Nom de Plume

It’s always a disappointment when you see a headline proclaiming that a politician you hate has just done something you like. Fortunately, the disappointment usually fades into a much more satisfactory outrage once you’re into the meat of the article.

I am speaking, naturally, of Bush trying to reform immigration law. Sounds great. It’s long overdue. But c’mon, this from a person who wants to fingerprint everyone who isn’t white coming into the country?

Under this proposal, workers would be granted permission to stay for an initial period of three years if they can prove employment. During this time, they can go home, come back and be paid minimum wage and social security. After the three years is up, they go back. Companies can also hire workers if there aren’t any Americans to fill the position.

Woo flippin’ hoo.

Note the word worker. That’s what this is about: allowing companies to import cheap labor, which can then be more easily controlled with threat of deportation. Oh, yes, and it’s also an outright attempt to woo Hispanic voters.

Luckily, no one likes this idea. Conservatives say, “Keep the dang non-Americans out. Period.” Liberals say, “Either s*** or get off the pot.” And fiscal Republicans (you know, people who are really conservative, but, more than anything, want to be liked) say, “We-ell, I’d love to … but look at how much it’ll cost Social Security.”

I think it points to an even more disturbing trend: excessive outsourcing. We’ve been exporting blue collar jobs to countries where companies can pay cents on the dollar for labor for years. More recently, we’ve been exporting traditionally white collar jobs. I’m not going to argue for or against this, but the fact is that we’ve become a service-based economy.

With this proposal, we’re outsourcing “undesirable” jobs to a different country within our own borders. Does this sound messed up to anyone other than me? It’s not that I have a problem with the “global economy,” or that I think only Americans should get American jobs. I don’t. But I also don’t see how this proposal benefits anyone. American workers will have an even tougher time getting paid a living wage. Foreign workers will become an underclass who may pay into the tax system, but will get very little in return financially–and who will certainly get none of the benefits of citizenship.