Gosh, I'm sick and tired of the attacks on immigration - the latest a move by "conservative" representatives to revoke birthrights for children of illegal immigrants. I put the quotes because I hate labels, and being a conservative myself, don't think its conservatism as I see it to oppose immigration, for reasons I will discuss below.
First a disclaimer. I'm a LEGAL immigrant, and proud of the contributions immigrants, legal and otherwise, have made to this country, be it starting IT firms, running gas stations, serving in academe, or working diligently on grape and strawberry farms. But this is not a post on legal immigration - that seems, for the moment, a less contentious issue, except among leftist unions.
OK, over to the illegal immigration issue. Here's why it's not prudent to oppose illegal immigration - they come because we need them! Pure and simple, supply and demand. We have a serious labor shortage in this country, especially for backbreaking jobs like working in labor-intensive farming operations. (For a touching story of one child and his family's travails as a illegal farmhand, read the firsthand account called 'The Circuit' by Francisco Jiminez). Let's see, at present the US unemployment rate is somewhere south of 5%. By traditional standards, that should have triggered inflation - know why that hasn't happened. Two words - cheap labor ... be it in the form of (mostly illegal) immigration, or outsourcing.
Demographics played a big role in America's surge over Britian and the European powers, but now the same demographic factors threaten US economic supremacy. Short of figuring a way to create working-age humans in the lab, the only way we can get enough productivity at low inflation rates to support the Baby Boomers is immigration.
So whether you are a poor blue-collar worker trying to buy affordable groceries, or a middle-class professional trying to make some money in the stock market, a retiree trying to preserve the true value of your nest egg or a company trying to keep your costs down, stand up and be thankful that there are poor Mexicans willing to risk their lives for the peanuts we throw them to scrub our floors, clean our toilets, make our sandwiches, pick our fruit or process your meat!
Oh, and by the way, I couldn't help but notice the comment from Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), suggesting that rather than seek an outright vote which would likely lose (or at least get vetoed by President Bush), supporters seek to hide the provision in a likely-to-pass bill. This is an old cheap trick by senators and congressman, one that really has to stop! Not that I would have expected that much from Tancredo, who is already in my Hall of Shame, for his stupid comments on taking out Mecca.
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3 comments:
Karthrik, we're all immigrants or descendents of immagrants here (in the land now known as the United States). There shouldn't be any difference whether our families arrived in 2000 B.C.E. or earlier, 1500 C.E., 1776, 1870, 1940, 2005, or later.
immigration isn't always about economics and unemployment, it can be about politics such as pandering to the conservative base, etc. It can also have a large impact on the ethnic make up of the country, making the current majority into a future minority. Examples of that is seen in india, taiwan, australia, etc.
The powers that be (and others) always oppose such change in ethnic makeup due to the impact it has on their power. Again, this is seen in the anti-chinese policy of Australia First, anti-muslim policy of BJP in India, anti-Tamil policy of PA in Sri Lanka, etc, etc.
Its all about politics. By the way, i am not anti-immigration as i am a foreigner in this country.
anti-muslim policy of BJP in India?
Hindu baiting?
Truth is pro-Christian, pro-Muslim CON(CROSS) RULING India by proxy Italian mafiosi
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