Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Talking about what happened a century ago isn’t relevant. Conditions have changed. There was no welfare available for immigrants (legal or otherwise) back then and as such they didn’t become public charges. Many also went back home if they weren’t able to find work.
This “doing the jobs Americans won’t” is such a tired trope. Yes, they’re doing jobs that Americans won’t do for lousy wages and no benefits. You trying picking lettuce in the southern heat for $12 and hour and no bathroom breaks. God forbid we don’t depend on immigrant labor and actually pay Americans more money, you might have to pay fifty cents more for that lettuce and the CEO of Big Agracorp might not make his seven figure bonus!
Talking about what happened a century ago isn’t relevant. Conditions have changed. There was no welfare available for immigrants (legal or otherwise) back then and as such they didn’t become public charges. Many also went back home if they weren’t able to find work.
This “doing the jobs Americans won’t” is such a tired trope. Yes, they’re doing jobs that Americans won’t do for lousy wages and no benefits. You trying picking lettuce in the southern heat for $12 and hour and no bathroom breaks. God forbid we don’t depend on immigrant labor and actually pay Americans more money, you might have to pay fifty cents more for that lettuce and the CEO of Big Agracorp might not make his seven figure bonus!
Fine, but that's been PROVEN over and over again NOT to happen. What does happen is we move even MORE production to 3rd world countries and IMPORT more cheap crap. Current tariffs have driven ALL soybean production, our ONE hedge against China to Brazil and Argentina. Agracorp still gets it's money, American farmer gets welfare. American's are lucky to squeeze $15/hr out of Amazon just to shuttle cheap crap from Malaysia around the states. There is the reality where "Americans won't do the jobs" and fantasy where we'll pay $15/hr plus benefits to strawberry pickers. It aint happenin. The ONLY way is a massive effort to ENFORCE THE CURRENT LABOR LAWS. That aint happenin either.
Illegal workers work harder than anyone else.
They're "illegal" just because it's better for the system to keep them like that.
I'm sure your life style is 10 times better than theirs.
So, if we have money and worked for our good lifestyle we're supposed to feel sorry for "illegals" and pay them so they can be more like us?" Ok, I get it! More taxes!
So, if we have money and worked for our good lifestyle we're supposed to feel sorry for "illegals" and pay them so they can be more like us?" Ok, I get it! More taxes!
Unless you can find someone to take the job, yes, they get the chance to be "more like us." Used to be called the American Dream, but as George Carlin said, "they call it the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."
The denial is sooooo deep on this one. If you want to hire LEGALS, you have to pay a LEGAL wage that makes us LESS competitive. If you hire illegals, you pay what you can get away with. That is the LABOR PATH we have chosen AS A COUNTRY. Everyone complains from their little perspective but no one wants to own the big picture or do a single thing about it EXCEPT make illegals scapegoats when it's convenient for their agenda. When they (and their constituents, ie big dollar campaign donors) need CHEAP LABOR (which is ALWAYS), they shut up quick and look the other way.
Unless you can find someone to take the job, yes, they get the chance to be "more like us." Used to be called the American Dream, but as George Carlin said, "they call it the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."
The denial is sooooo deep on this one. If you want to hire LEGALS, you have to pay a LEGAL wage that makes us LESS competitive. If you hire illegals, you pay what you can get away with. That is the LABOR PATH we have chosen AS A COUNTRY. Everyone complains from their little perspective but no one wants to own the big picture or do a single thing about it EXCEPT make illegals scapegoats when it's convenient for their agenda. When they (and their constituents, ie big dollar campaign donors) need CHEAP LABOR (which is ALWAYS), they shut up quick and look the other way.
The truth is this country never found a way to replace the free labor that slavery provided. This is why the USA became a world power - we had a lot of land, a lot of natural resources, and free labor.
Fast forward to today, employers are willing to pay as little as possible for the most work they can get out of people. If there was no incentive to come here illegally, people will not come. But somebody will always need some dishes washed or a lawn mowed, and will pay as cheaply as possible, because of the economic conditions that have been created.
Just let me know when the robots start providing the free labor.
__________________
"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
The truth is this country never found a way to replace the free labor that slavery provided. This is why the USA became a world power - we had a lot of land, a lot of natural resources, and free labor.
Fast forward to today, employers are willing to pay as little as possible for the most work they can get out of people. If there was no incentive to come here illegally, people will not come. But somebody will always need some dishes washed or a lawn mowed, and will pay as cheaply as possible, because of the economic conditions that have been created.
Just let me know when the robots start providing the free labor.
I think it was post WWII stimulus that created our wealth. Europe, Russia and Japan were mostly destroyed and we became the manufacturing and export engine of the world...subsidized by our govt (omg, not SOCIALISM, heaven forbid!!). GI Bill made education a priority. Easy lending for returning GIs (well, the white ones anyway) made Levittowns happen all over. Since 1999, we have basically been in a bi-partisan tug of war to destroy all of that and pretend we'll make toasters for $9 again. Not happening, ever. And so we will continue to lose. China didn't "steal our jobs," we gladly handed them over so a CEO could bump his bonus 1000x. Neither did Mexico, we actually had to come up with a bi-partisan policy to give them our jobs, the massive layoffs bumping up the stock price, but destroying Main St, USA. So what if a whole town got laid off and now is on welfare or working at Dollar General? Capitalism! Then they vote for the same moron again. It is what it is. Robots already providing tons of labor, not for free, but they don't take health benefits or trips to the can!
Americans have played themselves so many ways they don't even know who to be mad at anymore. Anyone but ourselves.
Last edited by monstermagnet; 04-19-2021 at 01:36 PM..
Are you saying republicans don’t want to make the minimum wage $15/hr because they would rather have Mexican labor to take advantage of?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
