Billionaires try to convince Americans it’s good to import foreign workers, increase immigration

Bangaor Daily News ^ | May 05, 2014 | Jonette Christian

[amnestynone]

Billionaires buy whatever they want. And not just mansions and Teslas but elections and legislation. The recent Supreme Court decision lifting caps on campaign contributions gives them even more power. The libertarian Koch brothers have already pumped millions into this year’s elections. But Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch and George Soros are no less guilty of buying our political system, and all of them, from libertarian Koch brothers to liberal Soros, are united in one cause: Bring in more foreign workers, increase job competition, and allow “market forces” to drive down wages.

Since 2007, political lobbies spent a whopping $1.5 billion to expand immigration, according to the watchdog Sunlight Foundation. A mind boggling array of Washington power brokers are behind that money: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, American Immigration Lawyers, National Association of Manufacturers, National Restaurant Association and others. A few years ago, former Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, sent me a 12-page list of Washington lobbies working for expanded immigration. Talk about David and Goliath.

But how do you convince Americans that it’s good for us to import millions of new foreign workers? Create a media blitz based on slogans, misinformation, political theater and guilt:

1. Whine about dire labor shortages.

It’s bogus. Thirteen percent of workers are unemployed or involuntarily working part-time. Each year, America produces twice as many science and engineering graduates as jobs, resulting in unemployment rates as high as 11 percent for information system workers. How will adding millions of new workers help them?

2. Feed the press false reports on deportations.

When “comprehensive immigration reform” was introduced last year, our press was filled with stories about tough enforcement and “record deportations.” We know it’s bunk. Deportations from internal enforcement dropped 40 percent under the present administration.

3. Play the race card.

Claim opponents are xenophobes, afraid of “them.” Ignore the fact that multiple government commissions recommended decreased immigration levels, and that after workplace raids, African-Americans often got the jobs previously held by illegal workers.

4. Pull out the violins.

More stories about “divided families.” Illegal immigrants chose to divide their own families when they came here. We don’t separate families.

5. Create multiple political front organizations, such as Bloomberg’s Partnership for the New American Economy, whose membership includes the CEOs of nearly every major corporation.

This well-funded megaphone parrots the mantra that immigration will “make the economy grow.” It’s technically accurate but disguises the real issue: Will immigration increase per-capita

[dfwgator]

They’ve got huge mansions, they can put them up in their houses.