Where do I send the dictionary?
I walked into the break room today caught the tail-end of a news report about the lack of worker's comp claims from illegal immigrants injured in their work places. They went on to talk about how illegal workers are not getting worker's comp benefits, and not placing claims or work-related injuries. Several government officials and worker's rights lobbyists spoke, and then a State Representative came on and stated he was going to push things through to help remedy this situation... to "... make damn sure they have the same rights as any other worker."
I was floored... not by the Representative's show of commitment. mind you... but by the utter lack of a clue that the gentleman had in the first place!
As I was walking back to my seat, I started to think about this a bit. About how many things I've seen and read about things like, getting illegal workers equal pay, getting them health benefits, better working and living conditions, safe route of passage through the borders, voices in local, state and federal government... the list goes on and on.
What part of "Illegal Alien" are these idiots not getting?
The very title highlights that their presence is against the law, that they are not rightful citizens of the United States and are there-fore NOT entitled to any rights or representation in this country.
Now, does that mean that they should they be forced to work in bad conditions, work for less pay, etc, ad nausiaum? Absolutely not, they should have fair pay, good living conditions, safe work places... every human right should be theirs.
In their own country.
In other words, they shouldn't be here at all.
You see, they are not entitled to the rights that U.S. citizens have... because they are NOT U.S. Citizens. If they want to be citizens, the U.S. has one of the most lax citizenship policies in the world. Now... this means they have to go through the hoops and procedures, but that they way it is and there are hundreds of legal immigrants that do this every day. People that have worked hard to become US citizens, to have the freedoms that we as U.S. citizens have.
In fact... it pisses me off that any member of the government would even consider any policy that rewards people coming here illegally. All the "6 months-and-out" policies, "temporary work permit" polices, the "rightful wages" policies... each time one of these is even considered, it diminishes the achievements of the immigrants that did it the right... and legal... way, and pisses all over their hard work. It's a slap in the face of every one of them.
Christ, people... this is a no-brainer.
What they need to be doing is coming up with better was to stop this from happening at all. Make it unattractive for people to come here illegally and equally unattractive for those that profit off of these illegal entries:
1) We need to use the money we're wasting on this bullshit legislation to shore up our borders (and get rid of the damn chain-link fencing, for God's sake). Give all the leftover cash to the Border patrols so they can get the man power and equipment they need to their jobs.
2) They need to stop trying to force employers to give illegal works the same rights, and start hammering the crap out of them with harsh penalties for employing illegal workers in the first place... harsh enough to dissuade even the shadiest employer from ever considering it.
3) There needs to be an national reporting system for visas and such to keep track of them, and there should be stiff penalties for not reporting to and using it. This should be put in place in every public-service facility (such as hospitals, banks, utility companies, etc) and/or program. If an illegal alien comes up, the incident is immediately reported, local/state/federal authorities are contacted and process to expel the criminal begins immediately.
4) Expulsions should be as fast as possible. There should be no long appeal process, no temporary visa to work while waiting, no lengthy holding times, no picking up a last illegal paycheck, they are picked up, processed and deported. This process should take no longer than a week from beginning to end.
5) There need to be serious pushing the the government to force other countries to help with the illegal alien issues as well. Sanctions, trade reductions (like we couldn't use a few of those anyway), whatever it takes to get the "other" side to start working toward securing the borders as well.
6) Anyone caught sheltering illegal immigrants should face severe penalties. That should include suspension of any pending citizenship procedures, since they are aiding and abetting felons.
Oh... one more.
7) Coyotes (the guys the traffic in transporting illegals) need face a special penalty... loss of citizenship and deportation.
Talk amongst yourselves.
I was floored... not by the Representative's show of commitment. mind you... but by the utter lack of a clue that the gentleman had in the first place!
As I was walking back to my seat, I started to think about this a bit. About how many things I've seen and read about things like, getting illegal workers equal pay, getting them health benefits, better working and living conditions, safe route of passage through the borders, voices in local, state and federal government... the list goes on and on.
What part of "Illegal Alien" are these idiots not getting?
The very title highlights that their presence is against the law, that they are not rightful citizens of the United States and are there-fore NOT entitled to any rights or representation in this country.
Now, does that mean that they should they be forced to work in bad conditions, work for less pay, etc, ad nausiaum? Absolutely not, they should have fair pay, good living conditions, safe work places... every human right should be theirs.
In their own country.
In other words, they shouldn't be here at all.
You see, they are not entitled to the rights that U.S. citizens have... because they are NOT U.S. Citizens. If they want to be citizens, the U.S. has one of the most lax citizenship policies in the world. Now... this means they have to go through the hoops and procedures, but that they way it is and there are hundreds of legal immigrants that do this every day. People that have worked hard to become US citizens, to have the freedoms that we as U.S. citizens have.
In fact... it pisses me off that any member of the government would even consider any policy that rewards people coming here illegally. All the "6 months-and-out" policies, "temporary work permit" polices, the "rightful wages" policies... each time one of these is even considered, it diminishes the achievements of the immigrants that did it the right... and legal... way, and pisses all over their hard work. It's a slap in the face of every one of them.
Christ, people... this is a no-brainer.
What they need to be doing is coming up with better was to stop this from happening at all. Make it unattractive for people to come here illegally and equally unattractive for those that profit off of these illegal entries:
1) We need to use the money we're wasting on this bullshit legislation to shore up our borders (and get rid of the damn chain-link fencing, for God's sake). Give all the leftover cash to the Border patrols so they can get the man power and equipment they need to their jobs.
2) They need to stop trying to force employers to give illegal works the same rights, and start hammering the crap out of them with harsh penalties for employing illegal workers in the first place... harsh enough to dissuade even the shadiest employer from ever considering it.
3) There needs to be an national reporting system for visas and such to keep track of them, and there should be stiff penalties for not reporting to and using it. This should be put in place in every public-service facility (such as hospitals, banks, utility companies, etc) and/or program. If an illegal alien comes up, the incident is immediately reported, local/state/federal authorities are contacted and process to expel the criminal begins immediately.
4) Expulsions should be as fast as possible. There should be no long appeal process, no temporary visa to work while waiting, no lengthy holding times, no picking up a last illegal paycheck, they are picked up, processed and deported. This process should take no longer than a week from beginning to end.
5) There need to be serious pushing the the government to force other countries to help with the illegal alien issues as well. Sanctions, trade reductions (like we couldn't use a few of those anyway), whatever it takes to get the "other" side to start working toward securing the borders as well.
6) Anyone caught sheltering illegal immigrants should face severe penalties. That should include suspension of any pending citizenship procedures, since they are aiding and abetting felons.
Oh... one more.
7) Coyotes (the guys the traffic in transporting illegals) need face a special penalty... loss of citizenship and deportation.
Talk amongst yourselves.