I find that hard to believe. Minimum wage back in '94 was around $4 in California and I imagine less in other states. This is one of the rare occassions when someone displays any type of empathy toward illegal immigrants and you come out with this story at how they laughed at you. Anyone who has driven around Los Angeles can see the immigrants holding down crappy jobs as street vendors selling oranges, flowers, anything really just to support their families. And when you go down freeway ramps who do you see holding a sign looking for a handout, more often than not black or white people. I have nothing against black, jews or anythor race or creed, but the idea that an immigrant will laugh at the idea of making 2 or 3 times minimum wage for washing a car is absurd. I remeber working at Vons when I was 16 and the worst customers I dealt with in the Sherman Oaks area were Jews and Armenians. Not all but most in my experience. They would fight with cashiers over pennies and try to use expired or wrong coupons. I even had the pleasure to help one of these fellas load groceries into their Lexus while they had just payed with food stamps. Any anger should be directed at people who game the system and are looking for handouts or bailouts. People knock immigrants but how many of us wouldn't go to a foreign country if one weeks pay was more than 2months pay.
If the real estate market wasn't artificially propped up by the US gov't to the tune of trillions, then maybe Americans would work those jobs. If real estate prices were allowed to fall, then even dishwashers could afford better living arrangements. But no - we can't have that, the banks need to appear "solvent."
Believe what ever you want. The account is true. If you think that illegals aren't (during the boom) working in construction and getting $100+ a day you are ill informed regarding illegal labor in this country. They aren't just picking lettuce and selling oranges, they are taking good jobs from Americans in construction. Plus they are criminals for breaking the laws of this country. Speaking of gaming the system. Illegals game the system not paying taxes, getting assistance getting home loans and any way they can game the system from Acorn, getting free childcare from the WIC program and free U.S. public school education for their kids clogging our classrooms. They go to and flood the emergency rooms and skip out on paying. Free medical care provided by the taxpayer. You can add to that all the illegals involved in narcotics in this country and illegal crimes. A recent Wallstreet article focused our USFS land and national parks being trashed by mexican drug cartels shipping in illegals to grow pot in this country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/17/business/17construct.html?pagewanted=1 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/apr/10/20060410-123506-1297r/ http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/employment/2009-03-08-immigrant-jobs_N.htm Here's a good article on illegals and their pay and you can see how American workers are displaced from construction jobs right here in the good ole U.S. The misbelief that illegals are here in the U.S. working for a pittance and taking jobs American workers don't want is a complete fallacy. Many ILLEGALS are making(especially during the building boom) upwards of $40,000+ in construction. They get hired by construction companies so the co doesn't have to pay payroll taxes, medicare contributions, workers comp claims, and any other gov't required employer paid contributions such as FICA, state income taxes withheld. How many Americans would be happy learning a trade such as plumbing, electrical, kitchen, bathroom remodeling and make $25-30 an hour?????? Plenty of high school kids that aren't college bound could be working on construction sites making great money learning a trade. A $100 is a minimum for day labor for illegals in the U.S as I found out back in 1994 when I tried to do a favor and give a guy a few hours work. And a $100 was the going rate in 1994. I don't know what it is today but you can see from this NYT article wages of $25+ are not uncommon and IF you are an illegal that can speak english and can run a crew of illegals on a construction job site you can earn excellent money. Many Americans would love to have many of the jobs illegals take even in meat packing plants, trucking, fast food and especially construction.
WIC, Overcrowded schools, flooding the emergency rooms, and and finally "national parks being trashed by mexican drug cartels" Wow, really? I think you forgot the swine flu and the kitchen sink. The first two articles basically state that hispanic made up a large percentage of construction crews and that some may be illegals. Oh and this tidbit "Mr. Bush also had suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, which requires local contractors to pay "prevailing" wages, in the areas hit by Katrina to encourage reconstruction and cleanup" Lets not forget Americas love affair with cheap labor. All Bush did was facilitate the hiring of cheap labor to get the job done. The displaced workers could have worked for lower wages I imagine. But I won't speculate. Those two articles basically end by saying that illegals are back in the fields making minimum wage working from 5am to 5pm. I don't think too many Americans are upset over those lost opportunities. I'm sure a few would rather collect unemployment for 70+weeks. The third article simply implies that some of the new construction jobs may be filled by 15% hispanics some of which may be illegals. I just find these negative attitudes toward illegals A bit upsetting when this country was founded by immigrants and made great by subsequent generations. And to go as far as calling them criminals is just beyond me. I understand that they broke the law by being here illegaly but criminal is just such a harsh term. Interesting that you would have available 3 year old articles about illegal immigrants and again reference what may have been your only negative encounter with illegals back in '94. Had I been a bit more immature when I was sixteen, perhaps I would've had let my early encounters With Jews and Armenians 10 years ago prejudice any future opinion of them. But I didn't think like a child then nor would I now. But lets's not forget the real criminals who basically held the U.S. hostage and required billions in taxpayers money for bailouts, only to pay themselves millions in bonuses for a job well done. The amount of money or opportunities lost to illegal immigrants pales in comparison of what the real crooks are doing to our Country. "And that's all I got to say about that..." Forrest Gump
Living in NYC I can assure you guys that there are a lot of illegals working all over the place. Construction and mom and pop stores of which there are plenty of in the big apple, are surviving on the backs of illegal workers. Most are young, single and badly educated. However, they are only filling the void.the current system allows them to work here so they do. We could eliminate illegal immigration very quickly if every company/person employing them would get fined 10K per employee. However, that would never happen, I mean what's next hiring Americans who would want medical insurance, paid holidays, and perhaps a union to watch over them and a decent wage? BTW those guys ask for $100 and WILL work full day,. They will not waste their time with a $20 small job if they could land a $100 for that day. They know that by the time they finish your $20 job, all the full day gigs will be taken. Also, do not forget that sometimes they will work and don't get paid. What do you think they will do? Call the cops or sue a guy like you in small claims court?