Why Can't Bush Plans Help Unemployment- Part II

Feb 11, 2004

The last time I talked about the problems with the Bush plan to train unemployed worker in Community Colleges. Today I want to talk about the problems with the plan to all the illegal immigrant workers legal.

Let's start by considering the jobs that these workers do. Most of them are working at low paid, low skill jobs, making less or even far less than the minimum wage. They have no paid vacation, no health care, the employers don't have to pay and social security or overtime, and the best part is that the workers can't complain, because if they do they'll be deported! What a sweet wonderful setup for the businessman, and if INS comes around the business can claim it didn't know or pay a modest fine. Is it any wonder that the champion of the monied class wants to institutionalize this?

And President Bush has the nerve to tell people that these are jobs Americans don't want! It's not the job they don't want, it's the non-pay, the non-benefits, lack of job security of any kind, and the working conditions!

I can't seem to find a real document on the plan to legalize these workers, which is an interesting fact, but clearly since the newly legal won't get social security they won't pay for it, and neither will the businessmen. Will they be eligible for welfare? Will the counties and states have to make up the difference between the pittance the workers earn and what it actually costs for a family to live? Will American citizens be paying taxes to support the families of these workers, pay for their health care, and educate their children? Will the tiny income tax paid by one of these workers even begin to pay the cost of having his or her family in the country?

I do respect the work ethic of most of these workers, but I do feel that in desparation they have traded their dignity for mere existance. The current situation is bad for the illegal workers, bad for the American workers who lack those jobs at a fair wage, and only good for the businessmen who sell their scruples in the name of profit.

Unfortunately, as long as there are people so desperate for work that they will endure low pay, hard work and no benefits, there will be businessmen who will take advantage of that and employ them instead of creating jobs which allow people get one foot on the ladder to a comfortable life. It's sad that Americans are so concerned with sweat shops in other countries, which sometimes pay more than the prevailing wage, and so unconcerned with what is essentially the same thing in this country, with one group of people being exploited and another group being denied a chance at jobs which provide a living wage.

Next time: what we need to do to solve unemployment, get the economy going, and deeply offend conservatives, liberals, labor unions and businessmen.