My personal take on the Bush Immigration policy....

[RandomKoolzip]

I've been a cook for a few years. In the restaurants I've been working in, the need for cheap labour is paramount. I've seen through my own eyes Mexican cooks and dishwashers let go because they are here illegally; guys who have fake SS cards and Driver's Licenses.

In kitchens, there is always a panic to make a profit. Having been a manager, I've looked at the ways restaurants can cut costs and increase profits; the first area that recieves cuts is labor. The owner tells you that the restaurant's losing money, you fire the guys who are making the most money and hire new guys for a few dollars less per hour. Cutthroat, inhumane, yes, but YOUR job is on the line, too, so you gotta do it.

Thus, the proliferation of Mexican immigrants in the kitchens we eat at. Whites and blacks have been turned out on their asses because they ask for a wage commensurate with their needs. Mexican immigrants don't. They accept whatever wage is given to them from the top. This is not racism (I count many of the immigrants as my friends...often I am the only cracker in the kitchen who'll speak to them in Spanish, and they respect that), this is what goes on in the kitchens I've worked at, and it happens in constructon, road work, hotels, etc. You know, the service industry. Mexican immigrants work hard (very hard!)for very little money, since they usually have two other jobs, live with several other immigrants in one small apartments to save on rent.

Trouble is, these workers are often here illegally. WHen a manager does some digging, he'll often find that a dishwasher has forged an identity or lacks a green card. Rather than dealing with immigration authorities, the manager will fire this worker and hire another immigrant.

Where is this going? CHEAPER LABOR. The first thought in my head when I first heard about this bill was "There goes the minimum wage." If we take away the need to ensure that a worker is here legally, there is also no need to raise the minmum wage. Result? CEO's and regional owners of all sorts of businesses in the service industry (especially those massively franchised) get to shore up profits...and the shareholders of these companies get a boost as well. Whither the working class?

The meme is true: CHEAP LABOR REPUBLICANS.

[glarius]

1. Of course...there has to be something devious...Bush is not doing it out

of the goodness of his heart....And of course he is hoping to get more of the hispanic vote too, timing this close to the election...What a PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING he is!

[RandomKoolzip]

2. Everything he does is done to benefit the "shareholder class."

And the CEO's of large corporations. I'm sure the only reason he's doing this is to raise various companies' stock a percentage point or two. He doesn't give a shit about the Working Class...since the ultimate result of this policy is going to give all us po' folk a lubeless reaming.

If the leaders of Hispanic political action groups were to look seriously at what he's doing, they'd be very pissed. Bush should raise the minimum wage if he really gave a damn about Mexican immigrants.

[Wickerman]

5. and, when it its ultimately defeated

Bush gets credit from the corporate masters he served so well. And, the liberals get assualted once again for failing to look out for immigrants.

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. It's not even the shareholder class

If the CEO's of this world continue to be paid with stock options (not even a line in the companies expenses) then the CEOs will keep doing WHATEVER they can to make sure the stock value increases. It's just like your kitchen scenario. Actual value of the company means nothing - it's shareprice shareprice shareprice. The average upper middle class and even upperclass person doesn't make the big bucks - it's the megarich who become megaricher. The sums that these bastards make is unbelievable - billions with a B! So the cheaper the labor the better. To be even megaricher they want to erase every new deal piece of social policy they can. No minimum wage. No estate tax. No overtime pay. No affermative action. No heart.

These people call themselves Christians but the bible they're reading is missing the New Testament.

As for the people who are living hand to mouth - you cant pull yourself up by the bootstraps when they've taken away your boots and cut off your feet.

[RandomKoolzip]

12. The mega rich are indeed compensated out of proportion to their needs

or their effort...I mean, most of them didn't earn their positions. What do you think the brou ha ha about the inheritance tax was all about?

If I hear another freeper/repub complain about how high his taxes are, I'm gonna shit the bed. He has no idea what being fistfucked by the government feels like.

[lovedems]

3. There goes the minimum wage and if the chimp has his way

over time as well. Middle and lower class americans are screwed under this misadministration! There aren't any jobs and the ones that are out there suck and don't pay well. But, let's continue to listen to the rethuglicans complain about welfare mothers! Retribution is coming. It might take awhile, but it will come (for the energy industry,too)

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. you read it correctlu

a race to the bottom and his bush toadies take the kool aid

[terryg11]

6. totally agree

This could be a huge win for Bush in the name of national security, which is bs. If this bill passes, then basically businesses can start "mail ordering" workers to come in and work for much less. This is going to cause many workers and unions fits. I totally agree, this isnt about race for one moment. It's about protecting workers rights and our standard of living. If you have a senator, represenative or a candidate's ear, you better start talking to them, this thing is such a wash. The candidates should start getting on it, congresspeople and anyone at local levels also.

Bush and company are going to spin this as good for the US in everything from national securty, productivity, job creation and so on while it's only going to keep wages down if not in the long run lower them even.

One bright side is that this issue could cost Bush some popularity with many conservative voters who typically don't like pro immigration policies for whatever reasons. Bad thing is, those votes he loses could be replaced by a very large and motivated spanish vote.

A few possibilities to make this a positive for workers is to put a stipulation in the bill that somehow guarantees that these new workers these businesses will bring in cannot make less than those already or formerly in those positions make(or made). Ensure they are given all benefits workers of the same skill level recieve. Things like this will force Bush to show his hand, is it really a bill to help latin americans come into the country legally and help them start a new life or is it a handout to his big business backers.

this is ANOTHER HUGE ISSUE THAT our dem leadership needs to address before it's too late. If they don't act on it and a few other issues, get them the hell out!!!

[lovedems]

8. Instead of the dem leadership addressing this, we ought to let

the conservatives who are against this deal with it. They are known for playing dirty so there is a great opportunity for them to look bad and we can sit back and watch as the rethuglican party starts to divide. Just a thought. The dems in California seem to be all for this.

[RandomKoolzip]

9. I'd love to hear Pat Buchanan take Bush to task for this.

n/t

[lovedems]

10. He was on the Today Show this morning

pretty pissed off about this. It was scary because I found myself agreeing with him on some points. I NEVER, EVER thought that day would come. I say again, let the conservatives who are against this take on *. A little division in the rethuglican party might go along way for the dems.

[terryg11]

11. Rove has them all in line I would imagine

once in a while you hear a republican speak out against the administration but that's usually it. Whether he's cutting deals with them or they are just plain scared of the guy I don't know.

I understand why the dems in California are all for it, there is a strong latin american vote out there that gets bigger every year, so to do anything to jeopardize that is scary. Yet this issue if handled correctly could be a win for the dems. Paint it as taking advantage of the immigrants who want to come in. Like I said, make Bush show his hand on this. If this bill is what many of us here think it is, then it's more important to act out against it and take a chance in order to educate the voters and try to stop it.

[cryofan]

13. Don't forget the CHEAP LABOR LIBERALS in the Democratic Party!

They are putting forth exactly the same ideas about illegal immigration as Bush! Have you forgetten about that? What is the deal with the huge blind spot DUers and Democrats have on illegal immigration? The Presidential candidates are supposed to be representing the American citizen, not someone who is coming here illegally and causing a wage race to the bottom. This is hurting working class American citizens.

I call for Dennis Kucinich to stand up for American citizens and propose a new SSN and document checking system and HUGE new fines for employers who hire illegals. This would vault Dennis upward in the polls.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

14. Here's my take

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=993089#993336