MR. RUSSERT: You joined with Ted Kennedy with an immigration bill, a bill that would say, in effect, that you would pay fines of at least $2,000 to begin earning permanent residency under the most sweeping immigration reform bill in two decades, as it's been described. Your colleague from Arizona, J.D. Hayworth, said this: He "criticized the [McCain/Kennedy Immigration Reform] bill as a `bad idea not only because it creates a transparent path to amnesty, but also because it would reduce work opportunities, depress wages, lower worker protections for Americans.'" What do you say?
SEN. McCAIN: I say that I've had differences with my colleagues from Arizona from time to time. Important thing is, we have to have immigration reform. I think it's a compelling issue of the day. Last week a policeman opened a horse trailer where 80 people in Phoenix"80 people were crammed inside, including a four-month-old child. Twelve people died in the desert a few weekends ago when we had some heat. We are making American employers engage in illegal activity the way the system is today. It's broken. It's got to be fixed. And our borders have got to be secured. We have a national security issue here. More and more people from "countries of interest" are coming across our border. We have to secure our borders. They are not secure. But we're not going to secure our borders until we address the issue comprehensively, and that means matching, as the president says, willing workers with willing employers. And we have to do something about the 10 to 11 million people who are here in the United States illegally. And I don't believe you're going to take people who are here 40 or 50 years and ship them back to the country that they came from.
So there has to be an orderly process of providing workers to do jobs that Americans won't do. I'm happy to say that, working with Senator Kennedy, we've come up with a proposal which has gotten widespread support. The Chamber of Commerce is very supportive of it and certain Hispanic organizations are very supportive of it. Now, are the extremes happy about it? No. On one side, people just want amnesty. We tried that in the '80s; it didn't work. And on the other side, they think that the only answer is to tightly secure or borders. As long as there's a demand for workers, workers are going to try to get into the United States of America. I hope that we can take up the issue of immigration reform. Senator Specter said he's going to hold hearings in the Judiciary Committee. I welcome the debate. Senator Kennedy and I don't believe that this is engraved anywhere on golden tablets. But we need to have the debate and we need to act. And it is a matter of transcendent national security as well as preventing these terrible abuses that are taking place--the abuses of basic human rights that are taking place when people come here illegally and have no protections of any of our laws.
I"ve meet all kinds of workers, from dishwashers to grave diggers to garbage men to CEO"s, and they were all Americans. So when they say a job "that Americans won"t do," do they actually mean a job that an employer won"t pay proper compensation for?
I"ve meet all kinds of workers, from dishwashers to grave diggers to garbage men to CEO"s, and they were all Americans. So when they say a job "that Americans won"t do," do they actually mean a job that an employer won"t pay proper compensation for?
That's it in a nutshell, from chicken processing plants to stone masons and ditch diggers to framers if you can get a Mexican to do it for $5 or $6 dollars an hour for a 12 hour day and a 6 day week why pay some local $10-12-15 an hour for the same work?
That's where the demand for cheap labor is and as long as the Mexicans and other illegals keep coming into the U.S. they will meet the demand.
We are making American employers engage in illegal activity the way the system is today.
McCain never ceases to amaze me. What an incredibly dumb statement. "Making" companies engage in illegal activity? Why not fine the hell out of any company found to have illegals on the payroll?
Quote:
So when they say a job "that Americans won"t do," do they actually mean a job that an employer won"t pay proper compensation for?
Exactly!! Sure there are some jobs that Americans don't want to do. But isn't it interesting how that list of "jobs that Americans won't do" has grown over the past 10 or so years as the number of Mexicans in this country illegally has also grown?
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I vote for the "won't pay the proper compensation for."
Ask yourself where the discussion would go if China were on our northern border: "we have to open the border to chinese immigrant labor so they can do the jobs US citizens and Mexican illegal immigrants will not do! (No slur of chinese intended here. I read that factories are being preferably built in China now because labor is cheaper in China than in Mexico -- and the Chinese government may also provide substantial incentives for building a plant there. In some cases, chinese workers work for $0.25/hour. My source: "Three Billion New Capitalists" by Clyde Prestowitz.)
Not many whites or blacks will work in the fields all day long picking vegetables etc etc - that comes to mind as an almost all immigrant job
Oh come on data, that is an old wives tale. Are you telling me that the estimated 12 Million illegals are picking lettuce? If so, why are there an estimated 30% on welfare and the vast majority of them illegally reside in big cities.
Kind of looks like he has plans other than being a senator after this term runs out doesn't it. I would be very surprised to see Az. re elect him with this kind of BS.
Where do you suppose he wants to work next.... with all those fresh hispanic voters???
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I"ve meet all kinds of workers, from dishwashers to grave diggers to garbage men to CEO"s, and they were all Americans. So when they say a job "that Americans won"t do," do they actually mean a job that an employer won"t pay proper compensation for?
Being involved in agriculture all of my life, I can assure you there are jobs that it is almost impossible to find an American to do. There aren't too many willing to break a sweat for minimum wage. Wellfare or unemployment are much easier.
With the profit margins a lot of the industry runs on, nobody can afford to pay more. The farmer can't afford for his prices to drop because of higher shipping and processing, or then he's out of business in a year or two. And consumers would rather buy Chinese or South American if prices for U.S. products rise.
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I"ve meet all kinds of workers, from dishwashers to grave diggers to garbage men to CEO"s, and they were all Americans. So when they say a job "that Americans won"t do," do they actually mean a job that an employer won"t pay proper compensation for?
Being involved in agriculture all of my life, I can assure you there are jobs that it is almost impossible to find an American to do. There aren't too many willing to break a sweat for minimum wage. Wellfare or unemployment are much easier.
With the profit margins a lot of the industry runs on, nobody can afford to pay more. The farmer can't afford for his prices to drop because of higher shipping and processing, or then he's out of business in a year or two.
You are probably right about the farmers plight ..... But that was 20 years ago up here! Now they are in almost ALL occupations ,driving wages lower and lower.
And consumers would rather buy Chinese or South American if prices for U.S. products rise.
As for this see "All you flag wavers ready to go?" thread
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What is "jobs that Americans won't do?"
