Staring Into The Murky Waters Of Immigration in 1988
("will pick fruit, trim trees, clean toilets - all the jobs you wouldn't be caught dead doing")
(Note: This is a repost from February - the Newstalgia House computer is still dead and we're trying as quickly as possible to get back up and running, but in the meantime . . . since the Health Care Bill has passed a major hurdle and become a historic landmark, there are other issues going on in our country right now. And as was evidenced by the 100,000+ rally yesterday in Washington, Immigration and its reform is the next big issue to tackle. It's no recent problem. It's been with us longer than the issue of Universal Health Care, and battle lines are clearly being drawn as we speak. As soon as is humanly possible, I will be posting speeches and documentary material pertaining to the Immigration question going back to the 1930s in an effort to try and provide you with historic perspective on a very thorny and passionate issue for a lot of people. And as soon as we get back up and running, I will bring those to you. Bear with me. - Gordon)
Ever since we actually became a country we've been tackling the issue of what to do about the unannounced, the undocumented, the illegal. That group of people which, in lieu of the Red Scare (now that it's gone) has given whole other groups of people something new to attach fear and hysteria (and a goodly amount of hate) to - illegal aliens and the immigration issue.
In retrospect the issue flairs up every few years, usually in the context of bad economic times. The desire to lay blame usually goes to the easiest targets; people you know nothing about and yet (we're led to believe) are seemingly everywhere. Just like Communists in the 1950s.
It was the same in 1988, when this documentary first aired (January 10, 1988). CBS Radio ran an installment of their Newsmark series on the then-burning issue of illegal aliens in the U.S.
John Blackstone (CBS News): “Whether we see them or not, these undocumented workers are part of this society, but for most of us their lives remain a mystery. According to Government figures, undocumented workers contribute $23 billion a year to the U.S. economy. And while some blame illegal aliens for American unemployment, the General Accounting Office report released in 1984 says undocumented workers do not take jobs from American citizens. To most Americans, the illegal immigrant is more a statistic than a real face.”
Twenty-two years later, the fingers of blame are pretty much pointing in the same direction with hate and fear achieving the same results.
to keep this "problem" out???
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
For the conservatives, this usually boils down to "THEY'RE TAKING OUR JEEEEEEERBS!".
no longer are illegals just doing menial tasks
they have taken jobs that were once unionized...including contruction
and it isnt just about jobs anymore...its about benefits
while an undocumented person is not eligible for any benefits, their children, whether born here or not, usually are
the debate is not the same
i supported reagan's amnesty program...thinking (stupidly) that he honestly cared about the people
what he cared about was the corporatists...and helping to further erode the middle class, and further destroy the social safety net
and again....there is no job an american will not do....for a living wage
"the General Accounting Office report released in 1984 says undocumented workers do not take jobs from American citizens". This report " may " have been true for the most part in 1984 but absolutely is not applicable ( not true of ) these last fifteen or twenty years , the illegals or undocumented , have had a definite impact on the American worker , on jobs and on wages , that is a fact and is not based on fear or hate .
"The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all."
Also I can recall back in the early 1980's that emergency rooms at hospitals were not crammed packed with people. I don't know what percentage of illegals were in ERs looking for treatment for casual ailments, vehicle accidents, et al., yet I would think that the percentage of illegals who make use of medical facilities these days is far greater than 1984.
Thing is, that's a good thing since we want everyone who might carry communicable diseases to be seen by a doctor.
Still, as you say, the situation has changed considerably, all across the United States -- except in the brains of rich white Republicans who don't see what America is really like outside of their rich white bubbles any way.
And while some blame illegal aliens for American unemployment, the General Accounting Office report released in 1984 says undocumented workers do not take jobs from American citizens.
Of course 26 years ago that might very well have been true. Now, however, some 12 million illegal third world shitters could very well provided an accumulative drain on American society, and thanks to the Republican economy, even us honkey white trash Americans are seen standing at day labor pick-up zones these days.
The AOG probably has produced a more recent survey of the state of affairs, results of which, I would expect, show that third world shitters overwhelmingly reduce the quality of life for those of us living outside of rich white gated security enclaives.
Let's see some more recent surveys of the matter, something that isn't a quarter of a century out of date.
though legitimate concerns about national sovereignty, economic impact and downward wage pressures are often muddled with racism and xenophobia, but when the country has a healthy economy and low unemployment, most Americans are not too concerned about it.
When the official unemployment rate climbs to over 12% (as in California), the concerns about illegal aliens competing for work and their families taxing the public education and health systems become very real. While in the long run immigration is required for continued economic strength, it is understandable that the nation would seek to limit it during times of economic downturn.
I fully understand why people fleeing poverty would seek to immigrate to this country anyway they can, and I want their children educated and their families healthy once they are here, but those who turn a blind eye to the economic and social costs of unregulated immigration are as foolish as those who worry that we are being "invaded' by folks who somehow don't share "American values".
I chat with the gardeners in my neighborhood, mostly from Mexico, and none of them want citizenship. Their plan, every one of them, is to send enough cash back to Mexico to buy a little hacienda and retire a landed gentleman. Some have been here since the eighties, but none have any intention of retiring here. They are here to take American jobs, American cash and ship it to their families "back home".
Mexico's unemployment rate is 3.7%. Mexico's jobs program is to send unemployed citizens to the U.S. and pillage until they can afford to return.
All this talk of "reform" won't do a thing about the real problem.
I am only an American by an accident of birth through my own father. My grandfather was working in the states illegally - in 1890. So, I really don't feel that I can morally pass judgement so I generally don't. I feel that if our government, along with the best academic minds that we have, really wanted to tackle this, they could. So, why don't they? You got me. During WWII there was the Bracero Program and it worked. What happened to it? Canada has a workable guest worker program with Mexico. Why can't we copy it?
Add all constructiion, cooks, landscaping, pool service and dozens of other jobs that citizens don't get because of the low wages that ilegals accept.
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