Sad, isn't it, this problem of illegal immigrants? It's an issue we have to deal with and it's not easy. But why was it allowed to reach this stage?
Everyone doesn't agree with me on this issue. I say to those who think I'm wrong - show me where I'm wrong. I'm as compassionate as the next person or more so but this is not just about being friends to our neighbors to the south - or to the north.
And don't play that "this is America, we are a nation of immigrants" or "give me your tired, your poor" card on me. This is not 1850. The territories have all been settled and divided into states.
Besides, I am pro-immigrant, I've never said otherwise. I just believe in following our laws, complying with immigrant quotas and protecting our borders. It has nothing to do with compassion, etc. It has everything to do with proper security of our ports and borders (both borders), and management and control of who enters our country, for what reason and whether or not they should be allowed to stay. Every developed country has immigrant laws to protect the interests of their citizens. Even during the early days of our country when large numbers of immigrants were needed to develop and expand this nation, immigration was controlled.
How did it ever get this out of control?
The problem that is never given attention by the "corporate' media is that American businesses continue to break the law by giving illegal law-breaking immigrants jobs that once were worked by legal law-abiding American citizens. If there were no jobs and no welfare, illegal immigrants would not risk their lives and break our laws to enter our country. And the media does not point out that our administrative branch of government, whose first duty is to enforce the law, has winked and nodded to corporate interests and by doing so the administration itself breaks the law. By breaking our laws this administration and this government has failed to protect the citizens of this country and has violated our civil rights. Why hasn't this been taken to the courts?
Only congress can make law and even then not at the whim of only a few men, the majority not elected to office. Our constitution does not allow the presidential branch of government to make laws or ignore them at will. By breaking our laws the current administration is itself illegal. By operating outside the constitution we are effectively no longer a Republic. If this is allowed to continue, the hostile takeover of America by corporations will be complete and their will be no return. We will have become an oligarchic fascist state. America, home of the free will be no more.
And the ridiculous argument that "illegal immigrants are doing jobs that American workers won't do" makes my blood boil. Please tell me who did these jobs before illegal immigrants were allowed to flood our country while the government looked the other way? It was American workers, legal citizens who worked these jobs and even then at pitiful low wages for a country as wealthy as ours. But American corporations don't want to share the wealth with workers. These jobs are now being worked by illegals at lower wages still while companies cry that if they have to pay more they will go out of business, more workers will suffer and the American economy will go in the tank. Bullshit! Corporate executives through poor management, stupid decision-making and by greedily raiding the corporate treasuries are the ones driving corporations to the brink of bankruptcy, not the American workers.
So what do these corporations do to separate more wealth from American workers? They break our laws by hiring illegal workers at less than minimum living standard wages. And our government sanctions it by also breaking the law by not enforcing it - complicitly failing to act and looking the other way.
In fact, this current administration is all about breaking laws. Corruption in government is as high as it's ever been and corporations have bought and paid for our elected representatives on both sides and at all levels of the political spectrum. They apparently want to globalize not only our economy but our nation as well and bring it down to the level of other developing nations where the workers are victimized and paid slave labor wages. More of our national wealth is in the hands of fewer people now than at any time prior to the early part of the last century. The fewer the number that hold power the more abuse of power and the more danger of becoming a true fascist state.
And the free trade agreements, NAFTA/CAFTA, enacted by the free traders including Clinton and other Democrats are complicit as well. These free trade agreements that benefit the wealthy and the powerful have reportedly set the stage for jobs in Mexico and other Latin American countries to be shipped to China and other developing nations where workers are victimized. Many of the jobs created by American companies moving American manufacturing operations to Mexico for example have now been moved from Mexico to Taiwan and China by these same companies who continually chase the lowest production and labor costs. This causes more Mexican citizens to leave their country looking for work in the US.
Other aspects of the free trade agreements have also had a negative impact on those participating nations by fouling their air and water and endangering workers by taking advantage of low or non-existing environmental and safety standards. In a further example Costa Rica has hesitated at ratifying CAFTA because those who oppose it see large multinational companies as vultures that will pick there state owned companies clean of meat leaving Costa Rica with only the bones.
Also on the auction blockunder CAFTA is Costa Rica's national healthcare plan that provides essentially free healthcare to all citizens and extremely low cost drugs. Under CAFTA healthcare will be privatized and generic drugs now available will be replaced by brand name expensive drugs. The wonderful healthcare system now enjoyed by Ticos, as Costa Ricans refer to themselves, will be destroyed and replaced with unaffordable healthcare and drugs. CAFTA in essence allows big pharmaceuticals and large multinational healthcare operations to rape and pillage Ticos as they do elsewhere, driving up costs to employers and making citizens less healthy and less prosperous. Oh, thank you America!
Back to the illegal immigrants. Let's provide amnesty and establish a guest worker program the Bush team says.
How about just complying with the friggin laws?
The US has a temporary (guest) worker program already in place and it has been for years. We as Americans continue to fulfill our time-honored commitment to immigrants under our current immigration law that allows for an annual total of 675,000 legal immigrants, this level to consist of: 480,000 family-sponsored; 140,000 employment-based; and 55,000 “diversity immigrants.” The limited number of aliens who may be issued visas or otherwise provided nonimmigrant status under the temporary worker category is limited to 65,000 annually but these numbers are being exceeded by millions. This temporary worker category is based on the numbers required to harvest crops and there is a system in place for temporary workers to apply for legal entry.
Now we have 12 million or more illegal immigrants demanding their rights. Tyson foods had to shut down about a dozen meat processing plants last Monday when the illegals went on strike. What does that say about Tyson and their respect for the law?
Over the past twenty years or more Tyson foods ran all the mom and pop poultry farmers out of business. Now they are doing it to small pork and beef producers. Tyson now owns or contracts all the livestock producing operations that supplie their slaughter houses and have replaced all their processing plant jobs with illegal workers for wages less than a single worker can live on. What's American about any of that?
Small farmers have introduced a new word to the American lexicon. It's the verb "Tysonized". When a previous poultry farmer or pork or beef farmer are forced out of business they say they were "Tysonized". Just as in the music business artists who are victimized for speaking out against our government as being "Dixie Chicked".
While Tyson makes record profits and executives live like royalty and retire with benefits comparable to a king's ransom they claim this is all in the public's interest and that this is why we can buy affordable chicken.
Bullshit!
Supply and demand dictates cost. If chicken gets too high people don't buy. Profits slide and cost to the consumer comes down. Unlike gasoline, there are viable and cheaper alternatives to the food we eat. Gasoline is high because we are a captive market. Those in control of the petroleum industry have formed a true oligopoly. So have corporate farmers like Tyson and other large monopolies. These monopolies, Wal-Mart at the forefront, are ruining America. Whatever happened to monopoly laws?
The petroleum giants, Tyson Foods and Wal-Mart contribute heavily to Bush and Republican campaign funds. Now do you see why I favor anyone who opposes the so-called Republicans in office? This is just one of the reasons.
Do Democrats also stink? YES! But often less than the corrupt corporatist Republicans holding office. These are not true Republicans in control - these are corrupt imposters.
It's not Republican voters I'm against - like me and you they are just victims of elected representatives that have sold their souls to the devil for profit and power. Once true Republicans see the truth they will respond.
I am an American and a patriot. Join with me in opposing the corrupt government of this nation, both Democrat and Republican. Do everything you can to speak out and hold those guilty accountable for crimes against America.
Gary
