IMMIGRATION HAS AND ALWAYS WILL DRIVE WAGES DOWN

IMMIGRATION HAS AND ALWAYS WILL DRIVE WAGES DOWN

(Breitbart, TheTownTalk, Immigration & Nationality Act)

(Population Bulletin, Marlene A. Lee, Mark Mather, Jeffrey Schultz)

(Randal C. Archibold, Cheryl Sullivan, Reuters, James P. Smith, Frazer Chronicle)

 

Immigration to the United States has had four great epochs: the colonial period, from 1565 through 1751, the mid-19^th century era, the start of the 20^th century, and post 1965. There are similarities throughout these different periods that span four hundred and more years. With little exception, an influx of immigrants was signaled by a rising need for cheap labor.

 

American ingenuity didn’t start in the 20^th century; it had its origins in 1565 St. Augustine, Florida when the Spanish settled in this sea-side area. It continued when the Spanish settled in what is now Texas and New Mexico. The first shipment of African slaves arrived in Virginia in 1619, followed by the great migration in the 1630’s when Massachusetts’s immigration ballooned to more than 21,000.

 

In fact, Benjamin Franklin worried in the 1750’s about German immigration, writing "This Pennsylvania will in a few years become a German colony; instead of (their) learning our language, we must learn theirs, or live as in a foreign country”.

 

No matter what good old Ben thought about the ethnicity of the German people, each period or wave of immigration to the United States brought distinct national groups, races and (yes Ben) ethnicities to the United States. During the 17^th century, approximately 175,000 Englishmen migrated to Colonial America, and a goodly number arrived in the country as indentured servants.

 

Anybody who cares about reading history, like me, can discover a pattern of immigration activity corresponding with a need for labor. Another reason for early immigration to America, 1840’s and 1850’s were the failed revolutions in Europe and the opportunities that the Americas offered masses of wandering incoming immigrants.

 

Significant Chinese migration to the United States late in the 1840’s through the late 1850’s was triggered by the huge railway industry that would eventually lay thousands of miles of track, spurs and rail-heads throughout the middle of the country to the far west.

 

Also in the middle of the 19^th century, from about 1855, through to the early years of the 20^th century there was an influx of Germans, Englishmen, Finlanders’, Swedes, Irish and Poles to help in the iron ore district of Lake Superior, and the coal fields of the Virginias and Pennsylvania. It seemed that Americans had little stomach for the cold, damp, dark and dangers of underground mining, leaving the task to foreign workers.

 

Since 1965, when President Johnson approved the Immigrations and Nationality Act which among other things repealed the national-origin quotas, initiated a visa system for family reunification and skills, set a quota for Western Hemisphere immigration of 270,000, and set a 20K country limit for Eastern Hemisphere aliens.

 

CHARTING THE FLOOD OF IMMIGRATION IN THE 1990s

More than 6 million illegal immigrants entered the United States during the 1990’s, with Mexico leading the way in this dubious (for many Americans), list of illegals. The Philippines, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, and China rounded out the top five.

 

 

It is estimated that today…..2013 there are between 10 and 13 million illegals living, working and playing in the United States. There is no estimate of those illegals that, in addition to living, working and playing in the U.S. also are participating in playing house, and procreating, which legally speaking are instantly considered to be legal citizens of the United States.

 

There are laws (on the books) that have been created to combat illegals, to monitor their activity and movements that are not enforced. In fact some of the laws on the books have been struck down because…..well, maybe waiting for the next influx of illegals, and then reviewing those laws, determining whether or not to enforce them.

 

The immigration problem today is far worse than at any time in U.S. history, in the beginning the country needed immigration, in fact private business was allowed to pay for their steerage from Europe as well as pay bonuses. Of course everybody knows about the slave ships that arrived periodically from Africa.

 

During the history of immigration in the United States there was minimum standards that legal’s had to achieve before they could take their oath of citizenship. Reading and writing the English language…..and speaking English as well, were mandatory. It was the law and was strictly upheld, people were proud to learn these attributes of their (new country.) Now you can forget it, I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and standing in the grocery check-out line is like taking a course in Spanish, not only is Spanish spoken, many do not understand English.

 

SO LET’S WRAP THIS THING UP

So let’s examine what has been the history of immigration to the United States, and what the current status of this issue is, after all it’s what our legislators have done on Capitol Hill, as well as in the regions of country and the individual states…..right!

 

I’ve kind of taken a different view of the situation, and the problem…..which it surely is, I’ve asked some basic, simple questions that I feel has addressed the issue. After all…..it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to address, and then solve what our immigration problem has become.

 

A. Does illegal immigration in the United States today cause problems?

B. Does our monitoring and border patrol work in combating illegals from access to our country?

C. Are some of these immigrants on the shady side of the law?

D. Do illegals pay payroll taxes to the United States?

E. Do illegals enhance our society through cultural comingling?

F. Do we as a nation need the influx of cheap labor that most of these people represent?

G. Do some of these people represent a threat to our way of life?

H. Does the laws of the land with regards to immigration need changing?

I.  Should laws already on the books to address this issue be upheld by our elected officials?

J. Should children born in the U.S. to illegals be considered U.S. citizens?

 

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then we have a serious problem which…..for years has not been addressed. Small business in the United States has benefitted mightily by the cheap labor costs that these people offer.

 

The question of immigration in the United States is not, I repeat, is not, a complex issue, industry and politics convolute the problem…..as does some minority groups that represent illegals. There is one word that, (if understood) solves every single issue, that word…..illegal.

 

I wonder which part of that word isn’t understood by the masses here in the United States, taking a pee in public…..like on the sidewalk of a busy street. There’s no debate, the peeing perp is hauled, along with his member…..what’s the debate; the guy committed an uncivilized indecent act, and would be held liable by the laws of the land.

 

Immigration on the scale that we here in the United States have is untenable, and we need people to be held accountable. I could care less about the Hispanic vote, or their organizations, or lobbyist’s activity, what they are defending is…..illegal.

 

I really could care less about the poor small business people that take advantage of this low source, and in fact provide a place for the illegals to work. They (small business and farms) say that they can’t afford to hire American citizens because they won’t do the work, and won’t work for minimum wage.

 

Well double whammy to us…..I can talk from experience here, migrant workers in the fruit industry work for some of the lowest wages in the country, and the industrial mucky mucks talk about not being able to produce their product and get it to our tables without these low waged employees.

 

Well let me take issue with that attitude here…..just for a moment; the product that these farmers and fruit and vegetable growers offer are…..how can I say it…..are priced high! So let’s take stock here…..just for a moment, if the local cherry farmer pays substandard wages to his illegals, get’s his crop harvested and processed by illegals being paid a substandard wage…..and then sells his product for say, $10 a pound when it only cost him $2 a pound to produce…..well, you do the math.

 

In closing I have but one thing to say to these small business people and farmers, if you need illegals and the low pay that they represent to make ends meet, take your business and combine it with the guy down the street…..it’s called American ingenuity!

 

And oh ya, to those politicians who are using this issue like a beach ball…..elections are coming up, and the Hispanic vote won’t save your stupidity.  

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!