Dueling Immigration Rallies In Fort Collins
Supporters of "immigrant rights" and opponents of illegal immigration squared off Sunday in Fort Collins. Video here.
Some have already offered their reasons for attending tomorrow's activities in Downtown Denver, including this man:
Denver-area contractor Chuck Saxton, who hires temporary workers through the day labor agency El Centro Humanitario, said he suspects some of his crews have been illegal immigrants.People like Saxton, who exploit the cheap labor supplied by illegal immigrants while decrying those who oppose unlawfully coming to the United States and support penalties for those who employ such persons, are at the root of the immigration crisis. Better enforcement and penalizations for contractors, hotel management, construction, and food services who employ illegal immigrants is only the first step in securing our borders. Without the economic incentive to come to the US, by denying the readily available work provided by Saxton and others, the tide would begin to diminish, and those already here would be forced to pursue the proper channels for legal status, or return home.
"I'm going to go to support them. These guys come here, they work hard and they're honest. They're salt of the earth," Saxton said. "They provide a vibrancy to our economy and our country that is fading."
Once again, no one denies that a majority of those here illegally do work very hard, for poor wages, and for lengthy time periods. They are, however, not taking jobs that "Americans won't do", they are simply replacing the willing Americans who simply won't or can't (minimum wage laws) take the job for the low price. Saxton can hire or help others hire cheap immigrant labor, giving those here a reason to stay, and enticing still others to make the arduous journey here. Of course, it is in his interest to rally in support of his workers, not only for their sake, but also for his.
Not all are here for work, some have quite another plan in mind:
For more, check out Legal Status, ¡Sí!, Assimilation, ¡No!
posted by el presidente at
8:48 PM
2 Comments:
I wonder if employers who use illegal immigrants can be sued for anti-competitive practices. A lot of jobs, especially in construction or lawn maintenance, are bidded on. Those who employ illegal immigrants pay their employees less, and I doubt they provide benefits like workers' comp and health insurance. Their bids will tend to undercut those who hire above board.
I'd be interested to see the Feds start looking into this. We've seen lawsuits for lesser reasons. This should be a good one.
Another point I've been thinking about: Could the reason that these illegals take the jobs "no one wants" is because that's all they can do? They can't be teaching in a university or working for the bigger corporations because they don't have the right papers to take the job, and there's a bigger chance of them being found out. Once they are legalized, it seems like a no-brainer that they'll go for the jobs that are cushy and pay more. In which case, we'll have to have even more illegals to take on the jobs THEY no longer want.
What we have to do is re-purpose our domestic economy to no longer be dependent on illegal, underpaid workers. We do that right now because it's expedient and it's cheap. If that is no longer available, I'm almost pretty sure we'll adapt and we'll do just fine.
I wonder if employers who use illegal immigrants can be sued for anti-competitive practices. A lot of jobs, especially in construction or lawn maintenance, are bidded on. Those who employ illegal immigrants pay their employees less, and I doubt they provide benefits like workers' comp and health insurance. Their bids will tend to undercut those who hire above board.
I'd be interested to see the Feds start looking into this. We've seen lawsuits for lesser reasons. This should be a good one.
Another point I've been thinking about: Could the reason that these illegals take the jobs "no one wants" is because that's all they can do? They can't be teaching in a university or working for the bigger corporations because they don't have the right papers to take the job, and there's a bigger chance of them being found out. Once they are legalized, it seems like a no-brainer that they'll go for the jobs that are cushy and pay more. In which case, we'll have to have even more illegals to take on the jobs THEY no longer want.
What we have to do is re-purpose our domestic economy to no longer be dependent on illegal, underpaid workers. We do that right now because it's expedient and it's cheap. If that is no longer available, I'm almost pretty sure we'll adapt and we'll do just fine.
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