rnrn OK, I’ve been hearing plenty about all of this on the news. Lots of chatter on Facebook, plenty of talk at local bars and I’ve finally had it with all this knee-jerk, reactionary bullshit! rnrn Let’s start with the term “Illegal Alien”. There’s a nice little pejorative phrase help everyone feel a little more self-reighteous while pointing fingers. I remember not so long ago when these people were called “Migrant Workers”. Let’s break those down a bit, shall we?rnrn Illegal Alien: Wow, if this doesn’t conjure up images of of some pig-nosed, alcoholic. ruffian that has the death sentence on twelve systems, I don’t know what does. Right off the bat, “Illegal”: in violation of the law, criminal, no excuses, bad! “Alien”: foreign, strange, to be feared.rnrn Migrant Worker: This seems to fit the bill pretty well in my opinion. “Migrant”: one who travels/has travelled, is away from home. “Worker”: someone who takes a job, performs necessary tasks, engages in a productive activity of some sort.rnrn These migrant workers have come to the states, some of them bypassing normal entry routes, to find jobs so that they may send money back home to support their families, or establish themselves here to bring their families to the States. These people often risk their lives, quite literally, to get here. All they want is something better for their children than they had. Sounds like a nice big slice of the “American Dream” if you ask me, with a little ice cream on the side.rnrn “But their taking our jobs!!” Really? You can’t get a teenager to mow the goddam lawn in this country. They’re too busy tweeting about “Jersey Shore” and whatever idiotic designers are coming out with some new graffiti covered T-shirts. The last couple of generations of American children have been some of the laziest, most over-privileged, under-motivated, flat out useless people ever born of this Earth.rnrn Manufacturing jobs? There are none! America doesn’t make anything anymore! Honda and Toyota build more cars in the U.S. than GM and Ford. Migrant workers didn’t end U.S. manufacturing, American companies did! America’s chief exports are War and Entertainment (and that line has been getting blurred quite a bit lately).rnrn I don’t see many migrant workers running companies, managing offices, or even working jobs where they interact directly with customers or the public in general. These are not the people in control. These are not the people destroying our economy. I’m not mentioning any names, but I’m looking at you Chase, Goldman-Sachs, CitiGroup…rnrn Living in southern Nevada, I’ve met quite a few “undocumented workers” (another more accurate term), and these are some of the hardest working people I’ve ever met. Honest, polite, and the kind of people that I like working with. Together, we finished many jobs, even the unpleasant ones that nobody else wanted to do. I see them all over the place, working long days in the hot sun, and getting things done! I don’t hear them complaining much, either. However, I have seen waitresses at over priced night clubs literally break down in tears because they only got a $200 tip from a single table, and now might have to work three nights in one week to pay all of their bills for the month. Useless!rnrn “But what about 9/11?” What about it? Ohh, I get it. The terrorists had brown skin, and spoke broken English with a strange accent. And don’t forget, they illegally came to this country… FROM CANADA!! Speaking of Canadians, isn’t there some huge border between the States and Canada? Shouldn’t we be building a wall, or fire trench, or piranha filled moat to stop Canadians from entering this country illegally? I know they’re white and speak English, but they’re taking our jobs!! (See how ridiculous that all sounds?)rnrnAnd the final straw for me, Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wants hearings to discuss the possible repeal of the 14th Amendmant. Are you out of your fucking minds? Really? Time to start voting some people out of their cushy government jobs and elect people who don’t have their head up their collective asses, and maybe actually pay their taxes.rnrnLuis Guiterrez said it best in this article. I like this guy! I don’t know if America is ready for a Latino President, but I’d love to have a sarcastic one for a change.rnrnSo, who am I to spout off like this? I’m a goddam citizen! I work hard, pay my taxes, vote my conscience, and it’s my goddam website. In regards to this issue, my first direct relatives came here in 1683. That’s 93 years prior to the United States becoming a sovereign nation for those of you who went to public school after 1988. And my last direct relative to arrive (my great grandfather) came to the U.S. from Nuscoe, Italy in the 1920’s. (Almost 93 years ago.)rnrni think we should make it easier to get a work visa for anyone who wants one. A “path to citizenship” for those who are here and want to be part of the experiment that we call “America”, and a little more humanity in dealing with the current situation in general. If you really want to blamestorm, hang a scapegoat out to dry, or mix any other metaphor, how about we prosecute those who are hiring migrant workers and not processing the proper paperwork? Where’s the IRS on this one? Untaxed wages are being paid! Granted, it’s only a few million dollars, less than what any given politicians owes in back taxes, but at least it’s a real legal reason to pursue this matter and not some thinly veiled excuse for racism.rnrnJim says: “Our nation’s problems are not coming from Mexico, they’re coming from Washington D.C.!”
