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Does this smell of slavery to anybody else
Now don't get me wrong.....I know that unlawful workers crossing into America is a huge problem ......but this seems a rather cheap and nasty fix, and if the 'undesirables' are offered dangerous and poorly paid jobs, how in the long term is this going to help the US economy
1: it fits in with the globalisation model perfectly....cheap labour, poor conditions and the higher eschelons of society are seeing their profit margins grow via exploitation and a lack of health and safety concerns
2: Once in place, it is the potential thin end of the wedge to lawful, cross border movement of migrant workers. How do you legislate against the self same Mexican worker, taking your already piss poor paying job at McDonalds? You go for the job and the employer says 'well I offered the minimum wage, 80 hours per week....the US citizen had child care commitments that prevented them working more than 75 hours per week and so by the legislation in place, legally I am bound to employ the Mexican worker'
Okay, a gross exaggeration but I am making a point
3: it is a band aid to greater problems. For example, often trade tariffs, ridiculous IMF loans and corporate greed all contribute to other countries other than the US and those in Europe, from ever getting a decent chance of digging themselves out of debt. This proposal will do little to help Mexico fend for itself but forever be a poor relation to the US (imo)
the old adage, about giving a man a fish or helping him to learn to fish comes to mind
4: with lawful transit of labour, the US government has less of an argument when it comes to inter racial unions(by that I mean US/MEXICAN marriage etc)
what about the increase of children this will produce?
How will the US legislate against claims for residency from people who lawfully enter the US on such temporary visas and marry or produce kids? and how can supporting such children be of benefit to the child or the economy. Kick the father out and you are left with a single parent....take him in and if he cannot find work ......... ?
5: with the litigation culture in the US and greedy lawyers, surely it is only a matter of time before some clever slick lawyer decided to go for a test case against the US governement on the grounds that by virtue of point 4 above (or another issue) that this allows free migration. Once on the statute books, this will be hard to revoke and the US may be making a rod for it's own back
just my opinion but point two in particular is of particular concern as I can see how the insidiousness of this could further erode workers rights and freedoms |
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