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I've been thinking about this situation for many years, wondering why both parties would coordinate so closely to enable / embrace illegal immigration, and it's finally dawned on me...it goes beyond democrats looking for votes, and republicans seeking cheap labor.
Let's make a few assumptions here, that both parties are ultimately in the pockets of corporate america and are mere pawns of them. And assume that the core, primary interest of both parties is to retain their current power structure, along with the current economic environment; one where the middle class' salaries continue to erode while their bills for such items as gasoline, electricity, etc. - all required items other than food - continue to rise. In essence, a massive transfer of wealth from most of the country into the hands of the corporate executives of oil, cable, and other major firms. Neither of these are stretches by any means.
That said, the one industry that has not seen massive, comparable price increases over the last 40 years from 1973-2013 is food, the primary industry where most illegals work in some capacity, either as fruit/vegetable pickers, in meat packing plants, restaurant cooks/servers/deliverymen, etc., who continue to be allowed to flow into the country. These imported aliens have served to depress the costs of food relative to almost all other bills faced by the middle class of the US for decades.
Now, if for a moment my hypothesis is true, that the federal government is in deep collusion with corporate america to allow massive illegal immigration for the purpose of maintaining low food prices while all other costs rise, and to ensure that wages stagnate or fall in real terms, what would be the purpose?
The answer to this question is what struck me - that the one item that would drive a true uprising / American Spring in this country that could overthrow the corporate and federal masters working in combination to crush the country's middle class and poor - would be food supply problems. The general public might gripe about a 50% rise in cable bills, it might do so about gas prices jumping from $1.50 per gallon to $3.50 per gallon over just a few years - but a massive increase in food costs - and you have a Hunger Games-style uprising.
The fundamental goal of the federal government and corporate executives is to retain the current economic climate, where the middle class, due to technology and off-shoring, is cowed into a submissive state, simply satisfied at having a job (albeit with declining wages and reduced purchasing power) who is propagandized and manipulated into believing that they are relatively fortunate. Others are also duped and pacified through heavily promoted events like the current olympics, Superbowl, World Series, etc., and local sports teams. The most blatant example of Bread and Circuses one can find.
The only way for the federal government and its corporate partners to keep the public from rising up is to keep them well-fed, so that the public will not take more aggressive action other than phone calls into the White House switchboard. That it requires further robbing them through increased taxes to pay for the benefits that the illegals will require for medical care, schooling, etc., is obscured as best as possible.
There is one in arguable fact in all my hypothesis, and that is if food prices were to suddenly begin rising due to the deportation of all illegals, combined with the prevention of any further ones entering the US, that a massive, general uprising would certainly occur. Such an event that would overthrow the current power structure thieving massive wealth from the middle class is obviously needed, but will not occur until the food supply was affected.
Until then, the middle class will continue to endure reduced purchasing power, a stagnate job market with few, if any prospects for wage increases, and a power structure that further consolidates to work against their interests. The current Comcast-Time Warner Cable deal is an excellent example of this.
skilled trades like welding, plumbing , carpentry, those trades have suffered and the standard of a professional job has eroded. this has effected profit margins and Illegals are more likely in not getting a business license, insurance or pay competitive wages to their crews.
Modern food production is not around pickers in the fields. Much of that has been replaced by equipment. Food processing is much of the same.
But I get what you say when the Gov overlooks these activities to play with other countries, like Mexico.
It isn't just the farms; have you walked into a restaurant in a major city that does not have illegal aliens working in it in some capacity? And if you look at the food chain, from farm to processor to supermarket or restaurant, there are significant numbers of illegals along the way, which have helped to keep food prices way down relative to other expenses.
It isn't just the farms; have you walked into a restaurant in a major city that does not have illegal aliens working in it in some capacity? And if you look at the food chain, from farm to processor to supermarket or restaurant, there are significant numbers of illegals along the way, which have helped to keep food prices way down relative to other expenses.
You'd be wrong then if you think that anyone who employs illegals is passing any savings on to the consumer/customer. All they do is pocket the profits while passing the social costs of their illegal employees on to the rest of us.
It isn't just the farms; have you walked into a restaurant in a major city that does not have illegal aliens working in it in some capacity? And if you look at the food chain, from farm to processor to supermarket or restaurant, there are significant numbers of illegals along the way, which have helped to keep food prices way down relative to other expenses.
It's not true that illegals are keeping food prices down because they're not low at all. Meat prices are soaring -- who could have imagined paying $10 a pound for beef a few years ago. Lettuce used to be $0.25 a head, now with 30 million illegals here, it's $1.50.
Illegals are filling the maternity wards, the welfare offices, and even if some will work for very cheap, they can't afford their super-sized families on the wages they accept so the taxpayers must provide the food stamps, Medicaid, free meals in free schools they require.
Machines are really what brings prices and labor costs down.
To the OP: I don't know but as malamute said, way less than 10 percent of illegal aliens are working the farms.
There are fewer than 1 million jobs in agriculture, including fisheries. Illegals make up about 25% of agricultural workers and one reason is that there are H2A visas that allow honest farmers to use legal guest workers -- no caps on the number of H2A visas.
There are even Americans working in farming and ranching, and just because someone is a farm worker, you can't assume he or she is here illegally as the OP has done. They may have a green card or H2A visa.
Cesar Chavez and the UFW fought against illegal immigration. Why should someone working in agriculture have to see impossibly low wages and illegal foreigners grabbing up all the jobs?
People like the OP look down on farm workers and want to destroy their means of earning a living by replacing them with the cheapest foreign workers. Just like the growers brought in the Teamster thugs to beat up American farm workers in the past and brought in hordes of illegals to put them out of work and bring wages down to ridiculously low amounts and provide no job benefits.
I think the politicians want to gain control over those here illegally. Currently, illegals are afforded benefits U.S. citizens cannot get. The IRS nor the states go after illegals for taxes. They can leave anytime they wish & cannot be touched by our government. The ever money hungry gov't of ours wants more. If illegals gain legal residency, they will have to pay up. And just watch how quickly social programs start to diminish & disappear.
I think the politicians want to gain control over those here illegally. Currently, illegals are afforded benefits U.S. citizens cannot get. The IRS nor the states go after illegals for taxes. They can leave anytime they wish & cannot be touched by our government. The ever money hungry gov't of ours wants more. If illegals gain legal residency, they will have to pay up. And just watch how quickly social programs start to diminish & disappear.
They may have to start paying income taxes but since they are low wage earners many with several dependants they will get those taxes back in the form of a refund every year. Being legalized will also open up eligibility to all kinds of government handouts to them also. We will just be continuing to subsidize them.
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