jobs Americans won't do?

Back to immigration matters. As I mentioned, I am only focusing specifically on sound bites and phrases. Clarification, not opinion one way of the other. For example, responding to some of you who responded to me, yes indeed, the amount of money that is going out for medical, education, etc. is higher than the taxes going in by undocumented workers. For my wider views on this topic, my friend Matt and I talk about it in Christcast #3, which can be accessed from the blog site or downloaded from the sidebar.

Next sound bite.

The illegal immigrants are just taking jobs Americans won’t do.

Yes and no.

Yes- In agriculture, for example, farm conglomerates find they will not be able to harvest perishable crops relying on American workers. Even when offering higher wages, from harvesting Washington apples to Wisconsin cranberries, the reports are the same. When advertising for citizen workers (a requirement in many states), there are not enough Americans who respond to do the work.

No- In other employment opportunities, it may not be so much American workers are not willing to do the jobs, as if they are too menial or difficult, rather they don’t pay enough and they don’t include normal benefits. For the same reason businesses use foreign plants, lower cost/ lower wages, they hire undocumented workers for less. Do you know how you test this out theory anecdotally?

Look at areas of the country that do not have undocumented workers in any numbers. Northern Minnesota, North Dakota, etc. All sorts of jobs get done by American citizens, no matter the job. Every possible employment opportunity, including, believe it or not (I can just hear the Midwest accent, “What the heck do you need a gardener or a cleaning lady for?”)…maids and gardeners.