How does a man employ almost 100 illegal aliens at a slaughterhouse in Bean Station for 20 years without getting caught? The feds must really be proud of themselves for staging that huge raid in April. It was about damn time.
Have you ever called a business or government office and have the machine tell you to press two for Chinese? Or Italian? Or Korean? German perhaps? Well why not, we are, as liberals like to say, a nation of immigrants.
What’s lost in the arguments about immigration is that we have had waves of immigrants in the past but in manageable numbers that in most cases had the second generation speaking English and assimilating into American culture. But the sheer number of illegal immigrants crossing our Southern border has been overwhelming.
The nearness of Mexico and Central America has led to us losing control of our border. The Chinese, the Koreans, the Italians couldn’t walk across our border. And there is no Ellis Island processing center in McAllen, Texas. As a result, we don’t know who is here or what they are up to. And because so many illegals are living in the shadows, they cannot assimilate into society as well as previous groups.
There are certainly jobs in the United States that Mexican workers are needed to perform. We ought to have a controlled access immigration policy so that we control the border, know who is here, and keep up with them. Without a legal way to come here to work we are encouraging illegal entry and illegal immigration. If the workers are here legally then they can more easily be assimilated into American culture. Look at what the current system allows. The illegals in Bean Station were exploited, forced to work unpaid overtime in a hell hole. To whom could they complain?
The unemployment rate in Grainger County is less than four percent. But even if the rate were higher it is unlikely legal American citizens would work there for minimum wage or less.
Why is it important for immigrants to assimilate into our culture?
Compare the way North America has developed and then look at South America. The rule of law versus dictators. Markets and capitalism as opposed to socialism and communism. The sanctity of contracts versus lawlessness.
To suggest that American culture is superior to other cultures is to immediately be labeled a racist. Race has nothing to do with it. Black people in America have made tremendous contributions to the culture. Silicon Valley benefits from capitalist immigrants from India. Chinese American students hold top ranks in our best universities and Korean Americans are some of our finest entrepreneurs. Mexican immigrants are not only too many to handle; many of them remain in the shadows because they are illegal, making it difficult to join American society. Legal immigrants could not be exploited like the group in Bean Station. They can get ahead, raise a family and experience the American dream. But the present system of illegals is not good for America and not good for the exploited illegal aliens.
We need comprehensive immigration reform, but both political parties need the issue and it will no doubt play into the mid-term elections in November. To pass comprehensive reform you have to have compromise. And any compromise will put the far right and the far left on the warpath.
Short takes
- It’s good news for Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn that the latest poll has her slightly ahead in her race against former Gov. Phil Bredesen for the U.S. Senate. Bredesen has been doing saturation advertising throughout the primary. Blackburn’s just got started.
- President Trump’s proposal for a Space Force as another branch of the armed service is just ridiculous. Every Star Trek fan knows that future space exploration will be done by the U.S. Navy. Primarily on the U.S.S. Enterprise with Captain Kirk and his officers.
- Trump’s proposed military parade in Washington is estimated to cost $92 million. Aside from the fact that the parade has no purpose, that $92 million could be better used to improve the Veterans Administration.
- Last week I wrote about state Reps. Glen Casada and Curtis Johnson the leading contenders campaigning to replace the retiring House Speaker Beth Harwell. They have campaigned for Republican House candidates, raised money and have been winning friends and influencing potential House members. The next day state Rep. David Hawk said he is running for speaker as well. He is campaigning in the media and appealing to the public, none of whom have a vote for speaker.