Day Laborers Li (Brighton, Mexico, Florida: high school, sales tax, restaurant)
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After being self employed for over 20 years, I can totally agree with you. Like you, we worked our way up ; wasnt easy in the beginning at all. But we stuck at it, and did it the right way. The first checks I wrote every week were to the employees, then the bills and finally if there was something over, it was for us.
In our industry, there are many many people working illegally. Would it have been cheaper for me to hire illegals ; of course it would have been. But I can honestly say I never did. I always hired americans ; some were great, some were terrible.
You or your husband Dorthy? I thought you were an illegal at one time?
You or your husband Dorthy? I thought you were an illegal at one time?
good gravey ; yes, at one time for less than a year. That was many moons ago and since then I have worked my way up, become a citizen and love the opportunities this great country has given me.
Do not take the quote out of context and then ignore the more relevent portion. The parents plan to have their children here because the government has allowed the 14th amendment to be misinterpreted. Do tell: how many other countries grant citizenship to an infant born of foreigners?
Pregnant Asian women pay to come to this country to bear their children solely for American citizenship. They are hidden away in apartments in California while awaiting the baby's birth so as not to tip off immigration officials. There was an article in one of the news magazines about maternity tourism in NY.
In some of your posts you're defensive of Latinos which I can only surmise stems from your national origin. Being a grand child of legal Hispanic immigrants, I know how hard it can be, language barrier not withstanding, but I do not favor ANY group entering illegally or entering with the express purpose of enriching themselves at a cost to the taxpaying USC.
My defense of the Latinos has to do with my many years of working side by side and engaging them as anyone else. There have been many conversations where they explained there situations and confided in me about the way they got here. Also the fact that I to have witnessed LIers who believe they are better than their fellow man and belittle people do to accents or unfamiliar traditions. I have sympathy though to all illegals that have found no other choice but to abandon their homeland for a better life. The thing that gets me though is all these uppity people calling them unsavory or undesirable when many of their own ancestors were called similar names back when they emigrated here even if they were legal. There is certainly a big problem in this country with handouts and backward laws but, the hate towards Latinos is irrational to me. The majority of all races of illegal immigrants are here to make a better life for themselves, Latinos included.
I have also been affected by the day laborers and their cheap wages as many others. I was very fortunate though to have been hired as a civil service carpenter after working for a private contractor for 11 years. This stroke of luck happened in 07 right before the market crash. At the time business was still booming and I was very leery of making the big jump. It was a cut in pay, had to get a cell phone, needed transportation. My old boss was very good to me and I even had medical benefits. This new job has been a blessing though and I am so grateful eventhough I have to kill time on this lousy forum during coffee breaks and downtime. Anyway go ahead and blame everything on the illegals but, look who you have agreeing with you. I am done going around in circles in this thread. I only poked my nose in to out the illegal talking garbage but, I got sucked in.
My defense of the Latinos has to do with my many years of working side by side and engaging them as anyone else. There have been many conversations where they explained there situations and confided in me about the way they got here. Also the fact that I to have witnessed LIers who believe they are better than their fellow man and belittle people do to accents or unfamiliar traditions. I have sympathy though to all illegals that have found no other choice but to abandon their homeland for a better life. The thing that gets me though is all these uppity people calling them unsavory or undesirable when many of their own ancestors were called similar names back when they emigrated here even if they were legal. There is certainly a big problem in this country with handouts and backward laws but, the hate towards Latinos is irrational to me. The majority of all races of illegal immigrants are here to make a better life for themselves, Latinos included.
I have also been affected by the day laborers and their cheap wages as many others. I was very fortunate though to have been hired as a civil service carpenter after working for a private contractor for 11 years. This stroke of luck happened in 07 right before the market crash. At the time business was still booming and I was very leery of making the big jump. It was a cut in pay, had to get a cell phone, needed transportation. My old boss was very good to me and I even had medical benefits. This new job has been a blessing though and I am so grateful eventhough I have to kill time on this lousy forum during coffee breaks and downtime. Anyway go ahead and blame everything on the illegals but, look who you have agreeing with you. I am done going around in circles in this thread. I only poked my nose in to out the illegal talking garbage but, I got sucked in.
My bad I didn't have that information. Regardless it's not the illegals fault that the US gov't passes these ridiculous laws.
Well we can't exactly have kids starving in the street. I don't fault them for coming and trying to make a better life-I think if I was in that situation I would absolutely hop the border to give my kids a better life. I have an issue with the ganbs, crimes, use of all our social services, and sending money made here back home. That bothers me.
Well we can't exactly have kids starving in the street. I don't fault them for coming and trying to make a better life-I think if I was in that situation I would absolutely hop the border to give my kids a better life. I have an issue with the ganbs, crimes, use of all our social services, and sending money made here back home. That bothers me.
Call me a bleeding heart and unamerican but I sort of respect someone sending money back home to family more than stashing it offshore in tax dodging swiss and cayman accounts. At least the illegals are paying sales tax on those 7-11 big gulps and coronas.
Seriously though, good op-ed in Newsday today on America's history of treating each new immigrant group like dirt at the beginning. Difference is those had to come in by boat so it was harder to sneak in. The ones right across the border can get in on foot. You can bet if the Italians, Germans, Chinese and Russians could have walked or swam in, they would have bypassed Ellis Island in a heartbeat.
So i called the circus and everyone said i was being an agitator. Just sad I missed the show and going back and reading most of it will cost me precious time in my life that i can spend doing nothing.
Any time you mention illegal immigrants on this board the over under is 13pages. I wonder if anyone has come up with a good solution yet or has it been more of the same LI stuff. We are better than you go home you don't belong here stuff.
Call me a bleeding heart and unamerican but I sort of respect someone sending money back home to family more than stashing it offshore in tax dodging swiss and cayman accounts. At least the illegals are paying sales tax on those 7-11 big gulps and coronas.
Seriously though, good op-ed in Newsday today on America's history of treating each new immigrant group like dirt at the beginning. Difference is those had to come in by boat so it was harder to sneak in. The ones right across the border can get in on foot. You can bet if the Italians, Germans, Chinese and Russians could have walked or swam in, they would have bypassed Ellis Island in a heartbeat.
I totally agree with you. Every immigrant class go through that. I remember my family having to hear the comments of job stealing and all even though we came here legally.
I still say a lot of people are upset at the Latinos because they were the first to sell their vote then turn around in such a short time and become forces in the political arena where it really matters. I believe people are upset they cannot pimp them like others were for their vote and for that i commend them. Why be used when you can organize and effect change. If you don't believe me why is Florida and the Latino vote such a big issue in every election.
I totally agree with you. Every immigrant class go through that. I remember my family having to hear the comments of job stealing and all even though we came here legally.
I still say a lot of people are upset at the Latinos because they were the first to sell their vote then turn around in such a short time and become forces in the political arena where it really matters. I believe people are upset they cannot pimp them like others were for their vote and for that i commend them. Why be used when you can organize and effect change. If you don't believe me why is Florida and the Latino vote such a big issue in every election.
Agree w/ your points Bklyn, but I get aggravated because that voting block can be just as bad at being blinded by religious and other issues that they vote against their own best interests. Case in point, the latinos in Texas made Bush governor twice SOLELY because they were staunch Catholics and voted straight anti-abortion, even though economically his policies were awful for them (and most everyone else that wasn't in the oil or pharmaceutical business). That was the only issue they had time to hear and that resonated. Then again, voting on one relatively pointless cause and cutting your nose to spite your face seems to be the way our democracy works these days. Most of the Christian right wingers so vehemently against anything appearing "liberal" are actually the fastest growing segment joining the ranks of poverty. They elect the one who spouts the loudest right wing vitriol and bashes the "damn liberals" and that chump is the 1st one to decimate their manufacturing job and cut their unemployment (hello, West Virginia?...Rubbermaid plant...I'm talking to you hoo!). Ahhh, democracy.
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