More Idiocy out of the Bay Area

It's things like this that make my blood boil...and increase my yearning to leave this state.

About this time last year, there were protests all over the Southwest. Students walked out of class to stand in solidarity with the protesters in the streets. Where they protesting abortion? No. How about supporting our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq? Nope. What were they protesting? Our nation defending its sovereignty and actually enforcing it's immigration laws. People who are in favor of enforcement of the laws that are already in place have been portrayed as anti-immigration racists. I would argue that the opposite is true.

We are told that illegal aliens are brought to this country as a source of cheap labor. Why does it cost so much less to employ an illegal alien than a U.S. citizen? Is it really less expensive? Well, for starters, the illegal alien is not in the system; no Social Security number, no Green Card, and therefore, no obligation for the employer to pay into Social Security, worker's compensation, or health insurance. I would say that this is real exploitation. Since they are here illegally, and are being exploited thus, illegal aliens seek welfare benefits to supplement their under-the-table, cash income. In order to obtain these benefits, one must have a...you guessed it, government-issued ID. Illegal aliens are directed to people who are, in essence, identity thieves. They are given a SSN, or a driver's license number that may be real, but it's under someone else's name. Not only are illegals being exploited by their employers, they are being exploited by criminals!

"Well, that's why we need to grant amnesty to these people!" So, when we grant amnesty to all of these millions of illegals, are they going to stay in their current jobs? Why would anyone want to remain in a job that pays less than minimum wage? Are they going to still be hanging out in the Home Depot parking lot? I doubt it. It would be easier for them to find higher-paying jobs as citizens; good for them, bad for their former employers. This would leave people that typically employ illegal aliens with the task of getting more cheap labor. The vicious cycle would continue, and a perpetually impoverished class of people would be allowed to exist.

Rather than exploiting people that come here because their countries of origin have gone to hell in a handbasket, why not take a hint from The Netherlands? They contract out convicts for farm labor. We already have convicts picking up trash on the highways and clearing brush in state parks. Perhaps this may actually help deter would-be criminals; prision would be a punishment. Of course the ACLU may jump all over this idea, saying that the rights of the convicts are being violated.