What the dems should be saying about immigration

[cynatnite]

Pure criminalization of immigration, especially along the border with Mexico, will only make the trip more dangerous--not less likely. Immigrants would remain further in the shadows, subject to increased employer abuse and even lower pay. Those who get here will never go home again, as immigrants once did with regularity, because of the cost in dollars and risk to make the return. Therefore we agree with President Bush that a guest worker program is necessary. But it must be accompanied by stronger labor rights for both the newly legal workers and the people born here or naturalized who feel themselves slipping out of the middle class.

Employers of these immigrants must be required to fund their health care, whether they provide it directly or not. That would increase the availability of health care for the rest of the labor force. On that point, Mexico's government has offered to discuss some sharing of the immigrant health care burden and other social costs Guest workers must be protected under applicable U.S. Labor laws, and have access to workers compensation programs. This is not coddling immigrants, but forcing corporations and individuals to face up to the true costs of illegal labor. Once that is calculated, U.S. workers will regain their competitive ability, while guest workers will be able to cross the border to visit family. In many cases they will build a new life at home with their savings, perhaps providing jobs that slow the impetus for migration.

U.S. foreign aid focused on job development in Mexico, with strict anticorruption restrictions, will be greatly increased.

The law today is broken. What Congressional Republicans are proposing so far is worse. President Bush's corporate-friendly guest worker program is better, but still a Trojan Horse. We will develop the concepts above into a legislative proposal before the end of the week and hit the road to explain to Red and Blue America alike that immigration is something that can be handled to the benefit of workers on both sides of the border.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-court/progressives-cant-handle_b_17983.html

This from a larger article called 'Progressives can't handle the truth about Immigration'

[Maestro]

1. Let's see who will get the cojones to say that

and really start some debate on the floor of the Senate as the bill goes for a vote. I think he is spot-on correct.

[IsItJustMe]

2. It won't happen. Corporate money is how our polititions get elected to

begin with.

[leftstreet]

3. Excellent article!

Thanks for posting the link.

[aden_nak]

4. Force companies to pay illegals the same wage. It's that simple.

The liberals can get behind that because it's fair. The conservatives can get behind that because it reduces the insentive to hire illegal aliens.