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Danny’s Gone
Everyone makes mistakes. I’ve made a bunch. It’s the ones that start small and seem insignificant that sneak up on you over time that are the ones that have the biggest consequence. The mistakes that lead to other people getting hurt are hard to confront. But the most pain comes when a mistake ends up hurting a child. I’ve done that.
I’m not writing about this to cleanse my soul (I wish it were that easy). I’m hoping that readers see this story and learn from my errors. I think my mistake has been made a few million times the past decade or so. It’s just time to discuss the consequences of our actions.
About ten years ago I was in need of a big hole. I have enough property to always need something. This time it was a drainage ditch and a dry well. I knew that there were workers looking for jobs in a nearby town. I’d heard about it from neighbors who had gone to a corner in Ossining, NY where day workers from south of the border came in the mornings. I didn’t think much of it at the time.
Sure enough, there were workers. Construction trucks were picking up guys. When I drove up a half dozen came up to me. They all talked a fast Spanish, they all wanted a job. For no particular reason I chose one. His name was Caesar. Two days later what I wanted done had been accomplished. A nice job at that. I paid cash for the work. It was $80 a day, plus I provided food.
I drove him back to where he lived at night; a not so nice apartment that he shared with eight others. I didn’t think much of it at the time.
He had my telephone number and called a few weeks later and said, “I need work”.
I understood that this was a cry for help from a guy who was having trouble getting food money. I had a ton of things that had been left undone. So I said, “Yes”.
So it became a few days a week. That lasted awhile. I introduced him to others. Everyone needed work done. It turned out that Caesar had many skills. He was a good mason and could lay up stonewalls. He was a painter, gardener, a decent mechanic and a pretty good rough and finish carpenter. He was from Quenca, Ecuador (small city outside of Quito). He had a wife, Ruth, and a daughter who was then three years old. He left his family to come to America.
We talked while we worked, I spoke “Spanglish” he spoke broken English, we understood each other perfectly. He, of course, was here illegally. He had made the long trip from Ecuador to NY via the Texas border. He came to the US because (his words) there were no jobs an no future in his home country. We became friends of a sort.
After a year or so, Caesar had saved up some money. He sent $10,000 (via Citi) back to Ecuador. This was the payoff money to the Coyotes who would transport his wife to the Texas border. She made the trip in the back of a box truck. She was raped on the way.
She was dumped, (with 20 others) in the brush country outside of Brownsville, Texas. She walked to the lights of the city and took a bus to NY. Thousands of “Ruth’s” made this trip.
Not too long after she made the long journey she was pregnant. This may have been the result of two devout Catholics and a long separation. But it was also a defensive move on their part. They knew that a child born in America would automatically become a citizen. They believed that if they were the parents of a American child they would never be deported. A common belief that has led to many children being born to illegal workers.
They named their son Danny. A healthy and happy child. Life was good for the family during the early part of the decade. There was steady work for both of them. Housekeeping for Ruth, Caesar worked construction. In 2003 they had a combined income of $60,000. A number that made them “rich” compared to the world they had come from. They were living the same dream that millions of immigrants had when they came to the US over the years. The difference, of course, was that they were illegal and had no right to be here. They bought fake Social Security cards (easy to get back then).
They lived in an area that was exploding in population of men and women who had come from Ecuador. Word travelled back to Cuenca that work and money was available. Over the course of just five years the illegal population exploded in the towns of Ossining, Peekskill and Mt. Kisco. Bodega’s and restaurants popped up.
Danny grew up fast. I saw to it that he had the medical attention he needed and later pulled a string or two to get him into the local schools. There were birthdays and holidays that I contributed to. He came to my home and I taught him to swim. Unlike his parents, he took to the water and swam like a rat. He called me, “Grandfather”. I was okay with that.
Danny was as much an American boy as any you could find. He spoke English perfectly (much to his parents chagrin). He liked American football, he didn’t play soccer. He loved basketball. He did fine in school. He made many friends. He was invited to the birthday parties of his classmates. He was a very happy kid.
Around 2005 my feelings on what was happening began to change. What had started innocently enough was now morphing into something that was no longer innocent. It was clearly a population explosion that would end up with a bad result. I slowly changed my views. I saw the risks that were developing for all that were involved. This change of heart was influenced by people who knew I was helping a family out. Some made it clear that I should not be helping the “Browns”.
I tried to make things right. I hired a lawyer and sponsored Ruth to become a US citizen. Her application was accepted in 2005. The formal notice that she was “in line” to become legal was a source of a great celebration. Six years later her application had still not gone anywhere. Not one single applicant from Ecuador was given immigration status (Green card) in all those years.
I saw to it that Ruth kept a record of all of her income. She paid taxes on what she made, the same as anyone would do. I thought this was important. It would prove that she was playing by the rules. I thought that the tax records would support her request for citizenship. It never mattered at all.
I no longer hired Caesar. I wanted him “on the books”. So he found work where no one asked questions about his legal status. If he had a SS card (illegal or not) there was plenty of work to be had. Somehow that quasi-legal status made it “right”.
Things fell apart for this family starting in 2008. The recession killed the construction industry. With that went the jobs the illegal’s had come for. The unemployment rate for the illegals went from functionally zero to at least 50%. Caesar was only able to find “pickup” work a few days a week.
I saw what was happening. I urged them to go back to Ecuador. I offered them the money to buy plane tickets. They wanted none of that. They stuck it out in the hope (like so many others) that the US economy would turn around. It never did.
Around 2010 there was a new challenge emerging. The local police began targeting the illegals. They stopped the cars they drove in to work. The cops were clearly profiling (they swore they were not). ICE (Immigration, Customs Enforcement) raided a few businesses that hired these workers. Jobs disappeared as a result. To make things worse the illegals were subject to random attacks. One was beat to death while in the custody of the police. A once happy immigrant community was scared to walk the streets.
Ruth, Caesar and Danny stuck it out as long as they could. But Caesar was stopped by the police and was given a summons to appear in court.
I was gone last week. When I got back there was a message on the phone from Danny. He was leaving the next day. He was crying. He wanted to see me before he left. When I got back I went to his home. He was already gone.
Think what it must be like for a ten-year old boy who is American as any of us to be forced out of the country. Think what a strange life he faces in a country that bears no resemblance to what he grew up with. He will not fit in. He doesn't speak Spanish fluently. His parents are back in a place that they know. They are also back in a place that has no opportunity for them and their son.
I know in my heart that I’m partially responsible for Danny’s plight. There is not much I can do about it. I will find him someday. I’ll try to make this right. But the damage has already been done. There is a ten-year old American boy whose life has been ripped apart. That’s a fact that is very hard for me to come to grip with.
**********************************
There is little to celebrate this Labor Day. There are so many Americans who have no work or are doing jobs for little pay and no upside. The illegal workers who came here in the good times are leaving in droves. In 2007 there were 12mm in the country. The endless recession has reduced that number to 8mm in just a few years. The depression we are living through has hurt many families. The ones that are on the bottom of the rung are paying the biggest price. Families like Danny’s have been hurt the most.
I know that many readers will think that my participation in this story was all wrong. That Danny and I deserve the pain we have. I expect a fair bit of criticism for this. Trust me, no words you can write would make feel worse than I do. I think of Danny all the time. I pray that this American child is safe.
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Exactly. This story stinks to high heaven of some embellished bullshit, if it is even true. Like a love story or something. I picked up on the 'brown' bullshit too. Also the bullshit about an illegal beat to death while in police custody. Shit, maybe he was beat to death by some other illegals because he robbed them or sold them bad black tar heroin. But Brucy leaves it hangin', like the cops maybe beat him to death.... to scare the other browns.... well, it didn't work. They are everywhere.
Made up bullshit story for housewives and liberals to cry about. Back to hell in Ecuador. Right.
Shit, my family didn't make a combined $60K after taxes in 2003 like his made up illegals. We would have been sitting pretty if we had. I'm to feel sorry for them? If they saved money they would have lived like kings and queens when they went back.
Somehow those people had lives before they came here. Maybe somebody will let Danny swim in their pool there - let me see, do a lot of old rich men like little boys to swim in their pools?
Sick shit.
And for all the angst over Danny he is in fact still a citizen and can return legally upon his 18th birthday if he chooses to. All people born in the USA are citizens and that cannot be taken away. Citizen children can be made to leave if they are in custody of adults not entitled to be here, but once they are released from the care of those foreign citizens he can return without permission or molestations from government of any kind, well, except maybe for the TSA which will want to cop a feel.
I got one thumbs up from myself, of course, and one thumbs down from some person unidentified.
I do not understand why some person out there would think Danny is not a citizen by law and birth entitled the the same rights as they are. The law is the law. Danny's parents had no right to be here and they are back in Ecuador, but Danny was born on US soil, he is an American whether you like that or not. It is now up to him to come back as a citizen equal to you who thumbs down'd me. And he is equal to you as a citizen.
Aside from the fact that you are a racist asshole, aside from all of the rest of the story, Danny is an American citizen and I already put my life on the line to defend the rights of US citizens, the oath I took did not have an expiration date.
Danny is a US citizen, he can return at any time. No visa issues, no questions asked, he is a citizen and if you do not get that I will be very happy to beat it into you.
You want to change the constitution so that only people born of proven parental citizenship can be American citizens then fine, change the laws, I bet everything, up to and including my life you will fail. But we also have a clause in the constitution that says we cannot change laws retroactively, for the white trash here it means what ever was the law when something happened that is the law that governs how anything is treated, it is called ex post facto. It is one of the most important parts of our constitution and legal system. At the time Danny was born in the USA the law said that anyone born on American soil is a citizen, just like you!
I am so fed up with the hate group called the GOP. I am really ready for the next civil war, I am old and I know I have to die, I would be honored to die killing republicans. Racist, elitist, wealthy assholes that do not deserve to be here. GOP=NAZI done and done.
Your unquestioned support of the Police does you no credit:
http://reason.com/archives/2010/03/16/pre-crime-policing
http://reason.com/archives/2010/03/01/45-swat-raids-per-day
http://reason.com/archives/2010/02/17/flashbangs-under-fire
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/14/chicagos-thick-blue-wall
http://reason.com/archives/2009/12/01/jericho-bile
http://reason.com/archives/2009/10/05/scenes-from-a-crackdown
http://reason.com/archives/2009/09/28/the-infallible-prosecutor
http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/19/sheriff-joes-enabler
Instead, go forth and alleviate some suffering from the world: http://www.worldvision.org
okay, it just struck me - these people took off when you were not there, no forwarding address, no thanks - didn't make sense. until i went back and read "Construction trucks were picking up guys," and "there were birthdays and holidays that I contributed to. He came to my home and I taught him to swim," and "What had started inncoently enough was now morphing into something that was no longer innocent." I'm no Freud, but...
they split town to get their kid away from you!
You, sir, have serious pronoun trouble.
OURS? Please supply me with your certificate of ownership of OURS.
You don't have one. Because it is not YOURS.
And it will never ever be yours. Ever.
Red, White, and Blue Kleptocracy.
Even stole your mind.
Touche'!
"Out of the many promises that the White man gave us, he's kept only one: He promised to take our land and he took it!" -- A Native-American
I like respect and sympathy mixed in with vitreol.
You sir are one glaring shiny asshole.
LOL. It's the turtlewax!
From the way you tell it Bruce you're actions may not have been 100% correct but at least you attempted to do "good". Your actions will reverberate through those you have helped, even if it doesn't seem like its working out now. The alternative to good is evil and there's enough of that reverberating around the world.
Would that we could live in a country where everyone who wanted to do good work was welcome. Think how much we'd save on profiling and bureaucracy alone. Think how much income would come out from under the table. Think about how much tragedy could be avoided.
Change the stupid fucking laws...who cares if so-called conservatives will have to give up the protection of the nanny state about which they so often complain.
Change the laws OR enforce the ones we have.
Sad story Bruce. All I can say is that the rule of law is the rule of law. People either accept it or we all accept chaos. I know several people from many countries that have come here legally. They are doing very well, it is this route that should encouraged at all costs and there are a number of ways for every American to support it. Chin up old boy, my guess is that you have the resources to find Danny and support a legal path to citizenship for him.
Rule of Law? Like the Patriot Act? Or Pelosi: "We Have to Pass the Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It"? Or the millions of regulations that are created by the unelected bureaucracy that have the force of law? The Rule of Law doesn't exist in America anymore and its disappearance has nothing to do with illegal immigrants.
I don't accept it or that we'll have chaos, as Bob Marley said "their laws are illegal".
Many see order in chaos. The fact is that this not most people. I would argue that the moral hazard has been unleashed for some time and America is sliding down a slippery slope when it comes to law and order. Either way, at the end of the day and things need to get done. Even the doper knows that effort needs to be put into the planting etc. no one is giving the dope away.
We have chaos now. I suppose those from poor countries should just stay put and be happy with the bombs, deathsquads and guns America send to them and in return send America their produce and natural resources for cheap.
This is not directed at you LawsofPhysics but in general to many posters on here who think they're anti-establishment when it comes to banks and the markets, but think immigration is a line that can't be crossed: your country is fucked and some brown people trying to do some physical labour is the least of your worries. You need consistency in your logic and thinking, your banks, politicians, corporations etc. are corrupt, your foreign policy is violent in these points a majority of us on ZH are in agreement, your country just doesn't suddenly become virtuous and just on your immigration policy.
You should be flattered anybody wants to go near you, let alone move there. Most immigrants come to America to work and some ideal of freedom and democracy they are your natural allies.
Stop being such a bunch of angry war mongering douchebags, besides nobody will want to move to America in the near future so the point will be moot.
And no I don't support illegal immigration, but I do support empathy and compassion.
The Law(s) have to be rational, NOT apricious and arbitrary!
Reason.com article
They're still up here picking the produce from the farm (as they have for 100 years.) You should have said "Upstate" and maybe it would have worked. We're all illegal up here. To quote the bumper sticker: "there's no law north of Remsen." And where there's no law there's always hope.
Mr. Krasting, thank you for this post and the candid admission. However, I will make a candid admission of mine; it is because of people like you - looking for cheap labour - that genuine folks like I never make it through the check-gates of America. I came to this great nation legally, have skills, knowledge, experience that America needs, gave 1/3 of my life to the U.S., lived a life of a model citizen (have numerous references for it), played by the rules - never broke one; contributed to the society; embraced the American way of life - matter of fact many of my American friends considered me more American than most Americans; had assimilated completely; but, then my luck ran out. I had to leave the U.S. without a Green Card, far less a citizenship. It is my humble opinion that it is people like you who pushed us over the brink. You created an environment where it was okay for an illegal to be there. We legals were never in your picture. And because of the illegals, we were under increased scrutiny, which delayed all the processes for a green card. We took the right way to be Americans, and your action punished us. And now you are bemoaning the fact that an illegal got booted out of the country. Where is your cry for justice for all legals who made it to America only to run out of luck? It was because of your actions, which created a barrier of entry for people like us. Yes, you are no different than a rich banker - you never think of the consequences of your actions; and when they create a problem downstream you come out of hibernation and say 'I am sorry'; "I'll make amends"; "I didn't mean to"; "Please forgive me". Many in your circle may forgive your actions; the ones who failed in their attempt to be Americans, legally, will not. It is because of folks like you that America is imploding like it is now. Stop shedding the crocodile tears. You aren't fooling anyone.
No, illegal immigrants are here because they basically support business growth. You had to go because your skills were not unique enough to contribute without competing.
So loosen up those Crocodile Tears you've been holding on to for so long. Go ahead. It gets better. It's not Bruce's fault you were born in a shitty country that happened to each you English and whatever other easily replicable skill you have.
It would take literally 10 weeks to get rid of every American immigrant, and then American business owners would be at Congress' doors with pitch forks.
+100
'I came to this great nation legally ... then my luck ran out. I had to leave the U.S. without a Green Card.'
Something doesn't add up here. If you came here legally, on anything other than a tourist visa (which doesn't entitle one to work), then you were entitled to a green card.
"entitled to a green card"? Nobody is entitled to anything; it is a privilege, not a right. I wasn't entitled to a green card; however, the great nation enables all legal migrants to pursue one, which I did. I couldn't stay long enough to get one. Actually, a few days after I had left the U.S., I got an email from the USCIS stating that my card has been approved and will be mailed to the address listed on the record. However, since I was not within the geographical borders of the United States, I was no longer eligible for it. It took me ~12 years to get my green card approved; however, I wasn't in the country to receive it. Talk about life's cruel jokes.
By the by, do you have any idea how many years it takes to get a green card, based on the employment based immigration category you fall under? Go to travel.visa.gov and peruse the visa bulletin and you will get an idea. Currently, for certain countries, the dates being processed are June 2002; and what year are we in; yes, 2011. The dates are retrogressed by 9 years. And it has been in retrogression since 2007. Talk about SOL; yes, some of us are. And we got no Mr. Krasting who could pick us up, give us a job and sponsor a green card.
I took the easy route and married an American. But we don't live there and it's looking less and less likely we ever will.
OK, so you flew in first class into the US with a tourist visa instead of being smuggled in a trailer.
And then you had a work visa for 12 years? You have to leave the country after a while to have those renovated.
Your story doesn't add up.
I did not fly first class when I arrived in the U.S.
It wasn't a tourist visa; it was a work visa.
You can extend your work visa and depending on the status of your green card, you can use your employment authorization to work for any company.
However, if you get canned, you have to leave the country, and not just jump the visa or the border to stay indefinitely, until found and deported.
I did everything legally, right till the very end. Does that add up?
Sounds great on paper or in theory but the wonderful thing about healthy emotionally mature adult human beings is that when they meet or are faced with a being in need they tend to be compassionate, its called instinct. Without this instinct we would throw our offspring out the door as soon as they were born.
Oh, please. Bruce had work he needed done and decided that instead of hiring a contractor or a handiman he decided to hire an Illegal Alien. Bruce is part of the problem and he may bemoan his relationship with Danny, but he made this bed and, worse, his actions actually screwed another family by facilitating a house of cards that eventually would and did come down on them. For those ZHers that are saying this law is crap or that we are terrible for not loving illegals...... I have this to say.... make the process of hiring foreign laborers legal..... create a legal path, but make it the new law before flooding our country with millions of people from other countries. My heartburn and problem is that this country is supposedly governed by the Rule of Law. It either applies or it doesn't..... period. Anything else is crap. If you don't agree, let me know where you live and I will cut down all your trees, steal your car and burn down your house because you don't believe in laws and that's what you will eventually get if there is No Rule of Law.
Rule of law my ass!! There is the rule of Might and Money in this country. Anyone spouting all this shit about rule of law is a Gawd Damn fool. Milestones
We just need the central planning politburo out of the way on this one. Lets have some free market capitalism, remember "free movement of labour and capital" although the globalists have worked out the latter and can transfer billions in seconds so they can perform wage arbitrage people can't be free to move.
There is more than adequate supply of labor in need of work in this country to fill all vacancies for years to come without having to import cheaper labor from the south. The problem is not the labor supply, but the unwillingness of greedy employers to conforn to labor laws and practices. To them I say don't let the prison door hit you on the ass on your way to your cell, and hurry, your new roommate is horny.
If globalization has not solved this problem by day's end, then they probably are just not using enough of it. </sarc>
The infractions of the rule of law are numerous, and in Bruce's case minor in the overall scheme. But, just as arguably, any infraction is serious since it perpetuates the ignoring of the existing laws. Without regard to the validity of any specific law (and there is a dialogue in itself), I believe that the defeat of the dragon of lawlessness is brought about by cutting off its head. Start at the top and the rest will follow naturally. Unfortunately, this dragon is a hydra with banking, military, political, judiciary, and other powerful and dangerous heads. The many facets of the rampant lawlessness in this country springs from deviation from our original and ultimate law: The Constitution. Ultimately, there is no return path open to us. The best we can hope to do is stabilize or impede the progress toward the descent. That is something we do on our own, individually, with regard to the spirit of the laws that impinge on our lives.
I can't get any more nebulous, noncommittal, nor vague as that. I have no solutions. I do, however, believe that laws have to be evaluated and seen in context. There are many regulations and such that are promulgated by non-elected officials. What makes these spurious laws valid? Why should I operate within the parameters of laws that I don't comprehend nor agree with? Isn't a cohesive populace that makes civil society? What the hell do I know? (Only the last question is rhetorical.)
Thanks for your post, Global Hunter. However, I'll take you to task for a strawman argument.
**** that instinct. Many human beings just do that; aborted foetus, late term abortions, infanticide, female foeticide, etc.; does any of them ring a bell? Yes, it is we human that, at times, "cannibalize" our young. We are no different than a Lion in the African Savanna. There is no instinct; it's all a calculated move on our part, based on prevailing conditions. Please don't associate greed with compassion, humanity, or empathy.
Mr. Krasting was not trying to be compassionate. Where in his essay did he express compassion. It was all business. Here, let me copy/paste that for you.
"About ten years ago I was in need of a big hole. I have enough property to always need something. This time it was a drainage ditch and a dry well. I knew that there were workers looking for jobs in a nearby town. I’d heard about it from neighbors who had gone to a corner in Ossining, NY where day workers from south of the border came in the mornings. I didn’t think much of it at the time."
Where did he say 'my bleeding heart took me ....'. He didn't. It was a cold, calculated move. He needed some work done, there were people south of the border who were available and looking for work; and he went there and picked one up. Everything else is just noise and figment of your imagination. I have seen myriad Bruce Krastings; and they all have one thing in common - crocodile tears.
EhKnowKneMass:No matter what kind of shitbag you may be, it is good to find comfort in the thought that at least you are not a lowly "illegal".
Walk proud with your head up high. Look down on them "illegal" scum. Blame them for all your missfortunes. Your unemployment. Your drug addiction. Your low IQ. The Lakers not making it to the finals. Your girlfriend dumping you for a REAL man.
You are a legal slave that's what you are. One who gladly put's on the shackles around his ankles. One who will gladly turn over his mother/friends to the fascist regime if that's what it takes to "play by the rules".
Mr. Krasting , keep up the good work. Most if not all of these "brown illegal" workers fill up a labor segment no one else wants to do. And also a fact that must be noted is that few "schooled" people have the skills to do this kind of work. While it may not be rocket science, you still have to learn those trades unless you want to end up with a bad job done or even injure yourself or other co-workers. Truth is, these "sweat and blood" kind of jobs are derided by the "I want to be a moviestar/CEO/community organizer" mentality driven youth.
Next time you are out at the curve in need of some work to be done, make sure to find a young family member/friend/neighbor who will learn hands-on how to do those jobs from the dude you hire.
It's not about handouts to just anyone. Help those who you have decided deserve help.
Divide and conquer. The power elite know people are stupid.
Dems. vs. Reps.
White vs. non-White
Legals vs. Illegals
Has Religion X vs. Has Religion Y
Blood vs. Crips
Seriously, until now, I had believed that all thinking people recognized how flatly ridiculous this meme is...
Are you then denying the rising number of food stamp recipients? Why are they not up on the curve waiting for someone to pick them up for a job?
Answer:
A) they don't want that kind of job
B) they don't even know how to screw on a lightbulb
C) they wouldn't last half an hour diging up ditches, carrying heavy stuff, sweating under the sun
D) they are too busy watching American Idol
I personally know people who are lining up on the curb.
I didn't say a word about food stamps.
Cash for day labor, usually minimum wage or less, no benefits, no reliability, and because so many people must have food stamps and Medicaid to get by even these next to non paying jobs will fuck up their eligibility if they are caught, so no, most Americans cannot and won't risk doing what the undocumented must, because they in turn can't get jobs that are better for good reason, they are breaking the law just by being here, if they work at a decent job which conforms to labor laws and OSHA regs making a decent wage they run the risk of being found out and deported. Also, they need none of the benefits because they have no stake in the nation, they are here to get money which they then send via Western Union to their families back home. My last apartment had 14 men, 2 women and three kids in the apartment next door. The messed up part was these guys were working for the forest service through an American contractor that got paid huge bucks to do the labor the government needed, but not one of his workers had functional English. It was a two bed two bath for god's sakes, I moved as soon as the lease was up, and I am not saying they were bad people, but the situation was noisy and unsanitary, not to mention the costs to the landlord that got passed on to the rest of the tenants.
I have no problem with Mexicans who want to come because they love America and want to work hard and contribute, or anybody else for that matter, but it must be under controlled conditions, and if they bring crime with them then that is it, no mercy, go back and don't return. It would be one thing if it were a trickle, but it is a tsunami. And I reiterate, why can't they fix the problems in their home nations? Or is really all just about the money, if it is then I have very little sympathy, but that said we all know that this issue would not exist had the NeoCons not opened up our southern border in a big way in the 80's because they wanted cheap labor that had the dual benefit of enriching them and also of putting downward pressure on more expensive organized labor.
I think the real answer would be hard time for those caught employing undocumented workers. Sorry to say that would include you Bruce, and I hope you checked with your attorney before posting your story because you admitted to about half a dozen crimes that I doubt the statute of limitations has run out on.
Answer: Because they don't have to work. They get TANF (cash aid), food stamps, Section 8 housing, MediCal (free medical care in California), WIC, and lots of free time to watch American Idol.
If we phased-out welfare for the able-bodied (vast majority) recipients, they would be working those jobs, and we wouldn't need illegal immigrants.
JFC, Ahmeexnal. Send me a bit of what you are smoking. Are you grasping at the straws for your survival, or do you need a lifeline? Wherein my post did I posit all that you are elucidating. Where did I call the 'illegals' lowly or scum, and the legals as 'god's own creation'. Wherein did I say I am a legal slave? Holy crap, my good-fella, send the weed my way. Go public school!
Read my post carefully, Mr. Krasting is being, at best, disingenuous. The day he steps up and says he is going to sponsor my green card or the green card of a legal migrant, I'll take back everything I have said. Until then, crocodile tears it is.
You are attributing to the power elite the policy of 'divide and conquer'; but, let me ask you this, aren't you in your post 'dividing and conquering'
Contradiction much? Non-sequitur much? Cannabis sativa much?
"Cannabis sativa much?"
Could be Indica.
Or a hybrid cross.
It's useless trying to bring a gram of reason into someone filled with ignorance and hatred.
The Pilgrims themselves were "illegal" and were evading british taxes. Should have the American Indians who welcomed them with open arms as portrayed by the Thanksgiving tradition deported them instead?
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_%28United_States%29)
Good luck "playing by the rules" when TSHTF. It's their fucking rules, and Simon says BEND OVER!
OMG, talk about stretching the argument. Okay, my friend, your logic wins. My bad for raising issues with this touchy subject matter. I am sure the much touted American Indian legal code allowed them to embrace the "illegals". As per their immigration laws, and I am reading it right now, section 22, para 5, article 1.1, it states that "Any 'illegals' who make their way to our camp in the middle of a brutal winter should be fed, clothed...'
Yes, I am ignorant and filled with hatred for following the legal path to immigration. And if I raised a few valid questions about illegal immigration, then, absolutely, I am filled with hatred.
I guess you are okay with people just jumping the border and making it to the U.S. or for that matter any other country. And we don't need no rule to live by, after all it is "their" rule. I guess, if you are mugged tomorrow or your house robbed or your family harmed, be it by an illegal or a legal, you will just give the offending party/parties a big hug and say, 'please do it again' and while you are at it, let's have a toast too. Why do we need rules, after all, without rules, life is just peachy. Go Somalia!
Of course it's their rules. Who else's rules would it be?
You want to make the rules?? Who is going to pay attention to them? BK wants to make the rules?? Who is going to pay attention to him? The only rules that anybody ever knows about are the rules made by those who have the wherewithall to enforce them. And those folks are always them, right?? Their rules. Always the only rules that matter.
And it is curb, not curve.
Under the American system, it's difficult to find "legals" to do the sort of work that he wanted done. Contractor's licensing laws, business licenses, union rules, tax and insurance considerations, the fact that most unemployed legals are collecting government assistance that prevent them from legally working as day laborers and the high costs of contracting out small jobs discourage one from doing it the "legal way". On top of that, one only need to go to Home Depot or some such in the morning to find someone that really wants to work for the day (without any of the overhead) and needs the money just so he can have a decent meal. My grandmother used to give hoboes meals for doing yard work without any payroll overhead. Those hoboes were likely US citizens but she probably would have done it for anyone that was hungry. She believed, and so do I, that it is the right thing to do.
ICE could go to Home Depot too, if it wanted to.
Bruce, paid him under the table..... he could have paid a handiman or contractor under that table and still been more of an American than he was by his stated actions. You are making excuses for trying to do things right because it might take more effort or more money. Your grandmother was helping Americans as well..... Bruce could have done the same thing.......He chose not to.
And why is Bruce obliged to help Americans?
If I wish to buy something, I will get the best deal I can. If that turns out to be provided by an American, he will get my cash; if not, then some foreigner will get my money.
I don't owe you a living because you happen to occupy the same landmass I do. I don't expect you to buy my goods if you can get a better deal elsewhere; and that keeps me striving to improve my goods and services. Protectionism destroys economies, and making it illegal to hire particular people because they're not 'American enough' is just protectionism.