Carte Blanche
Lots of folks are chatting about illegal immigrants in the U.S. lately. You got some people hating on the immigrants, some folks hating on the government and even a few folks hating on the businesses that hire illegal immigrants in the first place.
A few folks, myself included, feel that businesses are responsible for the people they hire and how much they pay them.
In this BusinessWeek article, John Gay, senior vice-president for government relations at the National Restaurant Association, shares his thoughts on the matter:
"We are close to passing an enforcement-only regime that seeks to solve the illegal immigration problem largely on the backs of employers."
Regime sounds real scary until you look at the following information.
Political Donations by National Restaurant Association
84% of the $7,482,098 in political donations from this industry association have been made to Republicans over 9 election cycles.
Additionally,
[The National Restaurant Association] supports an increase in the business meal tax deduction...and opposes giving restaurant owners the burden of enforcing tip reporting laws. The association is also active in general business-related issues: It was part of the business-backed Health Benefits Coalition that opposed the Patients’ Bill of Rights; it supports class action reform as a way to reduce what it calls frivolous lawsuits; and it opposes increases in the minimum wage.
Sounds like they're looking out for the rights of the worker, huh?
Pew Hispanic Center
Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S.
About 7.2 million unauthorized migrants were employed in March 2005, accounting for about 4.9% of the civilian labor force. They made up a large share of all workers in a few more detailed occupational categories, including
24% of all workers employed in farming occupations
17% in cleaning
14% in construction and
12% in food preparation.
It occurs to me that businesses that profit from the back-breaking work of the poor (and sometimes, illegal) workforce want to have their American apple pie and eat it, too.
After all, the apples were probably picked by Mexicans.
Many Americans are content to eat that pie, because somebody else will wash their dishes -- in our restaurants and in many cases, our own homes (built or remodeled by immigrants, too).
We've forgotten that working the land is hard, demanding work and that building shit is dangerous and often hazardous.
When the folks doing this kind of work don't speak the same language as you, or look a little-bit brown, it's real easy to overlook issues of wage disparity and worker safety.
Until those brown folks take to the streets.
And then, in a moment that reeks of white people bullshit, people say, "Well....how did this happen?"
Three words.
Greed. Gluttony. Indifference.
- - - - -
Printed below are the lyrics to a song written about a small town in Kentucky that went through these same issues a century ago. Back in those days, it was the folks fleeing Appalachia that were public enemy number one.
These folks went to work, worked real hard, started doing better for themselves and...well....the mill closed and their jobs went overseas.
It makes me sad, these proud, poor folks who sought comfort in The Almighty -- struck down, eventually, by the almighty dollar.
God bless America, indeed!
You can hear Natalie Merchant's version of the song here.
OWENSBORO
trad. arr. Natalie Merchant/ Indian Love BrideMusic (ASCAP)
well, I lived in a town
way down south
by the name of Owensboro
and I worked in a mill
with the rest of the “trash”
as we’re often called
as you know
well, we rise up early
in the morning
and we work all day real hard
to buy our little meat and bread
buy sugar, tea, and lard
well, our children
grow up unlearned
with no time to go to school
almost before they learn to walk
they learn to spin and spoon
well, the folks in town
they dress so fine
and spend their money free
but they would hardly look
at a factory hand
who dresses like you or me
would you let them wear
their watches fine
let them wear their gems
and pearly strings
but when that day
of judgment comes
they’ll have to share
their pretty things
Posted March 28, 2006 08:08 AM
