Illegal immigrants taking jobs
Yes, another letter on illegal immigration.? I am so tired of hearing that illegal immigrants are only taking the jobs that Americans do not want (or as one letter writer wrote, “the bad jobs").
Tell that to the hard working Americans who are losing their “bad jobs” to the illegal immigrants.
My husband is the sole proprietor of a drywall business and has been working in Boulder County for 30 years.? He pays his taxes, social security, medical insurance, liability insurance, unemployment tax and everything else the government can throw at us.? He is 53 years old and actually does all the work himself, and it has taken all this time to make a good living.? He is constantly being underbid by contractors who hire illegals and pay them low wages.
Tell that to the owner/operator truckers who are struggling to keep their trucks and keep their families fed.? Now the government is letting in Mexican trucks to go wherever they want.? That won’t cause too many American truckers to lose their jobs (or will it???).
Talk to any small business owner, framer, drywaller, brick mason, roofer, truck driver or landscaper and you will hear that they are all suffering.
You can be sure that if the jobs of lawyers, CEOs, computer specialists, judges, doctors or other professionals were being taken something would be done.? Laws would be passed and fines would be levied.
The next time you hire someone to work for you please look at who will be doing the job.? Yes, the price will be higher but you will be hiring a legal American.
Shame on all you contractors who are hiring illegals!!!
This letter has not been edited.
The computer industry is suffering because of offshore or outsourcing of jobs. Can't do anything about it. Outsourcing is legal.
But for hiring in the country we can do some things. The profit motive is the reason they hire illegals and stiff fines and enforcement of prohibitions on hiring illegals (I'd add in loss of business license and an additional fee for building permits for second offenders. Double permit fees would make contractors think twice.)
That is the only way to stop the problem. Maybe you can join me in a ballot initiative that will create this situation.
We also need to hold contractors liable for the sub-contractors' employee's legality. It means we stop whining and start working. I'll post the language of an initiative here for suggestions later this week.
Posted by momma y on September 25, 2007 01:56 PMWell said and worded. About time another voice of reason comes to play on the fact ILLEGALS are STEALING work form hard working Americans.
You are so right, if it were white collar jobs being stolen and underbidded there would be inforcement of the law. Since it is only blue collar jobs its ok, right. Bull s^&%!!!!
I have been laid off only to find out the next day they hired two illegals to do the work I did. Only they did it for half the price and no bennies. In other words they got two workers for a third of the cost. No taxes, no bennies, all under the table. What a deal for them.
It is not a matter of Americans won't do the work. It is the fact that companies can get cheap labor without the cost extra cost.
Posted by ILLEGALS have to go on September 25, 2007 02:05 PMI own a business and for years we've always had to have on file, for everyone we ever hired, a legal form that verifies that we checked at least two documents for any U.S. citizen and three for immgrants with legal papers. I was told that if we didn't keep these records, we could be fined $5,000 for each violation. I'm a 7th generation American and I even have one on myself. Now it turns out that ICE doesn't even enforce this "law". It's time, Michele and momma y, to enforce the laws and get tough with the employers who so flagrantly break the law. I'm eager to see some action.
Michele,
I can tell that you are an illegal alien by the way you put a question mark after the period of almost every sentence. It's time for you to move back, before you get caught.
punctuation police,
This phenomenon has occurred to others before, sometimes in the middle of a sentence. It appears to have something to do with an incompatible program problem. It is not, necessarily, the fault of the author.
Posted by Stan Broyles on September 25, 2007 02:46 PMWe recently had occasion to hire someone to mow some weeds. One guy showed up with his son (probably 8-9 years old), evaluated the site and handed me his cellphone for his wife to tell me the cost. Apparently, neither he nor his kid could speak English.
We hired an American citizen to do the job. And he seemed pretty happy to do it.
Posted by SufferingFromFools on September 25, 2007 04:29 PMI'll sign Momma Y!!
Posted by A on September 25, 2007 04:32 PMSorry,
Make that SPINELESS leaders.
Posted by c on September 25, 2007 05:15 PMI blame US Sen. Obama's Cabin (Congressional Black Caucus-CB-comical blacks in congress). They are hiding under their desks, too afraid of the pro-illegal amnesty posse like US Sen. Shamnesty Salazar and the Latino Congressional Caucus. Illegals (Mexicans, Europeans, etc.) are stealing jobs from black folks and they are also nullifying our votes. Obama represents a large number of UAW folks in IL. They are losing their jobs because because foreign automakers, mfg. on our own soil, don't pay UAW wages and benefits. GM and Ford can't compete with this foreign welfare. Black folks nationally, should ban together and flush in '08, our 43 congressional MT suits and dresses.
Posted by draftdodgingisntafamilyvalue on September 25, 2007 05:45 PMmaybe the reason illegals do these construction and landscaping jobs is because over the past decade we americans have become the most obese people on earth and our younger citizens are just too damn fat and lazy to get off their oversized rearends.
of course I do believe what "c" stated that the other major problem is our ineffective and spineless leaders.
Save the USA,
Impeach Congress Today!!!
Posted by on September 25, 2007 05:49 PMI agree that it is time to debunk the myth that illegal immigrants are taking jobs Americans won't do. I recently staying at a motel where everyone on the housekeeping staff was anglo. The problem (as I see it) is that many young people do not have the skills or desire to pursue careers in manual labor.
I work with young people and it is usually the undocumented who will jump at the chance to work at any job, grateful for any opportunity they can get. (These are kids who came here as youngsters, not of their own volition.)
On the other hand, their more privileged counterparts (born on the "right" side of the border) refuse to consider these same jobs.
In NM they are attempting hire teachers from Mexico, in Santa Fe they wanted to hire and recruit cops, yes friggin cops, from Mexico. This is gettin ridiculous.
Posted by Ben on September 25, 2007 06:31 PMyou are all stupid morons. NOTHING is going to change. Illegals are eventually going to get amnesty and out borders will never be secured. in 25 years it will be worse then this and hispanics will be ruling the country.
take it to the bank because that IS GOING TO HAPPEN.
la raza will be the 4th part of our government
Posted by Fresh on September 25, 2007 07:17 PMThere is something we can do. It was done here in Arizona (I live in 'Zona but my heart is in the mountains) and can be done in Colorado.
A referendum has been started to go after the hiring of illegals. Under threat of this referendum the Arizona legislature passed a two strike rule law. That is if an employer KNOWINGLY hires and employs an illegal they lose their business license. There is wiggle room for the employers, but the word is out. The referendum has a harsher one strike and you are out of business.
This law is scaring the business leaders so much, that the National Chamber of Commerce has stepped in to help fund the legal fight to stop this law. Briefs are to be submitted next month and the law is set to take effect Jan. 1, 08. Stay tunned
We don't need to deport any of this people, just stop paying them and they deport themselves. Eliminate the financial reason for comming here and most will go away.
k2ken
Now you're talking
Can we all agree that immigrants are not a problem? This country allows more immigrants into our nation than any other country in the world. It isn't just, so called "Latino's", by the way. There are many people who wish to be here, legally. It's illegal immigrants.
A question was posed by the RMN the other day "Are Illegals Committing Crimes in Greely?" What a stupid question. They are here illegally! They already committed a crime.
What is more important, who hired them? They are the ones who broke the law. They should be held responsible.
Posted by Stan Broyles on September 25, 2007 08:51 PMOK Stan. Now you are completely right. And many of them don't have insurance, a legal license or a legal registration. Punishing the employers is the only way to get rid of the illegals. It's cheap too because there will be lots of money generated by the fines.
Tomorrow morning I'm calling my lawyer friend about the ballot initiative. Perhaps we can find a way to make a positive change. Let's see how many votes such a measure gets. I'd also love to see one making it mandatory for a picture ID to vote.
Posted by momma y on September 25, 2007 10:00 PMhey k2ken,
it will never happen here in colorado, if it does get past then some group will have some judge from california or massacheuttes overturn it because it will be in violation of the "illegals" non-constitutional rights.
Posted by on September 25, 2007 10:19 PMIn Oregon the schools are getting the curriculum from MEXICO.
Posted by jl on September 25, 2007 10:40 PMIt is amazing how times have changed, yet language has not. The exact same arguments were made about the Chinese, Japanese, Southern and Eastern Europeans, etc.
Posted by Kyle on September 26, 2007 03:38 AMDid you know it is VOLUNTARY on the part of employers to verify the paperwork they are given against a national database? My immediate reaction to that is the employer who verifies the paperwork is pretty darned sure the prospective employee is legal, while the employer who is "too busy" knows damned well he/she is hiring illegals (or do you really believe that Swift verified those working at the plant in Greeley).
Here is Colorado with the voter initiative to add state constitutional amendments, we have a rather unique opportunitty to put something in the state constitution regarding the HIRING of illegals. I suggest that we put something in the constitution which not only costs those illegal EMPLOYERS meaningful fines ($5000 per incident my foot - how about 1% of gross per illegal - that would cut into profit margins), add jail time for the CEO or individual employer (yes, folks have knowingly hired illegal household help) who is caught more than once - and - a ban for any state/local government contracts when the employer is caught more than once (how about 1 year per illegal). We all know that there are companies which rely on governmental contracts (for instance, road contractors).
As with most of the posts here, I will believe that legal workers won't do the jobs when the illegal workers, who drive down wages, are forced out of the picture. Going after the illegal employers is the route most likely to at least force them out of this state.
Posted by Mary on September 26, 2007 05:31 AMSept 25, 5:49
Stop plopping this illegal immigration mess in the laps of the American people.
It is soley on the shoulders of businesses and a government that doesn't give a rip about its people.
I'm sure there are a lot of overweight people whose jobs have been taken by these lawbreakers, so your point is without merit.
Posted by c on September 26, 2007 07:20 AMmomma y, I will sign your ballot inititive. However be prepared for the ACLU to file suit. They are doing it all over the country.
They recently went to federal court in San Francisco to stop Homeland Security from sending out thousands of warning letters to employers known to hire illegals.
What are we to do when the ACLU is suing any town ,city,state and even the federal government from passing and enforcing laws on the books?
Not only are the illegals draining tax money from towns,cities,states, and the federal government ,they now have to spend millions more fighting lawsuits filed by the ACLU! This is outrageous!
Our main enemy is not the companies or sanctuary cities it's the ACLU.How do we stop them from taking the rights away of citizens and giving them to illegals?
This is the underlying problem.Lawsuits that are costing tax payers millions to defend,Just to enforce laws already on the books.
The ACLU is the main problem. Anybody have a solution to stop them?
Posted by Can I get an AMEN! on September 26, 2007 09:08 AMThere's no stopping ACLU they are paid by huge, huge corporations who pander to illegals. It's big money.
Posted by jl on September 26, 2007 09:18 AMPosted by Lainie on September 26, 2007 10:08 AM
The ADU? has been formed in little old Colorado Springs to specifically combat the disease that is the ACLU. Bill O'Reilly broadcast from the Springs last week at their headquarters. It has 1000 lawyers signed on so far I believe. Does anyone know anything else? Please share.
Posted by Ben on September 26, 2007 12:37 PMMichelle, you are right on the money. Contracting, meat packing, the service industry, these used to be decent middle class jobs. For some reason, politicians like McCain and Bush and Kennedy seem to think these are jobs American's won't do. Those bastards never had to work a day in their lives. They don't know what its like out in the real world. Knowing you can be replaced by someone who doesn't speak English so he can't talk back, comes from the 3rd world so he doesn't expect more than minimum wage, and isn't getting benefits, yeah, that makes for a real nice working environment. Politicians, professors, reporters, don't have these concerns so they are always against anyone who wants any sort of immigration enforcement, calling them names like bigot, know nothing, etc.
I personally have had it. I'm not voting for anyone who doesn't want to enforce our immigration laws.
Lainie,
Thanks for the website.. I really hope it CAN be done, and Ben for additional info.
Count on my signature too, Momma.
Posted by Kathy on September 27, 2007 10:28 AMThanks Lainie,
I wrote the letter, and I'v already supported Mayor Barletta.
Me too, Momma .
I don't understand why people won't sign their names to their opinions.
STAND UP for your rights. Let these idiots who are running this country know who you are and how you feel about illegal immigration!!
Enough footing the bill for their health care, education, and all the social services we give them. THESE ARE YOUR DOLLARS!
Shouldn't these clowns be protecting US?
ENOUGH ignoring the people of this country who obey the law, have had jobs stolen out from under them, and continue to have their tax dollars go to providing the needs of these lawbreakers.
AMNESTY, NO! DEPORTATION, YES, and NOW!
Posted by Cathy Swartwood on September 27, 2007 03:36 PM