So Adam, if these "illegals" speak English, how can you tell they are foreigners, let alone illegal?
Totality of the circumstances. No county short of Lehigh county has any measurable quantity or percentage of persons holding a recently immigrated status. Lehigh is about an hour south. Hazleton, Lou Barletta, and their continued fight against II employment and rental practices are a stone's throw away. Throughout the Hazleton process, Hazleton saw a large decrease in the illegal population. Wilkes-Barre is roughly 15 miles north on I81. Wilkes-Barre has a large semi-industrial and no-skilled job base. The voting registry reflects no large influx of any new nationality, despite their presence over the past three to five years. The newspapers--print and video media--have very clearly documented the influx. Folks I know who work at warehouses, local school districts, and local government agencies (e.g., CYS) see the influx. How do I know? You'd have to be a naive fool to think otherwise. I appreciate your quotation marks, however.
The "illegals" are doing jobs that in many cases, Americans won't do at any price. We have become too comfortable in our lives to pick crops in 100-degree heat or do many other unpleasant things.
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They pay taxes into the government on their wages and are law abiding citizens.
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Our immigration laws are driving US jobs overseas.
No. As Tom and I said before--pay a fair wage, and folks will work the job.
Corporations seeking to maximize profits are driving these jobs overseas (I know using "corporations" generally reeks of some semi-crazy "it's the corporations maaan!" argument--bear with my generalization). Americans who do not want to pay more are driving these jobs overseas. But, there's a catch 22--Americans working minimum wage jobs, in order to survive, are forced to pay less to maintain their lives. Sadly, corporations need a great profit margin to pacify investors. So, the crap continues.
Generally, I'd agree that most folks, regardless of their background, are law-abiding citizens. With respect to taxes, however--welcome to another large problem I noted before. Amnesty? Okay. But, I want amnesty to include a back calculation of gross income and the proper taxes applied for the time spent in the United States without paying taxes. Can't calculate it? Then based on earning capacity, a standard amount should be applied. All I want is (1) respect for the current laws and (2) bearing of the same burdens all citizens bear.
With respect to the video, again, the second wave of American immigration took place by documentation, proof of health, over time proof of work, and with all of the responsibilities of citizenry borne by those entering the country. I have no problem with folks enjoying the sweet land of liberty. I have a problem, as said before, with those who break laws to do it and who do not contribute to the system that gives them a legal opportunity. My, and I can pretty confidently say most, ancestors did it the right way.
That being said, I think we've each made clear our position and driven this discussion into the ground. They say to never mix religion or politics with friends. We did. It's probably best we let it go.
support your local ma and pa stores.if wal-mart wants to build a store in your back yard they are going to do it .and run all the small business away.dont shop wal-mart.edj.
