You said illegal aliens were being cut out of contracting jobs, via a reference check and ID check, for doing shoddy work ----> tu-duh, problem solved. Ain't no more American contractors losing their job to an illegal, right? Right? We got background checks in place, right?
Checking references and collecting IDs is not unique to contracting. Employers do this across the board.
Federal tax law requires employers to withhold income taxes from wage earners ---> better get some ID ---> can't be hiring illegal aliens in the first place.
Federal law requires employers to issue a 1099 to independent contractors ---> better get some ID ---> shouldn't be hiring illegal aliens in the first place.
The issue of insufficient employees comes up here sometimes. For instance, a collegue has a client who runs a catering business. The client cannot hire enough Americans to keep the business open. Can't do it. Americans will not apply for the job. He's forced to go out of business or hire illegals.
I said that's a growing trend, more common among smaller contractors, not the large companies who still hire them to keep their budget down and keep money in their pockets.
There are tons of things that we all should do, but in truth that isn't often the case, is it?
See previous...
Then he should change his business management skills.
In a field where work can be tight, I often have a list of waiting applicants who want to work for me. I get this because I treat my crews with respect, pay them better than anyone else, give them great benefits and give them exciting work.
You have to give a little to get alot, I get guys that are skilled, knowledgeable and who work 100 times harder than any illegal would ever consider.
If the mexicans are being paid 1/3 of what Americans are paid, it stands to reason that the work they do should be 1/3 of the quality. You get what you pay for afterall.
Back when I did construction, a lot of the Mexicans were paid under-the-table. No checks, no tax id's, no taxes taken out. I've seen a lot of places that do this stuff out in the country, which is where a lot of the Mexicans go that I've seen.
The other point I can see is, Good luck getting an American to go out and pick corn for a living. Most people have some mess bread into them that they are better then that. Other know they can make more money living off unemployment or social security.
In the same boat, if you come flying across the board, have respect for those that made this place. The last 3 interaction with illegals have been bad enough to taint the entire thing.
i think a more apt description would be someone walking through a wide open gate in your fence, setting up shop in an corner of your field you are not using and helping you do a lot of crappy work you do not want to do.
The employER, the boss, the company, is breaking a couple federal laws. So, where should the blame be, eh?
Yep, that's what the farmers say. Wife's cousin owns apple orchards, plural, in Washington State. He'd love to hire the full-blood, born-and-bred, perfect-English Americans. Love to. He can't. They won't apply for the jobs. They won't.
And having me pay for their goddamned medical bills? Are you puffing the Ganj dude? You'd be livid if a bunch of Americans walked across the border demanding the same medical privledges that you as a natural born citizen would get... Lets go walk a mile in your shoes.. Would you illegally cross an international border into ANY country of your choosing, then demand work, free medical attention and the same rights naturally born those citizens and people who actually did things the proper way are given? Its cheating..
If you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
And AikiMac.. you're exactly part of the problem I stated in my third post.. They're your clients right? You're exploiting people who came to this country illegally, reside here illegally, and yet you still make a buck off them. How screwed up is your thinking? Of course you want them here, you make too much goddamn money off of them...
Here's the keyword some of you advocates for illegal immigration aren't getting...
Ready? ILLEGAL!!!
The problem I see is that the Latino immigrants are coming from an entirely different culture and economic base. For the most part Canadians speak English and their laws and daily life are not vastly different from America's. For Americans to become Canadian or vise versa is not a huge change of life. The same cannot be said for the Latino community
The Latino immigrants come in two categories:
A)Those who come to share their culture and become American's
B)Those that wish to impose their culture on America.
Ahem, have you not heard of the Sixth Amendment before? I'm a court-appointed lawyer on federal appeals. Taking me off their case results in injustice (I refer you again to the Sixth Amendment), and you don't want injustice. You really don't.
Duh, who's being dumb now? The issue is what should be illegal. Should. Not is, but should. I'm sorry you missed that.
But if present illegality is your thing, then you ought to be policing the employers who hire illegal aliens. For real. Go get them.
I admit we have no fence, but then again do we blame people who do not lock their doors when someone breaks into their house?
Lax security doesn't equal culpability
The analogy of doing work we won't do is pure B/S....Maybe they are doing work that we do not aspire to do, but there are plenty of legal people who would do them anyways.
Tell every teenager out there who cannot get a job, every parent who cannot get a job or needs a secon job etc... that no legal citizen would do the jobs illegals do...
The fact is, the U.S is far from reaching a point that we have more jobs than workers.
No, illegal immigrants are coming into our home taking our jobs and telling us that we need to pay for their medical and living expenses..Then when we ask them to leave, they laugh in our face and protest in the streets as if WE were the criminals.
I'm with aiki. When it comes down to jobs, having lived in several regions of the country with farming/crop industries, tourist industries, etc, the immigrants are taking jobs Americans think they're better than! But at least they're getting jobs...
I'm all for amnesty. I find the bill which was passed reprehensible, especially when the council passes it knowing it would be challenged on appeal. America was built on immigrants. Period. Closing our borders because we "don't like Mexicans" is really what this comes down to as no one seems to be raising a stink over Canuks. Give them amnesty, give them a chance to become citizens.
That is a load of crap, they do not take jobs that Americans will not do... They take jobs Americans will do, but are willing to work for less than minimum wage.
So what?
America was built on legal immigrants, but we have the right to decide if we wish to change that. Instead, we have decided we like having legal immigrants, what we do not like is illegal immigrants.
I imagine you have invited guests to stay at your house, nothing wrong with that. But what would you do if a bunch of strangers barged in without an invitation?
As to the implication of racism, thats a load of crap as well. If as many illegals were crossing at the Canadian border as there are at the Mexican border they would be treated equally.
But, there are millions more crossing at the Mexican border than at the Canadian border....
DON'T YOU GET IT THEY'RE MEXICAN. THIS AIN'T MEXICO KEEP THEM OUT!
Just kidding! I really think most of the anti-immigration arguments are BS! Everyone says they're stealing jobs, that's just bull. Yea there are some poor white or black Americans who would take up some of the jobs immigrants take but they live in West Virginia and the inner city. They literally don't live in the outskirts of the rich suburbs that can afford contract work and for some weird reason don't wanna move outta their trailer park (this comment is a hyperbole by the way) to do the cheap contracting work immigrants do.
Man! my mom is an immigrant, I'm Taiwanese and my family worked damn hard to make a living. We didn't steal jack*** from anyone. The truth most Americans are hardworking and do good work but some don't and immigrants pick up the slack that the few lazy Americans leave to someone else.
Besides that I work at a paint supply store. Everyone talks as if immigrants don't contribute to our economy. Bull! If it weren't for immigrants I'd be outta of a job. Immigrant contractors are our bread and butter, they make up well over 2/3 our gross and net revenue.
Believe me the day immigrants stop coming to America is the day America isn't worth coming to. Believe me the third world isn't racing to the bottom, everyone wants to be able to make a decent living. They'll do it with or without us. If America doesn't learn how to deal with foriegners we're goina find ourselves left in the dust.
The only requirements I think immigrants should have is a 1) a working knowledge of English, for their sake and ours and 2) a visa that let's them stay as long as they work and live here.
Something people are missing, again, the issue is ILLEGAL immigrants. Not legal immigrants. Legal immigrants are welcome to the USA. Illegals are not. There is a reason it's illegal and that they are referred to as illegal immigrants. They broke the law. What is so hard to understand about that?