Hey Folks,

When I first moved to NYC in 1973 from Austin, I found myself sitting in the
living room of the Bronx Mercedes dealer and the Bronx Borough Democratic
President over looking the Hudson River in a fabulous apartment.

What a view that was! I was cute young thing and politically clueless. I did
know what the SDS was, since I had spent the late '60s at UT.

I remember there was a Baccarat elephant and a donkey on the glass coffee
table.

At one point, one of the men turned to me and said, "What do you think about
us maybe making Puerto Rico a state instead of a commonwealth?" I was like,
"I have no clue what you are talking about".

At the time, Puerto Ricans were allowed to become U.S. citizens but they
were not encouraged to come over here and work. I had no idea what the
issues were or why they either wanted them here to work or not. But I did
realize that I was privy to some inside view of how "The Organization"
worked. That was what they called the cronies of theirs that they were
discussing. They were either members of "The Organization" or not.

New York City politics was/is a rough game. These two guys are dead or at
least I know for sure one is, his liver got him and the other one must have
had liver damage too, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, they both began to explain to me the mechanics of keeping a city
like New York running relatively smoothly considering the vast labor needs
that it has. This was New York City Management 101 and a speed track for the
evening. Buckle your seat belt lil girl and listen up...

They began to explain it to me. One of the biggest problems is/was the
immigrant population matures and in 5 years or so, the people who arrived on
the shores, no longer want to clean public restrooms, sweep the streets,
wipe the behinds of the elderly, etc.

America is a "land of opportunity", so in about 5 years or so, many
immigrants are ready to move into better jobs like driving a cab, or waiting
tables or city or government work with benefits. The lowest, hardest and
most unpleasant jobs go lacking of any workers to do them unless the
immigrant gates are opened from time to time.

Therefore, these two politicos explained to me, we must have a constant
fresh source of emigrant labor to replenish the supply. Without it, the city
could become paralyzed from lack of labor on the low end.

They were constantly looking at nearby islands like Puerto Rico and Haiti as
a source for these labor needs. The problem is with racism. Puerto Ricans
are lighter skinned and therefore preferable over Haitians. So they would
try to get more Puerto Ricans to come first and then open some doors for the
Haitians to come next.

Who knows they told me, "If we can get rid of Baby Doc, we might even make
Haiti a commonwealth if the labor supply runs low".

Now this is a rather warped, but probably realistic view of how this
immigrant thing works, at least in the NYC area. This was an amazing
revelation to me. Like I said, I had no clue of where they found people to
clean the public restrooms of New York City. But imagine what it would be
like if they could find no one to do it! I left that evening shaking my head
saying, "Wow! I wonder if what they said was true...." I have since
realized, MOST PROBABLY!

Best to All -- LL


in article , Spam-A-Ram-A at
e wrote on 5/26/03 9:27 AM:

Uh, just what is *your* lineage, mr. "jet"?

European? Did your folks come over on a boat? Did they go through Ellis
Island?

African? Compulsory trip to the U.S. of A., perhaps?

Your high'n'mighty attitude about "illegal activities" is complete BS.
Through the mid-1900's, it was immigrants that grew this country, and our
"doors" were wide open. So, it is only because of current "morals" on the
part of our alleged representatives (as if they actually have morals that
didn't concern making money above all else) that immigration laws are the
way they are.

The reason we have so many illegal Mexican immigrants is simple: because it
is illegal. The reason we have so many Mexican, Central & South American
immigrants is simple: because we share a border. So long as we have that
border, folks will continue to cross it. Case closed.

Believe you me, if folks could have walked here from, say, Poland at any
time after the Iron Curtain fell, they would have.

Now, I must agree with some of the other posts. These people come here
because to them the money is good. Whereas $7.50 / hour may seem like chump
change, it's much better than $7.50 / month, or zero, or being forced to
grow coca leaves and deal with the ilk of those that process them.

Yes, most of these people are hard working. And yes, they are people. This
is the true bottom line. They are fellow humans, and deserve the respect one
would give to any member of your own family.

To believe otherwise is simply letting your animal brain control you,
barking at the stranger so he doesn't come into your territory.

One other thing. Forget about the idea that we live in a democracy, unless
you consider that money, not opinion, is what matters. So long as someone
is willing to build a house and work for $whatever / hr, when "legitimate"
workers are demanding $whatever+, the person financing the building will
always go with the lesser amount.

Yes, unions had their place in time, but that time is past. They have
succumbed to rampant capitalism, as has, alas, most of our country.

You sound like an isolationist, and that is an absurd notion. We're all one
planet, and need to get along, not bicker over who is better suited to run
things. Remember, there's much more to it than just the folks who make it
here. What about the children working in the Nike factory overseas, or the
guys picking the bananas you put on your cereal? Again, they are cheaper,
so that's where the manufacturers go for their product.

So, put up or shut up. If you really feel this way about the illegal
immigrant problem, put your money where your mouth is. Don't buy the
produce from Mexico, or the shoes that were manufactured in China, or the
vodka from Poland. Just build a garden, grow your own food, mine your own
metals to fashion the tools to cut down your own wood to build your own
house. For if you partake of even one product that was not totally produced
within the confines of this country, you are just being a hypocrit.


"JETman" wrote in message
...


Libralove wrote:

in article , JETman at
wrote on 5/24/03 8:32 AM:



animaux wrote:

On Sat, 24 May 2003 07:07:55 -0500, Libralove

wrote:

Well, some one has to construct those Roy Roy, Davenport Ranch,
Seven Oaks
and Bellalago homes for you rich people.

How many legals do you know will put on a roof at high noon in
mid-July here
for $7.50 an hour?

As I can clearly see, people have absolutely no compassion and I'm
slated as
that libral yanquee. Oh well. When we had our pool built, it was
Mexican
men
who broke their backs. I made sure they always had something ice
cold to
drink
and gave them all a nice sized tip at the end. They were shocked. I
'pose
us
yanqueez tip too much.


And as such, you were aiding and abetting illegal activities.

Just wtf is INS doing these days???



The INS? They are trying to keep housing construction going full blast
by
NOT stopping illegal laborers from coming here to build our houses.
Housing
construction is about the only healthy part of the US economy right now.

If they stop them, US housing construction comes to a screeching halt.
Do
you think the fat cats in Washington and the rich here who want a
million
dollar home for $750,000. want them stopped at the border?

Only ignorant right wing middle-class people want them stopped.

Get real, dude.



And you are full of shit up to the tops of your ears.

Only in Texas and other border states is labor in the form of illegal
immigrants as rampant as here in Austin.

It is low interest rates that is driving the housing/refinance market,
not cheap labor. Cheap labor only serves the scummy contractors who
pocket the extra profit as houses are not that much cheaper here than in
other parts of the country where labor costs are much, much higher. Oh,
and while we are at it, those higher priced carpenters pay higher taxes,
have valid drivers licenses and insurance and actually contribute in
many more ways than does illegal labor.


--
Regards,

JT (Residing in Austin, Texas)

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