The "guest worker program" is far worse than an amnesty. It simply decriminalizes employing illegal aliens. The illegals get to stay, but they do not get to become Americans. Rather, we construct an entire subculture of non-American, rights-deprived slave laborers. It is evil. At least with amnesty, there would be the hope that once they are fully Americans they could assimilate.
BZZZT. Wrong.
Guest workers would be permitted to pursue permanent residence and citizenship under the Bush proposal.
Don't look now, but it is already there.
The guest workers are not slaves. There may be many problems to overcome regarding the program, but I don't see it as evil.
"Rather, we construct an entire subculture of non-American, rights-deprived slave laborers."
Absurd ! what rights would they be deprived of that any other legal workers in this country have ?
The US had the Bracero program, and Germany had Gastarbeiters (guestworkers).
Worked fine. Everybody recognizes it as temporary. These programs followed a rule of law, and brought order to matters.
The system now is not enforced, everybody gives it a wink and a nod.
For more decades than any of us have lived, workers have come from Mexico to the US.
I prefer order and lawfulness, to the present situation. And I believe Bush is trying to start down that path.
At least with amnesty, there would be the hope that once they are fully Americans they could assimilate.
The more that come, the less they are willing to assimilate. Secondly, the German guestworker program was not successful. Think about if the economy should slow way down and we don't need "guestworkers." Do you honestly think they will go home? Ask the Germans. The guestworkers, once they get to Germany, do not leave. The German government has even paid them to leave. They take the money, get on a train, then jump off at the next station and stay. You are crazy and so is Bush for thinking a guestworker program will work. We don't need them anyhow. Just get rid of the welfare system and make our own bums work for a change - we don't need Mexico's peasants here sucking off our system.
Please rethink the whole subject matter. As it stands there are millions of illegals who are working in the USA without INS clearance -
effectively they:
1) are braking the law to live & work in USA
2) use up valuable resources i.e. free ER medical care
3) are probably living in fear from day to day
4) do valuable work that US citizens don't want to do
5) are not investing in Medicare, Social Security funds orpaying taxes.
6) would, if accounted for, in a "guest worker" program free up border agents to find terrorists, drug smugglers and really bad people
7) may not be eligible to become citizens anyway until at least 5 years of legal residency and proof of a clean record.
8) would not anger legal immigrants who followed the rules and waited in line to immigrate.
It also makes it more expensive to employ them -- now they're eligible for Social Securty, minimum wage, Workmen's Comp, OSHA etc. and they can complain if they don't get it.
There are a large number of Mexican men who work here in businesses like construction but their homes are in Mexico. They travel back and forth and each time it's running the gauntlet. Better to give them a green card. I'm not very much concerned about these Mexicans. I AM concerned about any and all illegal immigration because of the possibility of various radical muslims getting in. So it makes sense to strictly control the border but allow Mexican workers in legally.
PS. I'm also OK with the idea of legal Mexican immigrants becoming US citizens. Amnesty is bad but I'd let quite a few immigrate through legal channels. But we need to get clear that we will not have multiculturalism. The melting pot or nothing.