Boycott followup

A friend of mine was talking about the whole illegal alien problem and the protests (which btw, didn’t help their cause any) and he was discussing the work that he did as a day laborer in the 70’s when people were hurting for work. As a young man he did the dirty jobs, the back breaking jobs.

He said that the memories of the back breaking work came rushing back to him in a flood as he listened to the various talking heads trying make the case that illegal aliens are a critical part of the economy because they "do the jobs that nobody else will do."

The Washington Times quoted one illegal immigrant marcher yesterday that got his attention;
"This country needs us. We are the strong arms that do all the tough jobs," said Donna Maria Mostache, a 43-year-old cook and illegal immigrant who marched alongside hundreds of thousands of others in Los Angeles. "We can't be afraid to come out and say who we are."

He found that insulting. He said, “I'm not 'nobody else' -- and if there are nastier, dirtier, more back-breaking jobs than the ones Nugent's sent me out to do for $12.75 a day (back in the 70’s), they are probably in violation of most existing federal and state occupational and safety hazard laws.”

These days, the problems with illegals are that employers could pay illegals the same take-home pay and pocket the 'deductions' instead paying them to the government.

In touting the 'benefits' of illegal immigrant labor, one 'talking head' cited a statistic that said that the 'underground economy' accounted for as much as 20% of the labor force. Although he undoubtedly intended to make the point that immigrant labor is a huge section of the workforce, it was the second, unintended, point that nobody else picked up on.

It means everybody else's taxes have to be 20% too high in order to make up the shortfall. It's a huge part of the workforce, all right. And it also means that huge segments of the population, both employers and their illegal employees, working outside the system, leave the rest of America to foot the bill.

And I resent having to pay someone else’s way when that money could go toward helping me, as a single parent, build a better life for my daughter instead of paying for the taxes that the illegals aren’t paying which includes their welfare, their indigent care, their medicines, etc. That means that money that should rightfully be mine if I weren’t paying higher taxes to support these illegal aliens is money that is being taken from my daughter to pay for those who are in this country ILLEGALLY – which, last time I checked, illegal meant criminal. There are others who came here legally and have the right to be called immigrants, but these people who sneak across the boarder do not have that right. As far as I'm concerned, they are illegal aliens and should be treated as such.

And just in case you think I have something against Hispanic/Mexican people, I don’t. My ex-husband is ½ Hispanic and my daughter is part Hispanic (His grandparents on his mom's side came over LEGALLY from Mexico). I love the Hispanic culture. I love the food, I love the music (except tejano – holy green guacamole that music is like an aneurism for the ears), I love the heritage. I have a big complaint against Mexico’s extremely corrupt government and I have something against those who are gaining entry to our country illegally and expect to get rewarded for doing so. No way, no how, and if our government grew some cajones – not in this lifetime.

Many Americans, like me, are outraged at the sense of entitlement these illegal immigrants are showing. Do they not understand that America was prosperous before without them and we will be growing and prosperous years from now with or without them? Breaking laws should never be rewarded.

Here are some responses from LEGAL immigrants who are speaking out AGAINST the illigals protests as well as those who ARE Americans. Since when did the voices of people who broke the law by coming here illegally become more important than those who came here legally and/or were born here as an American Citizen from parents, etc who are American citizens, and so forth and so on? HINT: They DON’T. These protests are doing nothing but angering those who were originally apathetic to the whole deal. These illegals are waking a sleeping bear and it’s not going to be pretty.

“As a middle-of-the-road American and a second generation immigrant, I don't have anything against immigration. But I do have something against illegal aliens who want everything America can offer them monetarily, who will not respect our laws, our language or our culture. Do you really think we would get away with this kind of rally in Mexico City? They should be protesting the Mexican government, not trying to change the laws in our country. I do not want to live in the United States of Mexico.” — Janet (Houston, TX)

“I am an immigrant of Hispanic origin myself, although I came to this country legally. I must say that at first I was hoping that some reforms in immigration would help people come legally and contribute to this country. As I see the protests and boycotts that are happening, I am embarrassed about the negative attitude of the Hispanic community. I don't agree with the national anthem sung in Spanish. In my country of origin, Uruguay, our national anthem is sacred, and if a bunch of Americans came trying to change it or translate it to English, it would be an insult to our people. I think immigrants have rights, but their rights end where the rights of others begin. They have no right to mess with the American anthem, they should be grateful for this nation and all it represents. When I came to this country I worked hard to adapt to it, learn the language well and adopt the values. I never expected the country to change to my convenience. I love this country, and I say whoever despises it should go back to their own.” — Mariana

“Today's protests have definitely hurt their cause. I was fairly apathetic about illegal immigrants until this debate started heating up. Now, I'm furious. Who do they think they are? I would vote for a ‘No Guest-Worker Program’ in addition to deporting all of the illegals." — Joan (Lakewood, CO)

"Unfortunately, today’s move has had a negative impact on me and many of my friends. It shows a blatant disregard for the law of the land. Most in America would support any individual’s desire to come to this great country so long as they choose the legal route." — Trey (Columbia, SC)

“I believe the boycott will hinder their cause. It will cause anger in the majority of the population that believe immigrants should be willing to go through all that their ancestors went through to obtain American citizenship. If they want our benefits, of which I might add I do not even qualify for, then let them learn our language, work for what they want and be a part of America, instead of being freeloaders.” — Debbie

“Hopefully it will backfire on the illegals. For myself, I will drive around my neighborhood after work today to look for closed businesses and I will boycott them for the rest of my life. It is especially aggravating to learn the kids are not going to school today. I am paying for that school.” — Steven

“In response to the illegal Mexicans protest, I plan to boycott all Mexican goods. I had planned another vacation to Mexico this year, but will not go there for the foreseeable future. No more Corona and no more Mexican restaurants. The protest door swings both ways.” — Dennis

"They are breaking the law and do not have the right to take jobs from our poor. They also have an unfair advantage because they are not required to learn English. They get special treatment. They are protected by business owners who want cheap labor. The ones who are here should pay penalties and be required to pay fines to obtain legal status. I am voting against any Democrat or Republican who allows our money to be spent on illegals." — Roger (Greenwood, IN)

"It is a stress on us here in North Carolina. The Mexican illegal immigration is out of control. They take jobs from legal citizens, many of whom were born and raised here. Further, illegals tax our school and medical systems. They don't speak English and when they need care, we as taxpayers have to take on the burden. It is NOT right. This isn't America circa 1900. It is 2006 and our borders need more security." — Jamie (Gastonia, NC)

"Breaking U.S. laws by ILLEGALLY entering this country should NOT be rewarded." — Christopher (Lexington Park, MD)

(Quotes courtesy of Foxnews.com Fox Fan Speakout)