Americans are working too hard.  I think there should be a law that requires american companies to give their employees more vacation time, as well as requiring them to take them.
208232
When you give something, people will get greedy and ask for more. Look whats happening in Europe right now. Not only do they have paid leave, but their working hours are shorter, and they work less days per week. But see the effects? Their economy is in all sorts of trouble right now. Low growth rate, high unemployment etc. There's always two side to a story. So hope this will make you feel happier that you still have a job thats paying you a decent amount of money to begin with. :)
168639
Unions long ago outlived their usefulness in the USA.  What do you think is the main reason for the fact that there are so few strong, large companies employing us these days?   Unions started because we needed them, there were lots of  immigrants and few jobs so the pay was low, conditions were extremely dangerous, children and woman were seriously exploited.  Unions helped to correct all these issues plus more. Unfortunately the unions gained so much power they began making demands that were absolutely ridiculous. this in turn cased the workers to become accustomed to making demands and having those demand meant no matter how absurd they were.  As a result Americans became overpaid, less productive and basically lazy and the companies were not able to produce a product of quality at a price that was competitive. Companies wanted to stay in business so they took there businesses to countries where they could make a profit and I admit exploit those people for profit.  Certainly these conditions do not exist in our country today. Unions have done more harm to the US than good, they are corrupt, driven by greed and useless today.  The unions we have today in no way resemble the original unions that were designed to protect both the employee and employer and generate proud in American made goods.  Nothing makes me madder than a bumper sticker that encourages or brags about unions, except maybe a Clinton bumper sticker.
402046
it is cheaper to use foreigners that's why companies do it, I agree they should make prod in America or at least pay the foreigners in other countries the same amount they would pay an American. so sad how some big business Americans USE other people and take advantage of them
293153
Tighten the boarder security thats fine.  But keep the wait lists to come to the US at a minimum because some of those wait lists are behind 9 or 10 years.  How can anyone plan to wait that long its horrible.  Let them in, they are working all of the jobs lazy americans dont want to work anyway and a low wage on top of that.
487921
If we lower the minimum wage, it will just harm American workers.  We should create penalties for business that hire illegal workers if we can't get rid of them.  If businesses are allowed to hire aliens and pay them s***, then American workers will lose jobs.
169186
Americans are willing to do the jobs that illegals do! When I was in high school I picked oranges in the summer and worked in packing houses, and so did a lot of my friends.  The difference is illegals work for next to nothing, something that Americans can't do.  The next time you say that they do the jobs that we are too lazy to do, please think about all the hardworking Americans that won't be able to earn a decent wage, pay taxes, and support our economy because an Illegal is  working for twenty-five cents an hour.  Those same taxes that their employers aren't paying are being paid by the rest of us, and when an illegal gets hurt on the job he or she isn't going to be denied emergency health care.  This ultimately causes the rest of us honest tax payers to cover that burden.  Thinking that illegals are necessary for our economy to function doesn't make any sense, the ONLY people it helps are the law breaking businesses who hire them.  Isn't it funny how liberals who are normally incredibly anti-big business are all for cheap illegal labor?
218997
His statement expressed a common misconception.  Americans spent years doing jobs like fruit picking and washing dishes.  It is not that Americans are unwilling to do the work, but that Americans are unwilling to do the work for the wages being offered.  Americans want to make minimum wage and to have workers comp if they get hurt. \n\nThe reason is that those jobs commonly filled by illegals pay less than minimum wage, but still more than they would make in their own country.  The employers get away with this because illegal workers don't complain about employer violations for fear of being deported.
480168
Unemployment in the US is at an all time low.  Your generalization that most corporations are moving most of their employment out of the country is not supported.  Look up the difference between salaries for those with college educations and those with out.  Think then ask.
48459
There needs to be a control on who and how many immigrants the US receives. This could be done if we allowed people who only wish to work, access to the US easily. There could be safeguards as to how many workers and information on both sides about how many jobs are available and what not. This could benefit many business in US and reduce illegal immigration to those wanting to cause harm to the US, not a family trying to make a living. Both sides could benefit as long as companies do not try to attract Mexican immigrants to work in jobs not sanctioned by an agreement.
302107
The argument that they will do jobs that Americans won't do is a lot of bunk, plain and simple.  If an employer knows it can get workers willing to work for $50 a day off the books why should it pay $10 an hour plus have to deal with the additional expense of Federal tax withholding, Social Security withholdings, pensions, etc. etc.?  You may not be aware that the cost of a (legitimate) employee is considerably more than just the wage paid to that employee. So when an emploer can hire someone for a fraction of that amount off the books because there are people willing to work for that drastically lesser amount, you can see the real cause of the problem.  \n\nSo the incredibly LAME argument that these illegals do work that Americans won't do is pure bunk.  The employers are not willing to pay a decent wage and so cannot attract legal American citizens to fill the jobs.  As long as these employers can get away with it they will continue to do it.  The net result is to deny jobs to Americans while giving low paying wages to illegals, and the employers pocket the difference.\n\nThus this has nothing to do with minimum wage.  Minimum wage has been shown to be counterproductive anyway, by locking out of a job people who cannot perform up to that level.  So ironically, raising the minimm wage would keep more people who would be willing to work for less at the low end of the labor skills ladder out of work.\n\nSo the entire issue has NOTHING to do with "jobs Americans won't do".  It has everything to do with employers being able to tap into a sub-standard labor pool for which they can pay far less than otherwise.\n\nThe result of this, and the politicians seem to fail to grasp this, is that the illegals drive down wages for legal American citizens.  Get rid of (1) the illegal worker and (2) shut down businesses that hire them and you will go a long way to solving the problem.\n\nBush's assinine "Guest Worker Program" which in actuality should be renamed "Illegal Worker program" will only serve to make matters worse.
452843
That's not a question.   It's a rant.  If you do the work, you will succeed.   Many Americans are among the laziest people around.  For some reason they think the world owes them.   It doesn't owe anyone anything, and other cultures realize that.   It doesn't even owe you a fair boss - and many aren't.  So adjust and get off your duff and do the work!
592253
They don't deserve a pay raise, because the American people have to make them do their job, especially when it came to immigration. they make enough money. I think the voter should decide when they get a pay raise.
77000
there are jobs that dont make it worthwhile for some americans to take.  People on welfare make more in welfare than they would it they work, the system here needs to be changed.  Unions make it hard to hire employees who might do these jobs; prisoners, kids, etc.  companies that have to pay health care, insurance, etc for legal workers.  I think what bush means is that its bad for the companies profits not to be able to hire illegals, pay them low wages, give them no benefits, and tell them to get lost when the work is done.
474925
Unfortunately, with Bush in office and the evil Elaine chow as labor sec. The unions are dying a slow death. Combine this with the ease of going to china, for low cost labor the American worker is getting screwed over. Most employee that are non union(like myself) do not care, but without unions we would be working 80hrs a week. \n\nThe unions haven't been protecting the jobs here in the U.S., and now with the dems talking of raising minimum wage we are begining to see the war on the middle class unfold. Then we may start to have only 2 classes in the country the rich and the poor. \nThat is way we as americians should look to buy americian products when ever possible.
201498
for one thing,americans are spoiled. it's true.  people come here from other countries and they work harder than most americans because we are complacent.
362399
Anymore employers seem to be able to do anything they want and unfortunately whether it is legal or not GET AWAY WITH IT.\n\nMy boss' idea of a pay cut was like last week for example.  Instead of working our normal scheduled 32 hr holiday week schedule +8hrs holiday pay, all I got was 23 hrs of work just because upper mngmnt said we need to save money "again".\nThis is the kind of BS we've been tolerating lately off and on and its getting really old.  Mngmnt doesn't get any proportional weekly cut and I feel they should as well.  Its always the working stiff in America who has to eat the SH** of mngmnt's problems.  I feel a lot of working people would agree with this statement.
294810
Dear Friend,\n\nPlease stop being a parasite on America's hard-working corporations.\n\nYour Friend,\nFrancesois