FeedOpinion: 21st century slavery in the United States
May 29, 2008 in Hot off the wire
By Billy DennisGlenn Beck can be a real doofus at times, but he is right on the money on the issue of illegal immigration:
The unspoken truth is that these businesses don’t hire illegal aliens because they can’t find American workers, they hire illegal aliens because they don’t want American workers. And it has nothing to do with wages.
Illegal aliens mean no workers’ comp claims, no age, race or sex discrimination lawsuits, no healthcare premiums, no unions, and no demands for raises, vacations or bigger offices. In fact, illegal immigrants are the perfect employees because they’re not employees at all; they’re corporate slaves.
Economist Dr. Thomas Sowell once said, “Blacks were not enslaved because they were black, but because they were available.” Can’t the exact same thing be said for illegal aliens? They’re available and we’re allowing them to be exploited in the name of cheap groceries.
Is the price of fruit really the standard we want to live up to as a country? Is that really who we’ve become?
I’m all for legal immigration. And I’m all in favor of increasing the amount of legal immigration, and making it easier.
But what we’ve allowed to happen here is an environment where good jobs are beign sent elsewhere by companies like our very own Caterpillar Inc., while low-paying jobs that can’t be exported are being taken over by the 21st century’s version of slave labor.
This cannot continue.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
“Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore….”
Unfortunately, that was a different time. We can’t do that anymore.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
One difference between the slavery that ended in the 19th century and the labor of illegal immigrants of today: They’re free to leave whenever they want. They choose to work under these conditions. Nobody is beating them or chasing them with dogs when they try to run away, nor are they being forced to live like animals, huddled in windowless huts in 140 degree heat. They choose to stay. If they didn’t come for the work, the owners of these co-ops and canneries and slaughterhouses would be forced to provide better conditions in order to attract cheap labor. Alas, they do, so they don’t.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Oh yeah, and Glenn Beck is batshit crazy. Pardon my French.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
“where good jobs are being sent elsewhere by companies like our very own Caterpillar Inc.”
Which jobs are those? Last I looked Cat was adding Jobs to the Peoria area for some time now.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
“We can’t do that anymore.”
Really? Who says? Closing the border has never worked for great nations. Never.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Who said I am for “closing” the border? You are criticizing me for a position I am not taking. Yet I am not for a wide-open border, which worked great for the Roman Empire.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
There is a whole big difference between a closed border and a controlled border. Legal immigration if fine, but illegal immigration is strangling this country.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
The Roman Empire did not have a wide open border. The Romans did not have a policy of welcoming anyone and everyone who was not in the Empire. They did try to keep it closed. They did try to expel those who crossed. They failed because it was not possible.
If you looked Bill… the response was directed to Il Vonster.
May 29th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Mahkno: OK then …
May 29th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
SD - We strangle ourselves better than they do. Illegal immigration seems to be more of a campaign issue than an economic one.