I get the jist of it, but I'm confused on the wages of the workers who will be using this program. Does anyone know if they will be getting at least minimum wage for coming here to work, or will these companies be paying them next to nothing for their work. In other words, a present day slave trade. Or that's what I would think of it as if they only get like 2 bucks an hour. Your thoughts?
217046
my understanding is that it would be governed by the same labor laws that we citizens are.  So they would get at least minimum wage.  The advantage of having this done in the open, versus illegally, as it is now, is that the wage that people get paid could be regulated and enforced.\n\nso like you mention, this would prevent the type of slave labor that you talk about.\n\nI do think that the border needs to be sealed before we can even consider a guest worker program though.
109373
some of the responses angered me. Plenty of Americans get there hands dirty everyday. as this gentlemen asking the question has just proved. but I guess you weren't listening. The fact that Mexicans are doing work for less then base wage is not helping anything. Because there working under the table meaning when they get hurt they go to the hospital and pay nothing factor that it and its much more then base wage. Illegals should be sent back home. My single mother immigrated to this country and did it legal why should she have to pay immigration fee's so you can run across the boarder? Legal means are in place to allow people to enter and live in the united states why are they not used?
3899
I helped people in my area with odd jobs. I charge 10$hr weather I was doing yardwork or Addressing envelopes.1hr min.It is a great way to get involved.10$ isn't alot but it's under the table and you are doing a good deed.Some are elderly or in recovering and need help with simple things like lifting or bending.Great insight on the world around you to.
132600
It´s a lovely idea, but doesn´t sound like anything the current US administration would go for.  After all, while hyping the immigration issue in the media and, frankly, whipping up racism, they are also quite happy to turn a blind eye to US businesses using cheap illegal labour. It´s happening in all western countries at the moment.  The media, backed by the government, incites its citizens to be worried about illegal immigration, while the economy actually benefits from the black market economy working with it. I´m in Mexico now on holiday, but staying with family.  It´s a hard place, with a bad atmosphere.  It definitely needs some help, but everyone here says the corruption is so far reaching, there is no hope.  Your idea is nice but too socialist for anyone in today´s political arena and, like Iraq, would require serious investment, commitment and integrity..... never forget it´s all about the money.
117790
If the government was going to pay descendants of former slaves, this would lead to a series of problems.\n\n1. How does the government tell who was a descendant of a former slave and who immigrated after the Civil War?\n\n2. If we are going to pay descendents of slave reparations, what about all the families (like mine) who sacrificed everything running underground railroads? These, mostly white, families often lost EVERYTHING, including their lives, when the bounty-hunters and pro-slavery forces found out who ran a station.\n\n3. What about every other indentured servant or forced laborer and their descendants?\n\n4. Who will pay for this? What about descendants of people who never owned slaves or fought against those who did?  Why should they pay?  What about those who came to America after the Civil War?  Also, since the money from the government comes from taxes, how do we know "who" exactly paid?  How do we know the descendant of a slave is just not paying more taxes to pay themselves?\n\n5. How much is the per capita reparation?  What should each person get?  Will we need, yet another, expensive bureaucracy to manage it?\n\n6. Is this a one time payment or an installment?  If so, then for how long?  Does this reparation mean other assistance programs are discontinued?  If so, which ones? Does this payment continue from generation to generation or just the current generation?  If not, why not?  If so, why?\n\n7. Should we not then demand that EVERY nation which ever held slaves or participated in their trade be forced to pay reparations?  Would it matter if they were not the same country, or a country at all, when it happened?  What about Italy who, when they were the Romans had slaves fight to the death?  What about the Greeks, or the Egyptians, or the Philistines (Palestinians), or the Syrians, or the Chinese, or pick a country? What about the Dutch who had a large role in the slave trade?  Do they not owe reparations as an accomplice in the African slavery issue?  What about the tribes in Africa who helped the Dutch get slaves?  What about those that still own slaves in Africa (Sudan is the center of modern slave trading)?\n\nThese are just a few of the questions this issue raises.
250304
The government does to reap benefits from cheap labor in the form of lobbyist (in support of big business) who support their campaigns financially. \n\nWhy is this not a no brainer for most people?\n\nNot only that, Mexican's aren't the only illegals in the country, there are large amounts of Asians (who cross the border illegally) and a growing number of Easter Europeans (who come as guest workers but stay even after their visa's expire) here illegally in this country.  \n\nI had a friend (Eastern European, from Bulgaria) who was brought here by a Bulgarian company that partnered with American companies to set up Bulgarian workers to work for American companies.  She worked pretty much like a slave for Six Flags (from sun up to sun down for $5.75) for months until she just quit.  In order to keep from becoming illegal, she became a student a "school" (I say school because the place was a small office in an office park that looked more like an apartment building) where she paid them $800 every 3 months.  She finally couldn't afford it anymore and stopped paying and is now illegal.  \n\nThere are more where she comes from and the number keeps growing as companies continue to ship people in to exploit them.\n\nThe U.S. Government inacted NAFTA, after which led to a huge jump in the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico.  That would be in my opinion the way in which the government is allowing illegal immigrant labor to keep wages low.  How is that a conspiracy theory?
97573
Okay, To let it be known, all things that happened in th past is brought up for a reason, to let us know what the deal was. If u havent noticed, history repeats itself in some way. Black slavery was the harshest outta all slaverys as most people have said. Yet, also, alot of other nationalities have been enslaved as well. Its just that ours were the worst. Yer bro-n-law is wrong by the way. U mite wanna educate him, and show him what the deal is, that it wasnt just blacks, it was everyone. Also, it really doent need to be brought up, unless its n a history class. \n\nHave yall seen the Dave Chappelle show, when he did the thing on Slavery Compensation. (i thought that was pretty funny) yet, if thats the case, shouldnt everyone else that was enslaved as well get paid too?? It wouldnt be fair. Ill honestly say that none of us (blacks) deserve to get paid. Paying us in money, for sumthin that has traumatized possibly the whole world is actually priceless. There isnt enuff money in the world to say, "oh its aight"\n\nFinal answers:\nWhy people complain?? Because it still hurts and its the most recent (sort of) Yer bro-n-law is wrong. Most races have went thru some type of slavey in some point of time.\n\nhope i helped
238027
How are we going to deal "fairly and generously" with the 11 million that have come and lived here for a significant period? Have all 11 million lived here for a significant period? And exactly WHAT does significant period mean? \n\nBy all means, secure the borders first to prevent a further influx of illegals, then address the problem of the ones inside our borders.  How are we going to determine how long any one of them has been here? Do you think any of the illegals are going to say, "Oh, I just got here last month"? \n\nPut them in jail and make them work to pay a stiff fine.  Once their fine is paid, use the money to ship them back to wherever they came from.  Make the fine contingent upon how long they've been here, if that can be determined. The problem with that solution, is what to do with the children.  Possibly send dad to jail to work off the penalty for the entire family, leave Mom at home to take care of the kids.  How will they survive? Mom can't work and take care of the kids at the same time, and if she's illegal, she's not allowed to work at all. Welfare? That would add to Dad's jail time, paying it back.  Send the family back to wherever they came from? That sounds most logical, and dad stays in jail and works until their passage is paid.\n\nAnd I don't care if they are from Mexico or Timbuktu.  They are illegals.
145759
Bravo, Liz. Kudos to you!!!!! I think we need to remove all incentives for illegal immigration, but it's not going to happen because US businesses need cheap labor, and workers who have no rights!!!
198974
CURLIES_10-You Need To Learn The Underlying Issues Before You Become A Taxpayer(Im Assuming Youre A Student Living With Your Parents)\n\nFREEDOMHAMMER Makes The Point Best-It Is GREEDY Unscrupulous EMPLOYERS That ENABLE This Problem And Have Compounded It To This Point\n\nThere are jobs Americans simply won't do, so that the importation of foreigners is essential. Whether these foreign workers are ILLEGAL ALIENS,  guestworkers, or permanent Legal Immigrants is a detail to be worked out by us, the argument goes, but our need for them is unchanged.Even many opponents of the proposed Bush Amnesty assume this to be true, leading them to propose new and improved guestworker programs, with provisions for stricter controls against Permanent Settlement, greater incentives to return, tighter enforcement against Unscrupulous Employers, etc. As well-meaning as such efforts may be, the basic assumption is false — \n\nThere is simply no economic reason to import FOREIGN Workers.If the supply of FOREIGN Workers were to dry up (say, through actually ENFORCING the immigration law, for starters), employers would respond to this new, tighter, labor market in two ways. \n\n1: One, they would offer HIGHER Wages, INCREASED Benefits, and Improved Working Conditions, so as to recruit and retain people from the remaining pool of workers.\n\n2:At the same time, the same employers would look for ways to eliminate some of the jobs they now are having trouble filling. The result would be a NEW Equilibrium, with Blue-Collar Workers making somewhat Better Money, but each one of those workers being more productive.\n\nMany people fear the first part of such a response, claiming that prices for fruits and vegetables would skyrocket, fueling inflation..NOT TRUE..Labor accounts for only about ten percent of the retail price of a head of lettuce,  so even doubling the wages of pickers would have little noticeable effect on consumers.\n\nSeveral people told me they used to do the "jobs Americans won't do" until local employers figured out they could get ILLEGAL Aliens to work for less than half the same amount. As an example, a young landscaper who used to make $15 an hour 10 years ago, can't get a similar job now for more than $8 an hour. Same heat. Same difficult working conditions.  But with the Depressed Wage, AMERICANS – who live in a country where the cost of living is miles above that of Mexico's – can't afford to take such jobs.It's not that he and other Americans don't want to do landscaping anymore; it's just that in heavily trafficked ILLEGAL Alien environments, IT DOESNT PAY WELL ENOUGH ANYMORE.\n\n Younger U.S.-born high school graduates are squeezed at both ends. Jobs that would have gone to them in the past are now being grabbed by college graduates. The lowest-wage jobs are unappealing, and employers will not raise wages as long as ILLEGAL Immigrants will take them.\n\nIf this is what the open borders crowd means by ILLEGAL ALIENS doing jobs Americans don't want, they're right. American workers want jobs that can Earn them a DECENT LIVING in this country. Minimum wage is a fortune south of the border, but it doesn't go far here. \n\n\nthis is to illustrate the absurdity of a "comprehensive" approach to ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS , and the more radical of the ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT  advocates who are proponents of an "open borders" policy. We don't take a comprehensive, humane approach with drug dealers because they are breaking our laws and causing great damage to this country by poisoning our children. Similarly, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS  violate our laws and Poison our system of Economics by TAKING JOBS  from American Workers, Keeping WAGES ARTIFICIALLY LOW, and Sucking MILLIONS of Dollars of TAXPAYERS MONEY out of our Welfare and Medical Systems. \nNot To Mention The Fact That A Majority Of ILLEGAL ALIENS Live And Work In This Country And Then Send Their Money Back Home To Their
507546
President Bush has been dropping the unemployment rate with his new awesome minimum wage jobs. I'm with Rosanne bar. We need to create a maximum wage, I think that will create more job opportunities. Huge corporations will stop exporting jobs because the cheaper labor in other countries won't help them see more profit. They'll keep the jobs here and maybe pay decent wages. I'm talking 100 mill a year. I think that's plenty for one person.
280927
why would they care they get everything else free! havent Americans sat down and did a little look at ur own pay checks here. ex. a person making 15.00 buck a hr. at 40 hrs a week. equals $600 gross. u would bring home about low 400's to mid 400's if ur lucky depending on what u have to take out. that means really u only make about a little over 10 bucks a hr. if that and some pay checks are less then 400 after everything is taking out. so illegal making 5 bucks hr equals 200. and nothing comes out so that there whole check. so think about this here. they really have more money then Americans do so why would they care if they get paid low wages. there making a kill-in. they get everything else handed to them by us wonderful tax payers.
429349
Earnings growth is declining, except that is, for the city bankers who are expecting bonus growth this year of 25%.\n\nThe influx of migrants from the Eastern European states is having it"s effect. They are prepared to work for a lower wage and this has a "knock on" effect. They are also prepared to sleep 3/4 to a room in cheap bed & breakfasts.\n\nInflation is at 2.5%, which is 0.5% above the target, so gordon will try to keep wage demands as low as possible.\n\nIt would be nice if, Gas - Electricity - Council Tax,etc. only increased by 2.5%, but no, these charges have gone through the roof.\n\nI read a report about a month ago, that Gas was so plentyful, that the importers were "paying" the distributors to take it off their hands. Did prices come down? Not on your life.\n\nAnyway, back to the subject, I think we should do as other countries are doing, and restrict the number of immigrant to fill only the jobs that are vacant.\n\nYou won"t get a job in America unless it can"t be filled by an American citizen. We should have a similar scheme.\n\nPut the onnus on employers to "prove" that they have tried everything possible to fill the vacancy using the indiginous population.\n\nWages going down, bills going up, more and more people getting into debt. It"s all going to explode soon.
423393
I don't believe it is an accurate reflection of the unemployment rate even if they do what you are suggesting.  They base their totals on people who are receiving unemployment payments;  there are a lot of people who are unemployed but don't receive payment.  They don't either out of choice or don't because they have exhausted their unemployment compensation.
585279
I saw in the News yesterday a refusal to a proposal to raise the minimum wage, which is currently 5.15 (Dollars) an hour. It is the National min. wage. Sorry to tell you this.
670890
I work for a company in the USA . The factory i work in is the last one in the USA. The others have gone to China and Mexico. They only have to pay them around .75 cents, an hour. They pay for shipping. It does take longer to get because of customs. It looks like I need to fine a new skill.Don't look at me i just live here.
629866
It is total bullshit.\n\nLast year the federal minimum wage at $5.15 per hour was $3.50 below in purchasing power of what it was in 1968. Today's minimum wage has the lowest purchasing power since 1949 when economic productivity per worker was a fraction of what it is today, when the super-rich corporate bosses had not become hyper-rich averaging over $8000 an hour. \n\nThe last increase to $5.15 per hour was in 1997. Except for one year of restraint, members of Congress have zipped their annual pay grab through the House and Senate every year. Just the increases in that period amount to about three times the annual minimum wage income for millions of American laborers. No wonder poverty has been on the increase. \n\nRest assured, neither the Democratic nor the Republican leadership will stop their annual pay raise. The House already has passed their pay grab. Shame is a rare commodity when it comes to the moral authority to govern. \n\nWhy do we let them get away with such Marie Antoinette values?