Wednesday, May 8, 2013

New immigration

In times when most working class Americans struggle to find work, keep their jobs and live from pay day to pay day, there are those weak minded fools who present us with a false targets to vent our anger against. The undocumented immigrants once again are dressed up as bad guys. Like the Know Nothings of in the mid-19th century the anti-immigrant rhetoric is always cruel and cowardly. We are getting too many Catholics and Jews was the pathetic cry of the 1800’s. During both red scares of the 20th century immigrants again become easy targets for false rage. In the 20th century the anarchist, communists and socialists are foreign ideologies brought in with the immigrants and again as equally stupid. Today this bigotry is alive and well. In fact according to the National Research Council published findings, immigrants generate far more public revenue than any public costs that can be laid at the feet of the immigrants. Non-Citizens are not eligible for the majority of social benefits that citizens are entitled to. In fact most programs require that they are legal permanent residents and have resided in the United States legally for at least five years. Economic Report of the President most illegal immigrants pay more than their share of taxes and are not in eligible public assistance programs. Many times because they are illegal they are little more than slaves who work for room and board and a little spare change. If they live somewhere else they are often paid in cash and off the books and many times wages are ridiculously low. It is common in many parts of America that even people with modest incomes can afford to have some one come in once a week to clean, few care about their status and cheap is always good. In manufacturing through contracting out sweatshops are a common occurrence in America where workers are paid piecework not hourly wages, thus getting around minimum wage. If it is the employer who cheats the worker it is the employer not the worker who is the criminal. Where the immigrants do receive paychecks, legal or not they are paying payroll taxes and social security taxes. Immigrants cannot receive assistance until five years after they receive amnesty or being in the US legally. Thus, immigrants as a class contribute more than they receive. The crime rates are lowest among immigrants than of any other corresponding group based upon income according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In fact the incarceration rates among young men are consistently lower for immigrants than for native-born Americans. Among Latinos who in theory, not in fact, constitute the majority of undocumented immigrants in the United States the crime rates for immigrants are lower than the general population. To victimize the victims is cowardly, simple-minded and craven.

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