal immigrants for driving down wages. Blame Congress. Republicans in Congress have to stop saying that the problem with Mexicans coming over the border is they keep wages down. You know what keeps wages down? The fact that Congress hasn't raised the minimum wage since 1997. 1997, when my dealer still had a beeper! Car dealer, car dealer, what did I say?

Yes, news flash: Congress controls what the minimum wage is. Who did you think it was, the valet parking team at Tony Roma's? And upping the minimum wage would affect wages. It has to. The word "wage" is right in it. Even George Bush could understand that. Maybe not. The point is, the elephant in the room is that no one can live on minimum wage, and that we are making a whole swath of our society - tens of millions of people - live like animals. So that the luckier segment can live with indulgences their parents never dreamed of.

Do you know that most upper-middle-class people nowadays never clean their own toilet or do their own laundry...until they go to rehab.

Adjusted for inflation, the minimum wage is actually lower than it was in 1968, the year George Bush graduated from Yale. And that is unforgivable! And the wage thing is bad, too.

People like to tell themselves that these immigrants do the jobs Americans won't do. Not true. Americans will pick fruit in the hot sun. But not at $5.15 an hour. Trust me. If some of these jobs paid real wages, your wife would be having sex with a Jewish gardener.

Americans want the contributions of the poor and the immigrant without having to actually see or be among them. Which is why I suggest, instead of building a wall on the border, we build a Wal-Mart. It would be 1,950 miles long, or the size of a normal Wal-Mart. And there would still be just the one register open. But it would solve this problem.

Because if we built this Wal-Mart exactly on the border, the Americans could come through the front door and shop, and the Mexicans could come through the back door and work. And then go home the same way at night, unless they got locked in. It is Wal-Mart.

In summation, I am not saying that raising the minimum wage is going to solve the illegal immigration problem. That can only be solved by arming Lou Dobbs. But five bucks an hour in an America where the luckier ones spend that on a coffee, is a cruel joke. And if you don't believe me, do what I do. Listen to the voices of those poor souls who are making this paltry sum. Of course, I have to. They're my staff.