Chef Jim Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 How come you never here the crowd that is freaking out about the outsourcing of jobs to other countries not freaking out about the outsourcing of jobs to illegal immigrants? It's the same thing. As a matter of fact the crowd that's freaking out about the outsourcing is actually advocating the issuing of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. And don't give me that crap about they're just doing the jobs real Americans don't want. By a show of hands how many of you would line up for a telemarketing position? And if any of you respond to that question with "if that were the only job available I would". Then why not line up to pick lettuce if THAT were the only job available? I bet you would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 Certainly there is a group of people that would take any job available if they were facing life on the street, but it's probably more a function of the economic climate at that particular point in time. No one is going to stay picking lettuce if they can find something better, so when the economy is going good, they'd probably have to revert to the illegals to get that work done. Reminds me of the scene at the end of one of M. Moore's films where he is invited in by the head of Nike. They have this exchange where Moore wants him to put a sneaker factory in Michigan and the Nike chief flaty refuses saying 'Americans won't make shoes'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted September 9, 2004 Author Share Posted September 9, 2004 they'd probably have to revert to the illegals to get that work done. 23547[/snapback] Or automate the process. Imagine that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 How come you never here the crowd that is freaking out about the outsourcing of jobs to other countries not freaking out about the outsourcing of jobs to illegal immigrants? It's the same thing. As a matter of fact the crowd that's freaking out about the outsourcing is actually advocating the issuing of driver's licenses to illegal immigrants. And don't give me that crap about they're just doing the jobs real Americans don't want. By a show of hands how many of you would line up for a telemarketing position? And if any of you respond to that question with "if that were the only job available I would". Then why not line up to pick lettuce if THAT were the only job available? I bet you would. 23516[/snapback] It's not the same thing. Americans certainly have the choice to take the lousy-paying, hard-a$$ jobs that illegals take, but they don't. You're a chef; how many American cooks and dishwashers are there compared to Mexicans (and other Central/South Americans)? Outsourcing software development jobs is not the same as allowing immigrants to pick our produce and cook our meals. In the REagan recession of the early 1980s, I read an editorial by a construction worker who was out of work and went to pick strawberries; he lasted less than a week, and wondered how Mexican immigrants could stand the work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VABills Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 You know in highschool a lot of schoolkids worked Capella's farm, picking fruits and vegatables for money. Yes there were a lot of immigrants there, that traveled from farm in the south to north through the seasons, but a lot of the teens liked it, got good tans and made some money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GG Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 It's not the same thing. Americans certainly have the choice to take the lousy-paying, hard-a$$ jobs that illegals take, but they don't. You're a chef; how many American cooks and dishwashers are there compared to Mexicans (and other Central/South Americans)? Outsourcing software development jobs is not the same as allowing immigrants to pick our produce and cook our meals. In the Reagan recession of the early 1980s, I read an editorial by a construction worker who was out of work and went to pick strawberries; he lasted less than a week, and wondered how Mexican immigrants could stand the work... 23576[/snapback] It is very close to the same thing. It is more comparable to past immigration waves, where the newly minted Americans would undercut the prevailing wages. The current outsourcing hoopla is an argument over free trade, where the traded goods are human resources. Free trade of any kind is a net long term benefit to all parties. The outsourcing of service jobs to India & China will be replaced by better jobs here, provided the US population can provide an educated workforce. The only concern about outsourcing that we should have is that the quality of American students continues to lag behind other developed countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blzrul Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 Blame the people who WON'T take the jobs and the COMPANIES who hire the illegals - they love then because they don't have to pay them squat and they're so grateful for the jobs they can be used almost like slaves. There has been outrage over that for a long time - it's nothing new. The outrage hasn't been over the illegals taking the jobs because as stated previously most American's won't take them, but rather over the companies who exploit these people. Who, by the way, don't always feel exploited. To many of them just the ability to break their back 12+ hours a day to earn ANYTHING is the most wonderful feeling in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SD Jarhead Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 You know in highschool a lot of schoolkids worked Capella's farm, picking fruits and vegatables for money. Yes there were a lot of immigrants there, that traveled from farm in the south to north through the seasons, but a lot of the teens liked it, got good tans and made some money. 23598[/snapback] I'm one of those kids who earned spending money as a kid picking beans and peas. In the 80's summer jobs were a scarce commodity for teens in Buffalo. I lived in Hamburg and walked four miles to Henry farms in Eden every day to pick beans at $.11 per pound. It truly is hard work that I wish my kids could experience to help instill in them the value of a dollar. Living in California, the landscaping industry is dominated by illegals, while in Buffalo most landscaping is done by locals. I point this out to demonstrate that I feel Americans will do the same jobs that illegals currently do if there is a demand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted September 9, 2004 Author Share Posted September 9, 2004 Blame the people who WON'T take the jobs and the COMPANIES who hire the illegals - they love then because they don't have to pay them squat and they're so grateful for the jobs they can be used almost like slaves. There has been outrage over that for a long time - it's nothing new. The outrage hasn't been over the illegals taking the jobs because as stated previously most American's won't take them, but rather over the companies who exploit these people. Who, by the way, don't always feel exploited. To many of them just the ability to break their back 12+ hours a day to earn ANYTHING is the most wonderful feeling in the world. 24118[/snapback] I agree. If we cracked down on companies who hired illegal immigrants, and yes that includes the restaurant industry I was a part of for 25 years, we'd eliminate the incentive for those illegals to come here. That is the ONLY way to solve this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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