Give me your huddled masses yearning to work below minimum wage

Perhaps no current issue so starkly contrasts the Republican establishment from the Republican voter as does immigration. Before we look into our candidates and views I would like to clarify two terms and dispel a couple of myths.

The first term is “Republican establishment”. I don’t think there is some grand conspiracy, some group of kingmakers meeting in some smoke filled room, deciding the fate of nations, greeting each other with secret handshakes wearing their freemason’s rings. I am merely referring to those in power who have been there for a while and like it. They oppose anyone who would rock the boat too much; they are comfortable with big government if it doesn’t get too big, too fast. They are more threatened by true conservatives who would drastically reduce the size of government and thus the scope of their own influence. They are if you recall the ones who stood in the way of the Reagan plans to eliminate the Department of education and other fundamental reductions in the scope of government.  In short the establishment is like the tea party in one way they are united in common purpose not bureaucratic organization. As long as the establishment holds sway the sacred cows of government won’t be touched, one of the biggest is immigration.  

The second term I wish to address is anti-immigration. I do not know of one elected conservative or Presidential hopeful who is anti-immigration. In fact I do not know a tea party member who is anti-immigration. We do however believe that people should come here in keeping with our laws and customs. If someone breaks into your house, it doesn’t matter rather they are a good house guest or not does it? If we are to be a nation governed by the rule of law then we simply can’t afford to overlook the millions of criminal acts by those who cross our border illegally. So we will not use the word anti-immigration.

Then there is the first myth. The myth is that the conduct of legal and illegal immigrants is the same. Absolutely not! You see the disaster that is the Mexican border and the towns and ranches near it and this is obvious.  Many who cross the border illegally are looking for work all right or else they have a job with the gangs and drug cartels. Violence has spilled north and the American cities along the border have soaked up the bloodshed. In addition to the drug violence and drugs kidnapping is on the rise. In fact Phoenix Az is second only to (you guessed it) Mexico City in the number of kidnappings. Many of these are ransom related, what self respecting drug cartel won’t supplement its income with a little side business of kidnapping? More sinister is the taking of young girls to be “kept” by drug lords. To the people along the US Mexico border these are not vague political arguments, or theoretical debates these are the realities of life and this quest for survival is the root of the immigration law in Arizona or the policies of Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and it is against this very struggle for survival that the Justice Department of Eric Holder has chosen to fight.

The second myth is that the illegal is vital to the economy. I grant you that we need some labor form the immigrant sources. During the Bush years when unemployment was as low as 4% it would simply not have been possible to man all of our jobs without immigrants, but there is not one single job any where in this great land of ours that an illegal can do that a legal immigrant can’t. The only difference is that you have to pay payroll taxes on legal, an illegal, usually not. When you don’t pay taxes what constitutes a living wage shrinks considerably. Therefore illegals who are heavy users of our social safety net, contribute little towards it.  Yes some do, but why pay full wages taxes and benefits to someone who you hire illegally? It kind of defeats the purpose of hiring cheap illegal labor in the first place.

Now for a pet peeve of mine, the quality of work you get from illegals sucks. It is not that people from foreign countries do not have the ability to learn but if you are an employer willing to break the law to save money do you really believe that employer is going to spend the money to properly train those employees? I am a union member, and in spite of disagreeing with much of our political leaders, we do one thing well and that is train people, we have immigrants who work for us and are among the best out there, welders from Trinidad among the rest. Skilled workers legally hired and properly trained, I can show you the difference between skilled work and illegal crap on most jobs and with dozens of anecdotes.

The next myth is that the open borders crowd is compassionate. There is nothing compassionate, or American for that matter about creating a permanent underclass of workers, that will always be a cheop labor source. Not to mention how many die on the border each year.

The final myth is that illegals assimilate. Again there are exceptions but with all respect to Newt the immigrant family that lives here for twenty years and are a part of their community probably did not start illegally. Illegals as a rule seek to use the US not participate in it.

Next time we will have a Christmas Message of sme kind, then we will finish looking at our candidates on this subject then a look at energy policies, than we will be well into the caucus and primary season.

Until next time keep on the firing line.