[Rickypt]

Originally Posted by becca

I became friends with some Latino people while living in Seattle and in Alaska (in fact the canneries up there have become dependent on labor brought in, mainly Mexican). I also became friends with some former New Jerseyites who informed me about U.S. citizens tax dollars going to build hiring centers for illegal under the counter labor to get it off the streets. This is such a complex sitaution really, but I feel the main problem is that business is able to hire non-citizens so easily with no responsibilites or penalties and in fact many benefits (like not having to provide benefits). They argue how Americans don't want to do many of these jobs, well, sure... now that they pay so badly with no benefits! You cannot expect of citizens to compete with non-citizens, that is just wrong, and companies have so often been held as being above a nationality except when it comes to paying for political seats and votes. Reagan began decimating many anti-trust and other business laws that had made the U.S. what it was. Reagan Jr. (and I respected Bush Sr. but his son is another manipulable puppet like The Gipper), well he is just finishing off I guess what reagan started. Union busting, citizenship undermining, allowing market access with almost no conditions of benefits to citizens... it's just a mess, and particularily galling I would think when your own tax money is being used against you whether to help subsidise a sports arena with a corporate name on it or a hiring center for illegal labor.

The people are caught in the crossfire. The U.S. owes the Tejanos and the Mexican people as far as I'm concerned something, but they are being as abused as the tax paying U.S. citizen is. But it's a case of divide and conquer; turning ordinary working people against each other and nobody seems to hold elected representatives, orf business law, accountable... except to punish and harrass the poor migrants. The Mexican government has things to answer for in this, and their own immigration laws are very restrictive and full of stiff penalties. Building a long wall when Pat Buchanen first made it a presidential campaign platform a dozen or so years ago sounded ludicrous then, i wish it would sound as ludicrous to people now, but instead Bush Jr. is sending more muscle as if that will solve things and not just escalate a situation to a new level.

This is an AWESOME post.