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You have to laugh when you hear some Americans say immigrants come here for the benes. We all know how expensive it is to live in NJ & NY. These people work 2-3 jobs just to make ends meet.
That chef Anthony Bourdain said he'd take an Ecuadorian cook or Mexican busboy anytime. Because unlike the entitled American 20-something, these immigrants work like their life depends on it. They're not going off to the Hamptons every weekend when it's busy or calling in sick to go watch a movie.
I have several friends that own contracting businesses and they tell me the immigrants are great workers. They tell me they love immigration not because they pay lower wages (they do not) but because they are dependable hard workers.
BS on the lower wages part. I was a NJ contractor for 30 years and never hired an immigrant worker and in the end I was forced to close up because I could not compete with those competitors hiring immigrants.
At the time (80-90's) Americans were costing me $30 hr in wages and benefits and immigrants were costing $10 hr or less to my competitors.(no benefits)
Do the math.
Yes on the immigrants being good workers but I am a buy American, use American labor type of guy.
IMO 90% of today's construction co's are using immigrants and illegals because they are cheaper but those workers cannot live a middle class lifestyle on the poor wages they are getting.
All my employees enjoyed a middle class lifestyle which my competitors employees did not.
...Because unlike the entitled American 20-something, these immigrants work like their life depends on it. They're not going off to the Hamptons every weekend when it's busy or calling in sick to go watch a movie.
Immigrants in most cases are more sincere and hard working. They have left their country and family and given up everything they know/own to move to another part of the world for a better life. They tend to be serious about their objectives and work towards a goal. However, this changes over a generation or two. The values are less prevalent in their next generation and almost none in the one after as they get polluted with the entitlement mentality.
And the Irish and Italians did quite well for themselves without any social safety nets.
It always amazes me that so many Americans know so little about the sometimes shameful history of their own country.
I think that most immigrants during the 19th Century would have disagreed with your assessment, in light of the strength of The Know-Nothing Party and The American Party and their violent opposition to immigrants during that period.
What do you think of this development? Have you seen this happening?
North Jersey has been about immigrants for a long time, mostly ethnic europeans in the last 50 years and now new ethnic groups. It's the same thing now, just different faces. What I mean is, any immigrant group, regardless of race has always created enclaved culture in NJ doing their own thing by their own culture, and this includes the ethnic european white immigrants of the past century. The state no longer has a unified identity anymore.
Sure, Americans at the time treated them really well. It was a real cakewalk.
Anti-Irish sentiment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anti-Italianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
It always amazes me that so many Americans know so little about the sometimes shameful history of their own country.
I think that most immigrants during the 19th Century would have disagreed with your assessment, in light of the strength of The Know-Nothing Party and The American Party and their violent opposition to immigrants during that period.
I'm well aware of what the Irish went through. And in spite of the hardships, discrimination and lack of handouts they they not only made it, they ended up running cities and occupying the White House in 1964.
I see this influx in Cumberland County. Most do not seen speak english. Nearly got run over outside a supermarket at Christmas time, obvious the girl did not know it was the law to stop for pedestrians.
but being that nj is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse places in the world, i love the new cultures immigration brings to our state. it's the diversity that keeps me here.
but being that nj is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse places in the world, i love the new cultures immigration brings to our state. it's the diversity that keeps me here.
I've seen several NJ towns transforming into small ethnic hubs. In the long run it means more and more immigrants will be flocking over to these areas like Elizabeth which has a large Hispanic community.
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