Now, here’s where Obama talks about the illegal alien problem.
(See the end of this post for the text in context of his speech.)
(See the end of this post for the text in context of his speech.)
It is duly noted that he uses the term “undocumented.” He says there are 11 million of them. Some are border-crossers; others overstay their visas.
He decrees that most of them just want to work and provide for their families.
He says, “They’ve cut in front of the line.” He says that’s unfair to those who are on waiting lists around the world.
Then his tone shifts, turning illegal aliens into victims: “Also, because undocumented immigrants live in the shadows, where they’re vulnerable to unscrupulous businesses that skirt taxes, and pay workers less than the minimum wage, or cut corners with health and safety laws…”
But he grants that such “unscrupulous businesses” create for themselves an unfair advantage over their competitors.
Then he becomes Barack-the-Economist.
The problem: Middle class families are paying more and earning less.
His solution: Do away with the “massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labor while depressing wages for everybody else.” In other words, legalize the undocumented, or in plain talk, give amnesty to the illegal aliens.
But Mr. President, the overwhelming percentage of illegal aliens have a high school education or less:
Source link: http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/107.pdf
And they are doing low-end jobs.:
Source Link: http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/61.pdf
So, how do you aid the Middle Class by giving de facto raises to illegal aliens when 75% of them never went to college and 80% of them are working low-end jobs?
Wouldn’t we be better served to give those jobs to our own low-skilled, less-educated citizens, thus talking them off the welfare rolls and making them taxpayers?
But Obama seamlessly goes on to talk about high-tech jobs and the Horatio Alger stories of immigrants. Sure Mr. President, have the chambermaids and the busboys stand next to Bill Gates...but that won’t make them one bit more skilled as a result.
Obama wants us to believe that the skills of illegal aliens are vital to our economy. When speaking about the overwhelming majority of “undocumented,” that is simply not true. Over 75% of them have no unique education or skill level that would make them irreplaceable in the workforce…or make them part of the Middle Class.
Here's the text:
Here's the text:
"Today, there are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants here in the United States. Some crossed the border illegally. Others avoid immigration laws by overstaying their visas. Regardless of how they came, the overwhelming majority of these folks are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families. (Applause.)
"But we have to acknowledge they’ve broken the rules. They’ve cut in front of the line. And what is also true is that the presence of so many illegal immigrants makes a mockery of all those who are trying to immigrate legally.
"Also, because undocumented immigrants live in the shadows, where they’re vulnerable to unscrupulous businesses that skirt taxes, and pay workers less than the minimum wage, or cut corners with health and safety laws, this puts companies who follow the rules, and Americans who rightly demand the minimum wage or overtime or just a safe place to work, it puts those businesses at a disadvantage.
"Think about it. Over the past decade, even before the recession hit, middle-class families were struggling to get by as the costs went up for everything, from health care, to college tuition, to groceries, to gas. Their incomes didn’t go up with those prices. We’re seeing it again right now with gas prices.
"So one way to strengthen the middle class in America is to reform the immigration system so that there is no longer a massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labor while depressing wages for everybody else. I want incomes for middle-class families to rise again. (Applause.) I want prosperity in this country to be widely shared. (Applause.) I want everybody to be able to reach that American dream. And that’s why immigration reform is an economic imperative. It’s an economic imperative. (Applause.)
"And reform will also help to make America more competitive in the global economy. Today, we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities. (Applause.)
"But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States. Instead of training entrepreneurs to stay here, we train them to create jobs for our competition. That makes no sense. In a global marketplace, we need all the talent we can attract, all the talent we can get to stay here to start businesses -- not just to benefit those individuals, but because their contribution will benefit all Americans.
"Look at Intel, look at Google, look at Yahoo, look at eBay. All those great American companies, all the jobs they’ve created, everything that has helped us take leadership in the high-tech industry, every one of those was founded by, guess who, an immigrant. (Applause.)
"So we don’t want the next Intel or the next Google to be created in China or India. We want those companies and jobs to take root here. (Applause.) Bill Gates gets this. He knows a little something about the high-tech industry. He said, “The United States will find it far more difficult to maintain its competitive edge if it excludes those who are able and willing to help us compete.”
"So immigration is not just the right thing to do. It’s smart for our economy. It’s smart for our economy. (Applause.) And it’s for this reason that businesses all across America are demanding that Washington finally meet its responsibilities to solve the immigration problem. Everybody recognizes the system is broken. The question is, will we finally summon the political will to do something about it? And that’s why we’re here at the border today."
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