Thread: Scapegoating immigrants

http://www.boston.com

Scapegoating immigrants
August 28, 2006

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is a national problem. But it is not the national problem.

Still, news from the US Census Bureau fans angry flames: From 2000 to 2005, the foreign-born population of the United States increased by 4.9 million people to a total of 35.7 million, or 12.4 percent of the population.

By some accounts, the country is drowning in immigrants -- including the estimated 12 million who are undocumented-- taking jobs and driving down wages. Mix anti-immigrant sentiment and overinflated rhetoric about terrorists, and false images emerge of white America being overrun by brown-skinned criminals.

Contractors and carpenters do make a legitimate argument that they are undercut by competitors who can make low bids because they underpay undocumented workers. The solution is not to demonize the workers but to aggressively enforce wage and hours laws.

It's a factual and tactical mistake to lump terrorism with unrelated issues of undocumented immigrants seeking work. Nonetheless, towns in Massachusetts and other states are piling on. Sandwich officials want to sanction businesses that hire undocumented workers. Milford officials support a proposal to limit the number of unrelated adults who can share an apartment. Hazleton, Pa., officials called for fining landlords who rent to undocumented immigrants, prompting a federal lawsuit by the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund.

Anti-immigrant stances are shortsighted, but they suggest that many Americans themselves feel pinched, unfairly treated, and cut off from opportunities to get ahead. It's legitimate outrage -- with causes that often have little to do with immigration.

In Massachusetts, for example, the notion of young couples moving into affordable starter homes seems increasingly quaint. They might afford a starter condo -- if they have the money for a down payment.

Another problem: The rich are getting richer faster. In a January report, the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center said that for the last 20 years, incomes of the state's richest families ``have grown almost five times as fast as those for low-income families and nearly twice as fast as those for middle-income families." The income gap has grown more in Massachusetts than in 47 other states.

College and professional degrees boost incomes, and the Census ranks Massachusetts second in the nation, behind Washington D.C., in the proportion of people with bachelor's degrees. But that's still only 36.9 percent of this state's population.

Scapegoating immigrants is easy. But much of what ails ordinary Americans is a skewed economic playing field that makes it difficult to get ahead.

http://newsbusters.org/node/7214

Globe's Solution for 'Undocumented Workers': Pay Them More
Posted by Mark Finkelstein on August 28, 2006 - 06:36.
You knew where this editorial was headed from the headline, 'Scapegoating Immigrants,' and if there was any doubt, when a few short paras in the editorial referred to 'undocumented workers' rather than illegal immigrants, you could have stopped right there. For that matter, you might have saved yourself the time when you picked up the paper, or opened to the web site, and noticed that it read 'The Boston Globe' at the top.

But for my sins, I persevered, and was treated to a classic bit of blame-Americanism. First, those sanctimonious souls of the Globe's editorial board accused their fellow Americans of racism:

"Mix anti-immigrant sentiment and overinflated rhetoric about terrorists, and false images emerge of white America being overrun by brown-skinned criminals."

The Globe was willing to acknowledge that "contractors and carpenters do make a legitimate argument that they are undercut by competitors who can make low bids because they underpay undocumented workers." So what's the solution? Punish employers who hire illegals? Nope. The Globe, observing that the town of Sandwich is considering a local ordinance to do just that, calls it "a factual and tactical mistake."

So just what is the Globe's solution? To pay the illegals more, of course: "The solution is not to demonize the workers but to aggressively enforce wage and hours laws." Great way to discourage illegal immigration - raise the pay of people who manage to sneak into the country.

Amusing aside: Having covered two of its bases - 1. accuse Americans of racism - check; and 2. stand up for illegals - check, the Globe somehow managed to throw in a gratuitous bit of a third theme popular among liberals: class warfare. Grumbled the Globe: "Another problem: The rich are getting richer faster."

That's right, folks. There's only so much money in the world. When the Bill Gates - on a grand scale - or Joe the small businessman - on a more modest one - do well for themselves, they aren't providing any useful goods or services for anyone else or creating any jobs. All they're doing is taking money out of other people's pockets. And that's "a problem."

No one knows the true numbers, but we can feel the impact

By some accounts, the country is drowning in immigrants -- including the estimated 12 million who are undocumented-- taking jobs and driving down wages.

On some accounts? I'd say on ALL accounts our country is drowing in immigrants!