something struck me as odd reading this..... these "guest workers" do jobs that no one else will do (which is true in most cases, but perhaps false in others, but i don't plan on citing specific examples). they aren't good jobs. granted, maybe they're better than the ford factory back home, but shit jobs none the less. however, the writings leave me with the impression that the difference between "guest workers" and "immigrants" is that guest workers intend to go back to mexico/central america. my question is: can workering as a hired hand in america for several years pay for your retirement in latino countries? it seems like that is what's being implied. maybe it's true or there's something i'm not seeing, but i find it hard to believe that 5/10/20 years of 6 bucks an hour is worth the time invested. that people who work these jobs intend to pack up and leave seems improbable to me. i think whoever works jobs like that has no hope of better prospects..........what all this means, i can't say because i'm not an immigrant.
not so much that it'll pay for your retirement in the latin american countries, it's that a significant portion of your income is being wired home to support the family that's living there. it's the idea that they're not re-investing in the States. They're, rather, using the system and their employers to get boatloads(en-masse, not individually) of possibly tax-free income and sending out of country.
i've got mixed feelings about that. i, of course, wish everybody well... but not if it's done at my expense. we pay taxes for very good reasons. the gents that are working hard here to feed the kids back at home, seem to have access to many of the infrastructure perks that we enjoy and pay for with our own income, property, and sales taxes.
then again, some folks are mad at the "guest-workers" simply because they are breaking the law with impunity.
He's got a point. The question he doesn't address is:
How does one go about identifing an immigrant as Type A or Type B?
It's not like we can conduct a series of interviews before a panel, with the foreign national standing on a platform above two chutes: Good ("immigrant") and Bad ("guest worker"). I am reminded of the "good nut, bad nut" scene in Willy Wonka.
In theory, I agree with this dude. In practice, I just don't see how it's possible, or even ethical, to declare oneself worthy of making the judgement call.
the difference between immigrant and "guest worker" is easy. one is a legal resident, the other isn't. that's easy.
the difference between "good" and "bad" immigrants is, i think, what you're referring to.
i think the solution there is to do what nearly every other nation has done in the world... declare a national language. enforce it. sorta like canada, but less anal.
Comments 4
these "guest workers" do jobs that no one else will do (which is true in most cases, but perhaps false in others, but i don't plan on citing specific examples). they aren't good jobs. granted, maybe they're better than the ford factory back home, but shit jobs none the less. however, the writings leave me with the impression that the difference between "guest workers" and "immigrants" is that guest workers intend to go back to mexico/central america. my question is: can workering as a hired hand in america for several years pay for your retirement in latino countries? it seems like that is what's being implied. maybe it's true or there's something i'm not seeing, but i find it hard to believe that 5/10/20 years of 6 bucks an hour is worth the time invested. that people who work these jobs intend to pack up and leave seems improbable to me. i think whoever works jobs like that has no hope of better prospects..........what all this means, i can't say because i'm not an immigrant.
PHEN-BURZ
Reply
i've got mixed feelings about that. i, of course, wish everybody well... but not if it's done at my expense. we pay taxes for very good reasons. the gents that are working hard here to feed the kids back at home, seem to have access to many of the infrastructure perks that we enjoy and pay for with our own income, property, and sales taxes.
then again, some folks are mad at the "guest-workers" simply because they are breaking the law with impunity.
Reply
How does one go about identifing an immigrant as Type A or Type B?
It's not like we can conduct a series of interviews before a panel, with the foreign national standing on a platform above two chutes: Good ("immigrant") and Bad ("guest worker"). I am reminded of the "good nut, bad nut" scene in Willy Wonka.
In theory, I agree with this dude. In practice, I just don't see how it's possible, or even ethical, to declare oneself worthy of making the judgement call.
Scott
Reply
the difference between "good" and "bad" immigrants is, i think, what you're referring to.
i think the solution there is to do what nearly every other nation has done in the world... declare a national language. enforce it. sorta like canada, but less anal.
Reply
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