The Politics Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

Wow.

 

@Khan We'll personally be fine. Like I said, my Mother's a naturalized citizen and I was born here. My entire family are either naturalized, born citizens or permanent residents. So my concern is not really with us but those in our community.

 

If Trump gets more crazy though, I used to live in Canada and I have family that live there (they're all Canadian citizens, some born and some naturalized) and they often invite us to visit. One cousin of mine, in particular, lives in Toronto and sometimes travels and has extended offers for me to stay for a few months. Since I freelance now, that may well be a very attractive offer. And Canada has that cute Prime Minister now.

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Edited February 11, 2017 by DramatistDreamer

[JaneAusten]

Well since we are now sending back legally bound undocumented workers(not the criminals Trump promised) who are here taking the jobs of those poor rust belters, I hope they are all ready to pick up and move to California for those high paying nanny, landscaping, and farm jobs that barely pay minimum wage.

[Roman]

You know Jane....ask the Trump supporters who have suddenly grown quiet in the last 3 weeks. that's what happens when people actually believe BS without the benefit of intellect and rational thinking.

[marceline]

 

A lot of them have gone quiet but they are very happy about this. One of my right leaning friends posted just today about how quiet his Trump voting friends are and a bunch of them jumped in to tell him that they are happy with what they are seeing. Don't count the silence as regret. Assume it's stealth.

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by marceline

[DramatistDreamer]

I don't think people realize just how many Irish immigrants are among the undocumented but somehow I don't imagine ICE raiding any pubs or other places where undocumented Irish immigrants are known to work or live.

[Wales2004]

The hard core Trumpkins will be that until they die.  He could cause them all to end up on the street with nothing and they will steal swear by him and place the blame elsewhere.  I'm sure some of them don't expect their conditions to change, they're just happy believing their version of what America is and should be is being realized. 

 

I doubt they would care.  Although their main targets are Mexicans because they love to believe that all the Mexicans are sneaking in over the border and spreading out all over America stealing the job of all the good ole Americans and sucking up all the welfare that the black people aren't getting. 

 

I remember seeing this destitute looking racist on one of those Soledad O'Brien specials bemoaning the illegals taking the jobs away from the "blacks," and thinking how considerate he was for looking out for other people he couldn't stand. 

 

What's really sad is when legal immigrants are against illegal immigrants because they "came here the right way." 

[DRW50]

 

I have to admit I find this practice somewhat antiquated these days, but I would have thought that was "Mrs. Pence's" job since clearly Melania wasn't going to do it. Maybe she's chained to the oven? 

[DramatistDreamer]

 

The Cubans in parts of Northern Florida, basically. Many decried all those Mexicans who they claimed were expecting special treatment ahead of those who did it "the right way", then completely lost their sh*t when President Obama revoked the "Wet Foot Dry Foot" policy. Go figure.

 

 

The same people who are arguing that Melania couldn't be expected to drop everything to host Ms. Abe would've endlessly moaned had Michelle not been there to entertain the wife of a PM. The hypocrisy speaks volumes.

 

And this...but, but economic anxiety, right?

 

[Juliajms]

This has always made sense to me for a number of reasons. Mostly because it's true that an unlimited supply of unskilled workers lowers wages.

 

We're always hearing that Americans don't want to be farm workers or elder care workers but this is an argument that really pisses me off when Republicans make it. If citizens don't want to work for your company or for the wages you are offering doesn't that mean that your business model isn't working? Republicans are always telling us about market economics, but they don't want to live by that when it comes to paying people or providing good working conditions.

 

My answer to all this would be either a guest worker program or one more amnesty and then finally using e-verify. Having 11 million people living without papers is not a good plan.  Not only does it lead to exploitation, but to the kind of random round ups and deportations that seem to be coming.

[marceline]

 

I see that as the Latinx version of black respectability politics. Just like Bill Cosby spent inordinate amounts of time and energy telling black kids to pull their pants  up while he was raping every woman he could get his hands on.

[DRW50]

 

That's the real question - when the big companies will be scrutinized for their visas that exist mostly to scam and corner cut. The answer is likely never. 

[DramatistDreamer]

It's really ironic that during the mortgage foreclosure crisis, people ranted that irresponsible homeowners bought too much house and deserved what they got (they conveniently forgot that mortgage brokers and banks redlined certain groups and deliberately gave Black, Latino and single women worse rates than their White counterparts, despite the fact that they had the exact same credit ratings).

 

Many business owners scream that they cannot afford to pay workers a living wage because they'd be driven out of business. 

 

Well, if it's fair that those homeowners who bought 'too much house' be put out of their homes, then isn't it just as fair that those who can't afford to pay workers a living wage, not be allowed to stay in business?  IJS.

Edited February 11, 2017 by DramatistDreamer

[cassadine1991]

anyone see this last night?

 

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it's all about skin color

[DRW50]

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/congress-rules-purge-trump-234922

[Juliajms]

I agree.  There isn't any will among the Republican establishment to deal with immigration reform.  They get cheaper labor on both the low end and the high end front (H1 Visas) with the added bonus that these workers are dependent on their employers and have no right to vote. What's not to love? So then here comes Trump (well, Bannon) who does want to deal with immigration in what appears to be the most inhumane and destructive way possible. How odd that what little hope their is lies in the fat cats and their minions reigning him in?

I agree. There would be a lot of unintended consequences to this, of course, but maybe it's time to face up to them and see where we go from that point on. Meat packing is a prime example. It's a terrible job and I don't think anyone should have to do it for anything less the the true market value of that work.