At the L.A. illegal alien march one claimed "this shows L.A. was always ours." While this may be the belief of some, I am not convinced that this is the true intention of the majority coming here. Most seem actually hurt that we do not welcome them as they're told by their government that we actually need them, so why not welcome them. They have decided that we are racist which is not true. This seems more like manipulation of the masses to me from both the Mexican and American governments. That’s not to say that it’s untrue, but that they don’t know it. I don’t think the manipulations are masterminded by the people but from a few who mastermind their power behind the scenes.
US citizen opposition lies mainly on the fact that median household wages since 1975 have gone mainly to the top 20% of the population. Under the administrations of both political parties, the gap between the elite and the middle-class has grown stronger. The gap between the poor and middle-class has grown smaller. Poverty is on the rise. If the gap to reach the elite becomes insurmountable in the ladder to rise up in the classes, then the American dream of opportunity dies. Our way of life, of which we are most proud of, dies. What Mexicans fail to realize is that this only place in the world where it ever really existed. They do not just America's but the world's future a great disservice in undermining our balance of classes.
While facing stagnation of income, (which is our means of survival, to support our families, to provide for our retirements, to pay the taxes which support our nation's infrastructure, and our means of lobbying/political clout) we have been attacked economically on multiple fronts. That corporate entity since the 1970's, which used to help us with our retirements through pensions, which used to provide bonuses and benefits, which used to provide our health care, & often even life insurance, provided job security, has disentangled itself from its workers futures. They have pushed these costs onto the worker & decreased bonuses. It made sense in the 60's to support American corporations. Our futures were intertwined. This is no longer the case. While we scrambled to manage managing these new costs, the corporate entity began doing massive restructuring. Job titles and positions have been constantly redefined. We have been hit time and time again with massive layoffs through out the nation. Workers were not replaced. If two of your colleagues were laid off, you were expected to pick up the slack. New technology was provided to aid the endeavor, but still despite this more would be laid off. The corporate entity has taken to bottom dollar tactics at the expense of the workers, & the benefit of few. That American productivity dropped wasn't because we weren't working hard. Corporate efficiency experts made sure we were busy unceasingly. Sick days for both ourselves to care for our families had to be protected by law as there was increasing incidence of neglect due to fear of losing one's job. It was because we couldn't work any harder without production mistakes that made it counterproductive. So what other measure was left but to decrease wages or look for cheaper labor?
Many began moving to Mexico. Then when Mexico's economy began to recover, abandoned them and went to China. Some remain because of special incentives by the Mexican government and some because they don't like the lack of protections for their product in China. In either case, these jobs will never return. Our investment into their structure and supportive infrastructure has been wasted. No one in the American government has demanded reimbursement to the American public. Instead they offer corporate welfare to keep them here, operating under the assumption that the American corporation serves the nation and its people. They serve us no more than small to moderate businesses do & more of the nation's population has always worked in these sectors than for corporations. Most are dependant upon the American consumer. Corporations were never the backbone of our economy, nor did they trigger the majority of innovation. They absorbed it from smaller business entities. It amazes me how entities that always about to topple financially can manage to shill up the money for the numerous lobbying groups, think tanks, & multiple levels of industry coalitions & still survive. I doubt if they were ever in any real danger but rather contrived.
With their lobbying power our public laws have been changed. The immigration laws stand out, especially since 9/11. Federal mandates have been passed on the states making our border enforcement agencies not only ineffective, but actually forced them to be advocates of illegal aliens. Those cities or states who found their costs unfair burdens and appealed in their courts, would find themselves overruled by federal laws and mandates. City and state agencies were blocked from enforcing border protection. Funding was decreased for the agencies involved. There used to be fines against employers of illegal aliens, which decreased then disappeared. Who benefited? Not the American manual laborers. The industries that use them did. The American government wanted the money from its corporate lobbyists so instead of fixing the problem, they offered Amnesty. It sounded reasonable at first to just absorb them. However this only served as incentive for more to come repeatedly without enforcement nor border security in place. There have been 7 amnesty programs since 1986 & all have served to provide greater incentive to break our laws.
Our legal immigration laws have also been changed. Guest/Temporary visas have repeatedly been created by cries of industry of worker shortages and have been repeatedly repealed. Little proof is provided that there ever was a shortage, and it takes years of lobbying by the public to have them repealed. Since the 1970’s numerous types have been created, their limitation caps raised, numerous exemptions, the government has “accidentally” issued more than congress mandated, and all American worker protections removed. The prevailing wage is supposed to be paid to these foreign workers, but the prevailing wage is being determined by the corporations as they continually lay off thousands, then cry worker shortage, and hire foreigners who will work for less. They have found every excuse possible from Americans are over qualified to under qualified to not hire them. Americans have been deprived of opportunities to advance even when they acquire new skills. Before these guest/temporary visas came into the work place, there was all this corporate focus on diversity training. We were programmed that to dissent against a foreign competitor was racism, even if it cost us our livelihood. We were forced to train our replacements. We are prevented from uniting at the workplace by practices which make workers hostile to each other for example, workers rating each other before layoffs. New upper management is brought in from other companies as they don’t have relationships with those they lay off. Most who work in corporate America will tell you that the workers don’t even talk to each other. A lack of community serves the corporate entity.
The effects of both the guest/temporary worker programs & the illegal alien population have hurt the American worker by rapid massive population increases and driving down our wages by glutting our labor markets and changing our political representation. I go into this better here.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=842378&mesg_id=842761As I stated there earned legalization doesn’t address our issues as it adds further population increase.
http://www.numbersusa.com/index See our lost future & where we're headed.
But back to the reconquistadors, Mexico’s president met with China several months ago. The majority of the protests are being driven by socialist parties who have strong connections with Cesar Chavez who also has strong ties with Cuba. If Mexico is displeased by our policies, I have no doubt it will have closer ties with China. China who is becoming the new super power as it keeps its currency value low to draw all industry and manufacturing there until it dominates all markets. As America’s youth grow up seeing China provide housing, health care, & etc. for its citizens, if starts a propaganda program showing how well its serving its citizens now, how will they feel about our democratic republic? That America’s college students are naïve is demonstrated by their wearing of Cesar Chavez tee shirts with sweat shop designer jeans.
As I watch sovereign nations give up more & more of their sovereignty to corporate controlled entities like the WTO and free trade agreement agencies there appears to some truth about governments trying to form a New World Order. I think Bush has vision of a union of the Americas making the continent one unified force & boundaries. I have grave reservations about this. First off, it is not based on individual rights. It doesn’t even represent worker rights. Workers have no representation in the WTO. Humanity is a commodity. Corporations don’t dispense the world’s resources fairly among any people. They would easily sacrifice to extinction any natural resource if the price were right to those in power. Europe seems to be seeking this also through the European Union. Bush doesn’t have the charisma and US foreign policy ( a few attempts to overthrow governments, some which succeeded as we succeeded with Sadaam ) in South America haven’t left the south Americans any more enthused than the Iraqi’s were. Bush was genuinely surprised that most Iraqi people while pleased to get rid of Sadaam didn’t immediately embrace democracy but rather were annoyed as they were used to doing things their own way. Go figure.
All of this is supposition on my part, but I do know that if we don’t decrease our population especially foreign population and remove the corporate entity’s right to lobby our government & influence our elections then we lose all the rights & freedoms we ever achieved to determine our own futures. Democracy doesn't work for people not represented & diminished. Corporate representation should never have been allowed. It doesn’t fit the one man one vote model. Our forefathers deliberately left out corporations as having natural rights from god and often spoke out against their control. Any anti corporate personhood site will tell you.
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