American Workers Too Proud To Work (but not too proud for unemployment benefits)

"If an employer has a job that no American is willing to take, we need to find a way to fill that demand." - President George W. Bush (news article)

It's the economy, stupid. If people aren't willing to take a job, the need for that labor drives wages up. Allowing illegal immigrants to take the jobs at minimum wage (or less) drives down the cost of labor, and puts middle class out of reach for more and more Americans.

Bush's plan to allow "undocumented workers," which is a kinder, gentler way of saying illegal immigrants, to work for up to six years is in direct contradiction to this pledge to "return every single illegal entrant, with no exceptions."

Low-skill jobs were once filled by proud Americans who took pride in what they did. Not anymore. We are practically begging illegal workers to come into our country and do our dirty work for us, just because they will. And the very idea of accepting those jobs is unthinkable to many Americans. They won't admit it, but they just aren't willing to do "immigrant work."

The net result: Higher unemployment, lower average wages, and an unstoppable tide of illegal immigrants. Not worried yet? Take a look at Saudi Arabia, which like most rich Arab nations employs foreigners to do the majority of its "dirty work." Thirty five percent of its workforce are non-citizens, and the domestic unemployment rate exceeds 25% (World Factbook).

The US unemployment rate stands at around 5%. Historically, that's about average for us. But that's coincidentally about the same number of illegal immigrants working in the US, according to the Pew Hispanic Center (report).

Stop coddling our unemployed. Stop telling them it's all the government's fault. Start telling them that there's a job waiting for them, and even if that means they need to flip burgers or change sheets at a hotel, it's still better than nothing.

Labels: immigration

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