October 20, 2006

21st Century Slavery

By Timothy V. Gatto

There is a subject that certain liberals take a very conservative view on, and certain conservatives take a very liberal view of. That subject is immigration. Many liberals and also many people of the economic sector that we call the "blue collar" class, are for tougher immigration laws and little if no amnesty for people that have thumbed their noses at American laws and hopped over the border, or overstayed their visitor or student visas. At the same time, many conservatives and people who are in the "white collar" economic group, support "guest worker programs" and amnesty for immigrants that have been in this country illegally.

The truth is that it is an economic issue. The wealthy conservatives want cheap labor, while the lower and middle class Americans see immigrants as a way for the rich to keep the wages low and to cut benefits or not offer them at all. They see illegal immigrants as a way for the giant agricultural business sector to reap huge profits, while paying workers less than a living wage. It's not just the agricultural sector; it's also construction, and manufacturing and even retailers that all use illegal immigrants. The solution to this would be to impose stiff penalties for violations, but try to convince the GOP of that.

This is one area where you would figure that the right wing, being "law and order" types, would champion rigorous adherence to the law. With that same logic you would figure the "bleeding heart" liberals would feel sorry for these disadvantaged people from poorer countries trying to better themselves and their families, by illegally sneaking into America. Economics have a way of turning things around. The rich can suddenly be the protectors of the poor, illegal immigrants, as long as it increases their bottom line. The liberals can be law and order freaks when illegal immigration reduces the power of the unions and keeps the minimum wage at 1997 levels.

The wealthy in this country will do just about anything as long as it makes a profit. To see the GOP championing amnesty for illegal immigrants floors me. If this were something like drug violations, pretty much a victimless crime for simple possession, they would be throwing the book at the violators. Immigration however, has them sounding like social workers lamenting the harsh conditions in the countries that these "poor" people have escaped to lead better life here. The reason that I have brought this up is because this Republican led Congress has done very little to stem the two million illegal immigrants that cross the border into this country every year. They turn a blind eye to actually passing laws against the businesses that hire and transport these people by footing the bill for these coyotes. The giant agricultural conglomerates actually contract to hire illegal immigrants that are shipped from the poor predominantly Indian regions in the very southern part of Mexico. These businesses actually go to "hiring" agents that pay to bring these people across the border with full knowledge of what they are doing. They don't ask for green cards as these are "contract" laborers that are not actually their employees. This is the way of doing things and the State and Federal governments know this, but don't do anything about it. They are paid sub-standard wages, are virtual slaves, break the back of the Unions, all the while beefing up that "bottom line". This is a case where the rich get richer, and the poor get screwed, both the Mexican poor people, and the American poor people. It's the modern version of slavery and it's happening now. I don't make this stuff up.



Authors Website: http://liberalpro.blogspot.com

Authors Bio: Former Chairman of the now-defunct Liberal Party of America, Tim is a retired Army sergeant. He currently lives in South Carolina. A regular contributor to OpEdNews, he is the author of Kimchee Kronicles and is currently at work on a new novel.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_timothy__061020_21st_century_slavery.htm