Enlightened once again Butch

[Guest guest]

Aromatherapy, herbs, natural living, etcThank you Butch for the details on this

immigration/illegal issue. I agree on so many aspects. People ahve so much

value...sometiems I am frustrated with the fact that Mexicans are treated as low

wage workers, even though they are so happy to have work. They are still people

with families, etc....coming from a bad situation quite often.

 

Then on the other hand, my husband and I are both self employed and pay taxes

and have to also hustle up our own work oftentimes. The low wage laborers has

caused soem trouble for my husband. He is a carpenter and sometimes he gets well

underbid even though his skill is over 30 years old.

Then there is the tax issues since we, in Arkansas, have many illegals. Yet

their children are getting medical care at the doctors and the families are over

running our neighborhoods. I am glad they can have affordable housing and

medical care, but I am sad that we that were born here have to pay for that

while we are losing our own work because we get underbid.

 

I dont knwo what the answers are, but I am glad to hear how things went for you

and that it will all work out. Your wife is so beautiful as well. You must be so

proud.

Blessings

-Love and Light-

Ray and Kristena Roder

http://www.dreamseeds.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Our local hospital is closing their maternity ward because of the illegal

invasion -- they can't afford to offer the service any longer. Like you, I

don't have an answer.

 

Susan H.

 

Then there is the tax issues since we, in Arkansas, have many illegals. Yet

their children are getting medical care at the doctors and the families are

over running our neighborhoods. I am glad they can have affordable housing

and medical care, but I am sad that we that were born here have to pay for

that while we are losing our own work because we get underbid.

[Guest guest]

I don't have an answer either,

but I did read some interesting

observations in an article by

Thom Hartmann.

 

You don't have to agree with the author's

philosophy to be startled into some serious

thinking.

 

Some excerpts:

The reality is that we don't have an " Illegal Immigration "

 

problem in America. We have an " Illegal Employer " problem.

 

snip

 

The fact is that we had an open border with Mexico for several centuries, and

" illegal immigration " was never a serious problem. Before Reagan's presidency,

an estimated million or so people a year came into the US from Mexico - and the

same number, more or less, left the US for Mexico at the end of the agricultural

harvest season. Very few stayed, because there weren't jobs for them.

 

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0705-23.htm

 

Ien in the Kootenays, which is being

 

over-run by rich Albertans these days

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

, " Ieneke van Houten "

<ienvan wrote:

>

> Some excerpts:

> The reality is that we don't have an " Illegal Immigration "

>

> problem in America. We have an " Illegal Employer " problem.

>

> snip

>

> The fact is that we had an open border with Mexico for several

centuries, and " illegal immigration " was never a serious problem.

Before Reagan's presidency, an estimated million or so people a year

came into the US from Mexico - and the same number, more or less,

left the US for Mexico at the end of the agricultural harvest

season. Very few stayed, because there weren't jobs for them.

_______________

Yes, this whole issue is clouded with emotion and anecdotal stories.

The reality is that we have many migrant farm workers that enter

this country seasonally legally. We already have a " guest worker

program " that covers agricultural workers.

 

Those who are illegally here and paying taxes---well, the government

knows who and where they are. Part of paying taxes is paying social

security. You don't get a social security number unless you are a

citizen. So what happens to all those dollars sent into fake social

security accounts? The government isn't worrying about it, it is

money they are taking in from people who will never qualify to

receive benefits, so why should they worry about it.

 

So our government could enforce the law with the employers if they

wanted to. The reality is that an undocumented or illegal employee

is at the mercy of his employer because of his status. So low wages,

lack of benefits, any sort of abuse is tolerated because of the

employees vulnerability. And the reality is that it drives wages

down. Twenty years ago, a meatcutter in Chicage made $15 to $18 an

hour. It is a tough job with many injuries. Today the average pay is

$8 an hour, and many of the jobs are filled by undocumented workers.

It does no one any good.

 

So yes, there are tragic cases. But we have to have laws. And there

are ways to become a citizen. I just had lunch the other day with a

man who immigrated from Mexico, legally. It took time and he had to

be patient. But he and his family are here.

 

When the subject came up at lunch, his response was that anyone

trying to immigrate has to be patient. It takes time, and there is a

process.