58 minutes ago, Juliajms said:

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.

 

The concept on its face can sound Darwinian but if people are going to take a hard-line with individual homeowners, they ought to look at the corporate welfare that goes on, which dwarfs any and all perceived benefits that individuals currently get from the government. Sadly, when arbitrary decisions are made, there is always the possibility that innocent strivers on all sides will get squeezed in the middle.

 

The article that I read in the NYT, many of the farmers said they had no intention of raising wages even if Americans were filling those jobs, so I'm not sure what is their plan B if they lose most of their farmworkers (*shrugs*).

 

Speaking of the NYT, this is an interesting article on how the center of chip makers (a big business) may be shifting away from the U.S.

 

Plan for $10 Billion Chip Plant Shows China’s Growing Pull

 

 

2 hours ago, Juliajms said:

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.

Sure but  I think it's more common that over-saturated fields lower wages.  Certain fields are not going to command higher wages simply because they require lower skill levels or virtually no skills at all.  If a farmer is forced by law to pay workers minimum wage then that is all the workers will get.  Any farmer paying more than that would be the type of person who would not need to be told that workers should receive a certain minimum.  Independent contractors that are not operating under any type of regulation are likely to receive lower compensation for work they do.  Competition among businesses to move their products is probably a major factor when it comes to wages (and of course greed).

 

2 hours ago, Juliajms said:

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.

This is true but there are also some people who refuse to do farm work, janitorial work, etc., who are unskilled and basically unrealistic.

2 hours ago, Juliajms said:

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.

Some of this is inconsistency because why let someone stay here for 20 years (checking in) before deciding to deport the person?  An amnesty program should allow them to keep the people who meet whatever criteria that they establish and it should not be discriminatory or arbitrarily applied.  If they are going to go guest worker then they should make it work with the H1B visa program.

2 hours ago, marceline said:

 

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.

I kind of see where you're going but my experience with has been more I'm better than you than you're making us look bad.  I've got this one friend with a Mexican background who has deluded herself into believing that her Japanese step-grandmother makes her better than all the Mexicans period.  And since she can't speak Spanish because her parents wanted her to be American (which apparently means you can't learn other languages), she gets bent when anyone assumes she speaks Spanish.  I've got other examples but they basically have in common the snobbery.

 

The pull up your pants thinking is right up there with the whole you've got to work 10 times harder than the white people thinking, imo. It's that old way of thinking that being well-behaved and demonstrating that you are a super hard worker is going to fix racism.  I believe that people who dislike you because of something which you cannot change, aren't going to like you no matter how well-behaved you are.

 

Anyway, I wish people would stop encouraging non-white people to worry about what white people think about them instead of encouraging them to be concerned about what they think of themselves. I could go on but I'll leave it at that.

1 hour ago, cassadine1991 said:

anyone see this last night?

 

 

it's all about skin color

That was classic. it's about time someone told Morgan off and flipped him the bird. he's such an arrogant [!@#$%^&*]. 

^^J.K. Rowling is doing a pretty great job of putting Morgan in his place lately.

 

This is great that Ashley Biden, the daughter of former VP Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden, has created a company that unlike the Trumps, actually produces clothes made in the U.S.A. and for some very worthy causes. What a refreshing change from what we've been hearing about lately!

 

Ashley Biden Partners with Gilt on “Livelihood” Clothing Line

 

 

and ICYMI, Trump U.K. Visit Delayed to Avoid Parliament Talk, Guardian Says

 

 

 

 

 

 

50 minutes ago, DramatistDreamer said:

^^J.K. Rowling is doing a pretty great job of putting Morgan in his place lately.

 

Her responses have been witty, acerbic, and downright hilarious, without even trying. It's been amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To which he replied, then deleted: "Would you like to me to explain why all your political views keep being defeated at the ballot box?

 

 

And she added a delicious dash of petty.

 

 

I'm not really sure why anyone cares what Piers Morgan thinks these days. Someone on twitter actually proved that half of his 4 million followers were purchased as well.

3 hours ago, Roman said:

That was classic. it's about time someone told Morgan off and flipped him the bird. he's such an arrogant [!@#$%^&*]. 

 

 I loved it. Piers Morgan proves that having a British accent does NOT automatically make you smart. 

In case we're still into polls around here.

CBS poll shows "Conditional" Trump supporters are with POTUS, but 80% could be swayed if he doesn't fix the economy https://t.co/yvethNKY3D pic.twitter.com/W2WgTCwhlq

— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 12, 2017

"Acts like a Politician".  Huh?!  If it's 'acts like a crooked politician', I think it may be too late for that.

3 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

"Acts like a Politician".  Huh?!  If it's 'acts like a crooked politician', I think it may be too late for that.

 

It shows how poisoned modern society is, and how deluded they are. This delusion is also why Obama won in 2008, beyond the very strong campaign he ran. People made him into a god, especially many on the left. When he had to actually be a human being, many pampered brats (of all ages...) sat on their hands for 8 years. 

Trump is now at 40% approval, dropping fast in record time.

 

Meanwhile, in House Trump the knives are out again for Priebus.

5 hours ago, DramatistDreamer said:

In case we're still into polls around here.

"Acts like a Politician".  Huh?!  If it's 'acts like a crooked politician', I think it may be too late for that.

Polls are even more useless when it comes to him.  He goes on twitter to pretend the protesters are supporters and the truth is fake news and his Trumpkins buy it.

 

Why expect better from them regarding him when Mitch McConnell won't come off a penny to help deal with the opioid problem in his state and still gets re-elected.  He will probably be okay with all those people dying so they won't need benefits anymore and he can rest easy cutting them all off since they must be such a financial drain to him and Paul Ryan (who probably thinks it's their own faults for not helping themselves). 

Can anyone in Trump's cabal, er, I mean cabinet spell? Or read, for that matter?

 

After spelling W.E.B. Du Bois' name incorrectly, our new Dept. of Educ. tweeted a correction--and got "apologies" wrong. Not making this up. pic.twitter.com/6yFFIovw1g

— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) February 13, 2017

Edited February 13, 20178 yr by DramatistDreamer

Probably not, but qualifications no longer matter.

I'm glad George Takei continues to find shiny objects to focus on...

 

The Guardian has a piece about the reality of Alabama's new immigration law. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/12/white-house-correspondents-dinner-donald-trump

 

 

Not sure if I think this guy's on the right track about Trump or paranoid.

https://medium.com/@yonatanzunger/ive-got-a-little-list-9acf9129f5a5#.9exz9qg5f