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Thinks I don’t umberstand

So, this here immigration bill. Are hispanics really for it? I mean, the ones that immigrated legally. The pundits say a) the hispanic population is our fastest-growing demographic and b) they’ll hate the GOP forever if the bill dies. But will they? As a point of solidarity? Because why else would you want to vote in 11 million (or 20 million) more people to compete for your job in a crap economy?

The new incomers won’t vote against us because they can’t; that whole ‘path to citizenship’ thing takes a decades, I think. I mean, they can vote illegally, but they can do that now.

Meanwhile, if it got through, wouldn’t this ultimately hurt the Dems with all the other demographics that will be competing against the newly legal immigrants? The blue collar and entry-level job markets, where I assume most of this influx will be aiming, includes a disproportionate amount of the Democrat base. I mean, you’re desperate to find work, it’s not going to escape your notice who pinched your job and how they got here, is it?

Why is business supposedly for this thing? Once illegal immigrants are legalized, they have to be paid minimum wage and Obamacare and all the rest of it. They’ll be like any other entry-level employee, but with more language and cultural problems. So how is it helpful to have so very many of them?

And finally, if this bill squeaks by in the Senate, it hasn’t a hope in hell of making it through the Republican House without being gutted, so isn’t this all moot? So why has Marco Rubio decided to piss his career down his leg for this?

If only we had a class of professional investigators whose job was to track these things down and explain them to thickos like me.

Comments


Comment from jwpaine
Time: April 22, 2013, 10:35 pm

lemme splain: shut up.


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: April 22, 2013, 11:04 pm

Moar peeps eatz moar foodz, drinks moar beer, buyz moar housez == GROATS!!11!1…moar taxes, bigger guvermintz!!11!!…can print moar monneyz!!11…can borrow moar monneyz!!111!!…CAN SPEND MOAR MONNEYZ!!111!!

That’s pretty much how they think…they live in ivory towers though, so they don’t have to deal with the mess.


Comment from Mrs Compton
Time: April 22, 2013, 11:09 pm

I’m hearing that those who came the right way are pretty peeved off about this. I think we’re hearing the more vocal types who want this than the hard working latino. Also, Mr C did a hell of a lot of campaigning for rubio. I’m afreeed of looking at our checking account to see how much money he gave him. Hell, even I gave him money and I sure would like it back now. He’s a snake in the grass.


Comment from Rich Rostrom
Time: April 23, 2013, 12:00 am

Are hispanics really for it? I mean, the ones that immigrated legally.

Then there are the millions of Hispanic-Americans who didn’t immmigrate: Puerto Ricans.

I’m sure that Puerto Ricans, who are mostly low-skill manual workers, really want to see enormous numbers of additional low-skill manual workers brought into the country to compete with them and drive down wages.

There are also hispanics in Texas and the Southwest whose ancestors became Americans by the Texas Annexation, Mexican Cession, and Gadsden Purchase.

But this is not being framed as an economic issue. Rather, opposition to unlimited immigration from Latin America is demonized as “Raaacist!!!”


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: April 23, 2013, 12:08 am

I only have a few Hispanic friends and they are all pretty well off; lawyer, electronics engineer, and professor’s spouse. With those warnings as to their biases, they all oppose this for the same reasons you and I do. Without putting too fine a point on it, they feel that there are many more desirable immigrants than those who came here illegally. Their parents, educated professionals, had to jump through difficult hoops to get in legally. I also note that two of the three vote R while the professor’s wife, of course is a big D.

The Democrats support the plan on the general principle that government should help poor people and they feel that borders are only artifical constructs established so that militaries will have something to fight about.

Republicans oppose the plan because the immigrants will cause tax increases, won’t vote Republican, and will increase farm labor costs.

In my dotage I’ve pretty much given up on the Republicans, and resigned myself that I live in the declining days of the United States which I grew up in. Romney’s 47% was a valid concept although I believe that the percentage is probably a bit higher than that.

I do need to go and buy a pistol soon, though, before I can’t.


Comment from Oceania
Time: April 23, 2013, 12:22 am

What cal are those?


Comment from Gromulin
Time: April 23, 2013, 12:23 am

You ask a LOT of questions. I’d like to answer them but I have to step out for a Burrito now, after seeing that font.

So let me summarize – RACIST.


Comment from Nicole
Time: April 23, 2013, 1:01 am

They are depending on the ever reliable low information voter. No matter who actually authors this legislation the blame for harder to find jobs will be placed squarely on the Republicans and those good ol’ LIVs will toe the line and vote Demmycrat. Truth and/or common sense has no place in politics.


Comment from Skandia Recluse
Time: April 23, 2013, 1:32 am

OH, you sent me off ona hunt for info. Ya know, those old guys got into a lot of hand to hand combat? If what you find on the internet is true.

I was just today, thinking about life in ‘the colonies’ before the age of steam. They built things out of wood, which meant they cut down trees, with hand tools, and sawed said trees into lumber, by hand. Mined coal, with hand tools.

Tough guys. real tough guys. . and the women! No wonder no one is smiling in the old pictures.


Comment from EZnSF
Time: April 23, 2013, 1:38 am

I’ve always said we should just annex Mexico.

Fucks sake, we could clean up their politics and absorb their poorly managed natural resources. They sit on a continent of oil and can barely keep the pumps running. Every damn Mexican wishes they lived in Utah anyway, and I wouldn’t mind a winter bungalow in Baja. It’s a win-win.


Comment from Christopher Taylor
Time: April 23, 2013, 1:49 am

No immigrant – legal, that is – likes illegal immigrants. In fact, given the incredible pain in getting into the country and becoming a citizen legally, they often are enraged by illegals. However… all too often, they’re of two minds, thinking any-illegal immigration means anti-immigrant, and possibly anti (insert their race here) so they get defensive and “us vs them.”


Comment from AliceH
Time: April 23, 2013, 1:55 am

I’m with you, Some Veg. Except I’ve already got the pistol. And maybe a few other things… 😉


Comment from tomfrompv
Time: April 23, 2013, 2:52 am

EZnSF has it right. If we only just tell the truth we just might fix this mess. Look, Mexico is a corrupt hellhole. Period. These immigrants are so bad off in Mexico they walk all the way here for a chance to clean a toilet or mow a lawn. Most are illiterate because the Mexican govt is a failure.

Mexico, et al, suck hard as countries. Thats why the illegals come.

Given that truth, the ONLY solution is to fix Mexico. Anything else just means more illegals pouring in here. I date Rubio to tell the truth here.


Comment from Some Vegetable
Time: April 23, 2013, 3:47 am

Those calling for the annexation of Mexico might recall that the American Military captured Mexico City in 1847 and we were damn’d lucky to be able to force the Mexicans to take their country back…


Comment from EZnSF
Time: April 23, 2013, 4:32 am

@ Veg

Like California, Nevada, Utah, parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado? Yucatan begged to become American. We declined.


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: April 23, 2013, 4:39 am

Pretty sure he doesn’t have a single rifle in that calibre. Srsly, U guize.


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: April 23, 2013, 4:42 am

Also, Messican is a nationality, not a race. & that damned messican language is a fucking european, imperialist language. Stop speaking it, you damned imperialists.


Comment from Scubafreak
Time: April 23, 2013, 4:57 am

According to the histories I’ve been able to find, the bandoleers are most likely carrying 7mm Mauser rounds. he was also a huge fan of the Winchester Model 94 30.30


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: April 23, 2013, 5:03 am

The shoulder looks quite a lot sharper than a .30-06.

But, yeah, the 7×57 Mauser. So he really is 4’3″?


Comment from SCOTTtheBADGER
Time: April 23, 2013, 6:00 am

As a Badger, I believe the most desireable caliber is the 16″/50 caliber MK7, as used on the Big Badger Boat, (BB-64). Everything else is just substandard. By the way, USS WISCONSIN, the Big Badger Boat, was prohibited from entering New Zealand waters, because there were fittings in all 3 16″ magazines for MK23 KATIE nuclear shells. The USN would not say whether there were KATIEs on board, as it is policy for the Navy to not reveal which ships are nuclear armed, and New Zealand won’t allow nuclear armed ships into thier waters.


Comment from Oceania
Time: April 23, 2013, 6:24 am

Aren’t you lucky?
Some of those could have incinerated in the breach should you ever fired them!
And you don’t like the laws of a country – don’t visit it!!!


Comment from AltBBrown
Time: April 23, 2013, 11:47 am

Easy-squeasy to comprehend. To paraphrase LBJ,
“I’ll have those wetbacks voting Democratic for the next 200 years.”


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: April 23, 2013, 12:08 pm

Why is business supposedly for this thing? Once illegal immigrants are legalized, they have to be paid minimum wage and Obamacare and all the rest of it. They’ll be like any other entry-level employee, but with more language and cultural problems. So how is it helpful to have so very many of them?

For one thing, employers will have greatly reduced exposure to legal sanctions for hiring illegal immigrants. For another, an increase in the labor supply will tend to raise the proportion of minimum wage workers in the workforce. Lower wages for the unskilled would also tend to discourage illegal immigration.

I’d like to see at least a reduction in the minimum wage but even better would be its elimination altogether. Economically, the minimum wage laws cannot do anything other than eliminate jobs for untrained, inexperienced, generally young job-seekers, exactly those who need jobs the most. Alas, unions are far too influential in electoral politics for any hope of scrapping those laws.

As for 0-care, I say squash it like a cockroach.


Comment from red sweater
Time: April 23, 2013, 1:20 pm

Even the legals all drive around with the flags of their former countries hanging from their rear view mirrors. I’m wondering why they want to be here at all, then? Please, stop trying to make the country everyone wants to be in so much like the one you all are leaving because it’s so terrible. Please.


Comment from mojo
Time: April 23, 2013, 2:49 pm

It’s aimed at the Republican house, just as the gun crap was. Obie wants to get some egregious crap through the Senate, and have the House block it. “Oh, those darn Republicans!” he would say…


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: April 23, 2013, 4:09 pm

Uncle Al,

I think that’s some of it. I also think that there’s a strong flavour of, “If we support $RETARDED_CHUCKLEFUCK’s asinine legislation, he’ll be willing to do shit for us.” from certain members of the business community. Think Disney + Sonny Bono.


Comment from Christopher Taylor
Time: April 23, 2013, 9:20 pm

Big big business is powerful and rich enough to absorb economic problems, and they use legislation to hurt competition. They’ve got their cronies in office and work behind the scenes to protect themselves and build their riches up, so it never really hurts them any. And if worse comes to worst? Well ask Goldman-Sachs how it works when you do absolutely idiotic business and bankrupt yourself. Too big to fail.


Comment from Scubafreak
Time: April 23, 2013, 10:42 pm

Heh, Never been up close and personal with the USS Wisconsin, but my Mighty Wads WAS a regular escort for the New Jersey and the Missouri….

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