Illegal immigration costs us all dearly
Comments 12| Recommend 2
Linda Turley-Hansen, Commentary

June 20, 2009 - 5:50PM

Catastrophe, in the aftermath of the collapsed housing bubble, still pervades our East Valley while blame searches for a home.

We already know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are two of the baddies. Their downfall began in the 1990s, under a Democratic administration, when the two quasi-private mortgage companies, in cahoots with the feds, were pressured to finance underqualified buyers.

Though there were some efforts to correct the problem, the failed policy continued to worsen under the Republicans.

Even with that, the monster bubble could not have happened unless the market met demand. Think about it. The market responded with the help of huge numbers of low-paid, illegal workers. Their agents were not only industry lobbyists, but also those who insisted Americans wouldn’t do the work. They spread the mantra beyond our southern borders, and underprivileged Mexicans heeded the call.

Now, our depressed neighborhoods speak to the results of that vast, cheap labor force. Did I mention illegal? Did I mention citizen workers were kicked to the curb?

Several weeks ago, I wrote about East Valley residents who not only do dirty work, but they love it. They are regular, struggling folk, who tend to be the catch basins for the runoff from fabricated civil rights; they’re the designated losers when illegal players cut in line.

Several responses from readers to that column, confirming the lie that “Americans won’t do dirty work,â€