WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME A MEXICAN CUT YOUR PENSION OR HEALTH BENEFITS?

[World Traveller]

Does anyone else wonder why illegal immigration suddenly out of nowhere became a major issue? Are our elite (esp. rich Republicans) trying to direct our anger over the falling American living standard to the latest scapegoats? Do they they want us to blame it all on the illegals while they keep the money siphoned off from the middle class in the last 25 years?

There is no link to original article, but I'll post the best snippets. Complete piece by someone named Sam Smith, posted on www.solari.com Forum.

-----------------------------
Whenever a new crisis develops in an election year and it's not nature's or the stock market's fault, the odds are pretty good that it's not a crisis. It's about finding a scapegoat for America's increasing problems. What America's white elite is doing is just what its southern branch did under segregation: teach non-elite whites to blame their problems on a minority. It worked well then and it seems to be working now. But those wishing to test the extent of the immigrant problem might
want to conduct this quick test:

1. Has a Mexican ever fired or laid you off?

2. Was the plant you worked for until it was sent overseas been bought by Mexicans?

3. Has a Mexican ever cut your pension or health benefits? Outsourced your job to India?

4. How much of the corruption in Washington has been instigated by the Mexicans?

5. Was Enron run by Mexicans?

6. Are Mexicans responsible for NSA's spying you?

7. Do you think Mexicans or the pharmaceutical corporations are responsible for high drug costs?

8. How much of the corruption in Washington has been instigated by the Mexicans?

9. Did the Mexicans' make us invade Iraq?

10. Are the Mexicans responsible for George Bush being so dumb?

[marmar]

1. Exactly...

There's a lot of misdirected anger in this whole debate.

[porphyrian]

2. B...but they have brown skin. They've got to be guilty of something...

:eyes:

[Redstone]

8. Whoa. Bull's-eye, right there. Well said.

Well said, indeed.

Redstone

[Freedom_Aflaim]

3. Is your post about illegals or mexicans?

seems to switch gears mid post.

Im sure that was just a typo instead of a bait n switch.

[World Traveller]

6. I live in Houston, guess it wasn't obvious to me.

The articles I posted uses word Mexican, but I knew he was talking about illegals. That's because in Houston, almost all our illegals are from Mexico. Sorry for misunderstanding.

[Freedom_Aflaim]

12. Yes thats proably true..

"That's because in Houston, almost all our illegals are from Mexico",

but not all your "mexicans" are illegals.

My point, better defined is that I don't think its fair to the affected people to use the terms interchangeable.

[TheCowsCameHome]

4. Bush thought the Mexican border was the hired hand living at his ranch

That's how stupid he is.

[Redstone]

10. And thought that Manuel Labor was the Mexican who cut his lawn.

Redstone

[UTUSN]

5. Did Vicente FOX stupp Laura-the-Shrub? n/t

[Hippo_Tron]

7. Can we deport the Bush Administration to Mexico?

Because they're doing 1000x more damage to the American worker than illegal immigrants are.

[Doctor_J]

9. Michael Moore couldn't have said it better

The brown-skinned "evil-doers" are just to get the Limbeciles from the heartland to the polls this November. They're all un- or under-employed, and probably suspicious of why their lot in life has hit bottom since God's Own Party took over. But if Rush tells them every day that it's the Mexicans' fault, they can be pissed and still worship Smirk.

[FreakinDJ]

15. Sad part is - it'll probably work too

We all know that was the true intention of bringing up this issue at this time

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Perfect!

Now this is an email I will proudly forward on.

[IndyOp]

13. Yes and No.

Mexican Immigrants are not responsible for Raygun et al. Illegal immigrants have always existed in the US and things are bad now because of the rot from the top. No doubt.

And... we do need to crack down on businesses that hire illegal immigrants because those businesses pay them slave wages and abuse them instead of paying decent wages. If they had to pay decent wages (and taxes and benefits), they would hire US citizens instead of immigrants.

Also - the Rethugs corporatists *want* the Mexicans to come work because they help corporations break the backs of unions - the few (7% of US worders) - that remain.

Illegal workers help Walmart not have to allow their workers to unionize...

Illegal JOBS hurt immigrants and citizens.

[World Traveller]

16. If all illegals went home, our elite would still find ways to squeeze us

The average illegal immigrant is honest and hard-working, wants to send money home to the family, has BAD options and MAJOR poverty in home country, etc. As a fellow human being I sympathize.

In Houston, almost all new homes are built by immigrants...street repairs and highway construction...you don't hear English on the construction site...no wonder why the job market is bad for high school graduates...

Employers benefit most from the situation, that's why nothing will change, until our elected representatives start representing us again.

But sending the illegals back to their home country would not improve things all that much for the average American, our (mainly Republican elite) would find other ways and means to squeeze the U.S. citizen middle and poor classes.

Which they will continue to do until stopped. I'm a great believer that things will change once the economy hits bottom for the average American and they start thinking they have very little left to lose. Think the French Revolution, Venezuela and Chavez, the new crop of leftist governments in South America where average persons has been squeezed much harder for much longer than here (no wonder they come here and think it's paradise)...

[IndyOp]

17. When the economy hits bottom for the average American...

then they will be even more desperate for jobs than they are now.

If unemployment were figured today, the same way it was when Reagan took office, US unemployment would be 12% - and this does not take into account the fact that a huge proportion of our workforce is in low-paying service-sector jobs.

The employers should be fined big-time.

And, I am not in any doubt that Mexican immigrants are good people - I have several students who I know have relatives in the US who are not legal immigrants. They are good people.

And we need to help them in their country - by getting rid of NAFTA and GATT, by supporting FAIR trade, by radically altering the behavior of our corporations in foreign markets.

Again, my argument is that ILLEGAL JOBS hurt both the immigrants and US citizens -- more and more over time. The slide in living standard is slow, but the law is iron-clad: When the supply of workers is higher than the number of jobs available, wages drop, and then drop more, and then drop more.

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Excellent points

[FreakinDJ]

14. Well isn't that special

[ananda]

19. Yes - huge scapegoat-diversion!

nt

[Jeffersons Ghost]

20. a good OP

welcome to DU world traveller

[carolinalady]

21. It is fact that they put a burden on our healthcare system.

Hospitals have tried to get around it by fraudulently charging Medicaid. What happens when they get shut off? No more reimbursement. So how do they compensate? Raise Prices. Who pays? Me and everyone else who does not have insurance. Sorry, I can not get on board with the immigration thing. I am tired of paying for people who are here illegally.

[ComerPerro]

22. so how exactly do illegals get this free medical treatment?

and what is stopping you from doing the same?

[carolinalady]

24. They go to the ER when they are sick. I worked in an ER in

Brea, California. They do not have insurance. They make minimum wage and can not pay their bills. The hospital tries to help. They apply for Medicaid and sometimes it goes through, but if you have been watching the news lately you would have seen where states are now refusing to pay for non-citizens. Therefore, hospitals are not getting paid and everyone's costs go up.

[ComerPerro]

28. So, next time you need medical care, do that. Problem solved

apparently its very easy to do...

[carolinalady]

29. A very cavalier and uninformed response. Thanks.

Maybe if I was young and had no children to worry about, I could take that attitude. I can not. I have bills and responsibilities and I do my best to meet them.

[ComerPerro]

32. So illegals have no worries? They have an easy, carefree life?

But since you, an American citizen with children, have stress and worries, you can't just do things like they do?

You're right.

They have it easy.

In fact, I wish I was an illegal immigrant.

I would have it made.

[carolinalady]

37. I'm not saying they have an easy life. Nor do I have an easy life.

That does not mean I should have to pay for them in any way.That also does not mean that I am unwilling to pay for a young mom and her children who are citizens of this country. I believe that the best way to help the Mexicans would be to help their country become more economically viable so they can prosper in their own country. If they want to still come here, great! But do it legally.

[EFerrari]

30. People seem to forget that undocumented workers have to pay

the same price that every one else does for food and gas and utilities and so on WHILE they are paid slave wages. In fact, because they tend to live in low income neighborhoods, they probably pay more for the basics because everything costs more in those neighborhoods.

[ComerPerro]

33. look hard enough and you will find someone, somewhere,

who will tell you that illegals get those things for free too...

[EFerrari]

38. No, I think I have all those people on ignore already. n/t

[carolinalady]

35. That is true, which is why I do not agree with the way things are

now. Employers need to be required to pay a fair wage. Our government should actually reform the system so that people can apply for the right to work here or become a citizen in a faster manner. Our borders should be militarized, IMO after this is done because I do not think that people who break the law should get the same rights. If I break a law, no matter what my reasons are, I would be punished. The same goes for Congress, the President and anyone else. IMO.

[EFerrari]

39. If I run down all the bad laws that honorable people have broken

we'll be here all night.

More to the point, this is a workers' issue, not a race issue -- unless it is.

[carolinalady]

40. Yep agree with that, but now I am going to bed. Good night all.

[Jigarotta]

25. I think you should check out that price tag again.

and read the fine print.
Illegal immigration is not costing you much compared to Bush's Bludgeoning of Nations, including your own.

[carolinalady]

27. I'm just as much against Bush's stupid ideas as I am against

illegal immigration. I was a healthcare administrator for several years, I know this subject.

[IndyJones]

34. And I agree with you. People who are not impacted by it want to pretend

the problems and costs don't exist in the border states, like California.

But if there were a national tax for it to pay for them and reimburse the border states, I'm sure you'd hear them complain. Let's see all taxpayers contribute $1,800 per taxpayer to pay for the costs and then we'll see how much they continue to support it.

[Jigarotta]

23. thank you. nt

[SeattleGirl]

26. Excellent post, WT!

And it makes for an excellent argument against those who DO villify the immigrants.

[IndyJones]

36. I don't think anyone is villifying them. Stating facts like

overcrowding of schools, financial impacts on states, hospitals, etc. is not villifying anyone. It's simply stating documented facts.

[SeattleGirl]

41. Sorry, I think I wasn't clear in my post.

Or didn't say enough. I just meant that so questions would be good ones to ask people who are saying things like "we should keep them ALL out," "kick their asses back to Mexico," "they are taking all the jobs," etc. People who don't see the whole picture, who blame the immigrants, illegal or otherwise, for things that are more rightfully the blame of companies and politicians.

I didn't mean the people who are voicing legitimate concerns and such. Sorry for the confusion.

[EFerrari]

43. Yes, that is vilification, sorry Indy. The causal relationship

being stated here is, to put it lightly, a pile.

Every single illegal immigrant could be airlifted to Venus today, and our public schools would still be overcrowded and our medical system would still rival that of many third world countries.

[IndyJones]

31. It's been a huge issue in the border states for years.

[alittlelark]

42. Apples and Oranges.

Mexicans are generally in the lower economic tiers.... so, no - few of them have the power to do what you are saying.

I grew up in NM. I had a Mexican fire me from the Taco Bell on Juan Tabo in Alb. (my first job ever). I refused to put the 10 lb meat tube in the pan after I had opened it and dropped it on the floor.. My mistake - his disgusting reply - my being fired. This is circa 1979.


The rest of the post is so far from reality I don't know where to begin.


This is simple supply and demand. The big corporations DEMAND low $$$ workers, and Mexicans can deliver.

As long as the CORPORATISTS run this country the borders will be pourous and we will be fed propaganda about evil brown people destroying our economy.


PS - as to #10.... The Mexicans could be responsible if they imported all the pot, coccaine and God knows what else that GW* fried his brain on.

[IronLionZion]

44. Well, my boss is a mexican woman

and I just know she wants to cut my benefits...I can see her scheming away in her office right now!

:silly:

Sorry, I don't have anything worthwhile to contribute to this conversation. Just a bunch of silly jokes that will inevitably offend someone.