tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post114757535039502729..comments2023-10-09T04:23:42.233-05:00Comments on The Shelf: and now for something completely different...J.C. Loopholehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11976993877171613834noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147742190774073962006-05-15T20:16:00.000-05:002006-05-15T20:16:00.000-05:00Everyone seems to be on the same train I'm ridin' ...Everyone seems to be on the same train I'm ridin' on thos topic. Anything else?Wolf Flywheelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14908302745535025296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147726735171128912006-05-15T15:58:00.000-05:002006-05-15T15:58:00.000-05:00Well...I guess I'll weigh in with my thoughts.I do...Well...I guess I'll weigh in with my thoughts.<BR/><BR/>I don't think there is any significant difference between today's immigrants and those of yesteryear. Notice I didn't use the word illegal as in yesteryear the laws for immigrating to this country were different. Remember that in 1882 Congress passed the <A HREF="http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/immig/chinese6.html" REL="nofollow">Chinese Exclusion Act.</A><BR/><BR/>We have a long history of resistance to assimilation and of worry regarding immigrants stealing our jobs.<BR/><BR/>But some things have changed in the modern era, terrorism for one. Weak borders do increase the chance of a terrorist attack.<BR/><BR/>Second, businesses are colluding with immigrants to depress market wages on construction, and similar, jobs.<BR/><BR/>I for one have no problem with skilled construction workers coming from Mexico, or wherever, to build houses in the US. I do have problems with contractors hiring "undocumented" workers who they can pay submarket wages and not cover with workman's comp insurance etc.<BR/><BR/>The problem, as I see it, is not one with the immigrants, rather with the businesses employing the immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants, but we should promote assimilation. One of the best ways to do that is to make businesses have to pay market wages and provide workman's comp, pay taxes, etc. We should also promote the spread of English education etc.<BR/><BR/>Most immigrants want to be American and their loyalties will lie with America...well...except during World Cup season...so long as we reach out to them to make them into Americans. So long as we look for ways, either legally or because of a lack of legal alternatives, to alienate and isolate immigrants we will not be able to solve the "immigration" issue.<BR/><BR/>VDH often writes about his own back and forth on the subject. I think that strong "integration" combined with strict business regulation would go a long way.<BR/><BR/>Businesses who exploit immigrant labor are essentially the modern equivalent of 19th century work houses.Christian Lindkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05078403387362505754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147721690657432712006-05-15T14:34:00.000-05:002006-05-15T14:34:00.000-05:00One worry is that if we overcorrect- what will it ...One worry is that if we overcorrect- what will it do to our economy? I don't know too many people willing to clean houses, pick a harvest, etc for dirt cheap. Perhaps the first thing we need to do is actually enforce the laws we already have instead of trying to create new ones. I don't know what the solution is, but I do know that excuses for new laws, don't necessarily justify them<BR/><BR/><BR/><I>Java rules</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147711418025800592006-05-15T11:43:00.000-05:002006-05-15T11:43:00.000-05:00What disturbs me the most is that the illegal immi...What disturbs me the most is that the illegal immigrant situation is growing because of political correctness which has crippled us so that we have to force ourselves to look past our self-interest, which is detrimental. Also because it is profitable to many sides except the citizens themselves, who are the ones who get screwed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147697625695646692006-05-15T07:53:00.000-05:002006-05-15T07:53:00.000-05:00I believe that people have a right to immigrate to...I believe that people have a right to immigrate to America- the country relied on immigrant workforce around the turn of the century as much as it does today (which included Mexicans as well as the Chinese, Irish, and others) However- there needs to be more control over <I>legal</I> immigration and a greater clamp down on the illegals. I think the government, for the most part, turns a blind eye to the issue because <B>a)</B> its a problem that has gone out of control - so much so that harsh measures that could damage them politically are now needed- and <B>b)</B> there are ways for them to profit from the problem (cheap labor, fast track potential voters, etc). <BR/>What we need are representatives in government who remember that they represent us, the citizens, and that they must uphold the constitution which states in the preamble that they must (among other things) provide for the common defense and ensure domestic tranquility.Basically, we need some politicians with some balls who will give Vincente Fox the finger.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147585108562494852006-05-14T00:38:00.000-05:002006-05-14T00:38:00.000-05:00BRAVO, hd! BRAVO!Please keep the comments coming S...BRAVO, hd! BRAVO!<BR/><BR/>Please keep the comments coming Shelfers and use your thinking caps!Wolf Flywheelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14908302745535025296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16517589.post-1147583993130033622006-05-14T00:19:00.000-05:002006-05-14T00:19:00.000-05:00Wolf wrote: ... but it seems that we are suddenly ...Wolf wrote: <EM>... but it seems that we are suddenly sitting on a teeter-totter and we are not sure if our side will go up or down. If it goes up, will we be left screaming with our legs kicking in the air? If we go down can we stay grounded and in control of the tempo of our next move? These are things that worry me. Let us know about your thoughts. </EM><BR/><BR/>I have a fair amount of experience riding a teeter totter with different kinds of people. In fact I go on a teeter totter ride with a new person on average of about once a week. However, I've yet to ride a teeter totter with an illegal immigrant. <BR/><BR/>Yes, I do understand that you meant the teeter totter figuratively. But your choice of the teeter totter to illustrate your point does, I think, reflect an underlying optimism on your part about the situation. The teeter totter enforces a certain minimum of cooperation and goodwill between the two totterees. There's an implicit trust that is required for two people to even mount a teeter totter together.<BR/><BR/>And the brute fact of the Law of the Lever allows a lighter totteree to achieve leverage by moving away from the center. This holds true metaphorically as well. If you lack sufficent weight to achieve balance, then if you move with your rhetoric to the end of the board, you can balance out a teeter totter partner of heavier weight. This works in theory only if the board is infinitely long. As a practical matter, the board is typically around 12 feet long. And once you become so radical that you move off the end of the board, your weight (whatever it is) has no effect AT ALL. <BR/><BR/>Good luck with the newborn. Build the little one a teeter totter.<BR/><BR/>As to the specific question of how immigrants today are different from those of yesteryear, I have no particular insight. When all you've got's a hammer everything looks like a nail. So I would obverve that if we take the planet to be a teeter totter, even if we're perfectly balanced on each end, if the combined weight is great enough, the board will eventually splinter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com