Modern Slavery

In reaching a bipartisan "compromise" on immigration "reform", the White House and Capitol Hill harkens back to the darkest period of our nation:  when the Missouri Compromise enshrined slavery below the Mason-Dixon and gave staying power to the "peculiar institution".

A century and a half later, we have a new peculiar institution to that walks like, sounds like, and looks like the old one.  Illegal immigration is modern slavery.

Nearly every argument we hear out of Washington, DC or the board rooms of New York these days in favor of the "immigration reform compromise" revolves around the need for workers to "do the jobs Americans won't do", presumably at salaries Americans refuse to accept.  Illegal immigrants themselves make these arguments, asking "What would Americans do without dishwashers, lawn guys, pool guys, housecleaners, and fruit pickers?"

Probably the same thing southern plantation owners did in 1865: adapt.

Business is looking for cheap labor.  That's it.  That is the number one motivation for wanting to avoid a crackdown on illegal immigration.   They don't want to pay market wages (note: I didn't say union wages) for work. They rolled over on the minimum wage hike because they know they can fill those slots with illegals, and the government does not have the ability or will to root them out. 

The left in this country-- realizing that their failure to procreate adequately -- is looking for a new pool of willing dupes.  Same for the right, quite frankly.  Karl Rove must be the first political strategist in a generation willing to cast of generational Republicans like me -- sixth generation, thank you -- for wetbanks who just landed in Arizona last year. Combine this with a president casting about like a blind man in strip club looking for a legacy, and you have legalized slavery making a huge comeback.

You see, that is all this debate is about. Cheap labor.  This isn't about bringing in highly-talented, educated foreigners to work for American companies and make them better able to compete. That already happens, and it works pretty well.  It's called the H1B visa program.

No, this is about workers for industries where the need for manual labor is still excessive. Industries where the benefits of technology aren't available (hard to automate busboys, unless you can build Twiggy from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century) or aren't cost effective (because its cheaper to hire illegal Mexicans).  Industries like agriculture, meat packing, construction, lawn care, restaurants and hospitality, etc.  Just like in the 1700s, when North American switched from indentured servitude to chattel slavery because cotton and tobacco were labor-intensive crops.  (Yes, there is a difference between indentured servants and chattel slaves.  The former were freed after 7 years service and were never considered property).

And when you are talking about cheap labor, with below market-wages, you are talking slavery.  It's no different than the 14 year old Chinese girls who used to work for STD Entertainment in Shen-Zen China putting together video game controllers under the InterAct and Performance Brands.  They were paid a pittance, and slept three to a bunk -- technically 9, because they "hot bunked" in the factory dormitory.  That was slavery too, and we knew it.  But we didn't talk about it. 

Just like we don't talk about how luring poor, uneducated Mexicans and Guatamalans and such across the border-- then paying them a pittance while they do all our dirty -- isn't slavery either. 

And why do we do it?  So our kids don't have to cut grass for the summer to pay for their car?  Or work in the mall serving Orange Julius drinks and hot dogs?  Or working at summer camp in Sharptown in the blazing heat?  I did all that (and more).  Loved it.  Learned a work ethic. Never saved much money.  (My father always tried to buy me pants without pockets, because he thought it made no sense to pay for them since money in them just burned a hole right through!)

Allowing entire populations of countries to come here and live in the shadows so that business can control their bottom line better is slavery.  It's the worst of Simon Legree. 

And it should stop.  Now.  Those people deserve better.  Americans should be better.