I see roofer's, cement contractors, carpenters, bakers, engineers, real estate sales people, nurses, and more being manned by temps that can only stay so many months and then have to return to whatever country they came from....I'd like to know just who decided these jobs were jobs that no american wanted? I am not against migrant workers but the temporary work visa vs the green card verus permanent alien is being fudged...A Japaneese family was here for three years that's mildly ok, but the 9 monthers something is wrong with this. Students count on seasonal labor to get money for classes and this just negates that they're even a possible answer.

Jobs Americans won't work? Since when?

In the summer of 1970 when I was in Jr. High School, I worked picking Strawberries, Blue Berries, Apples and Pears, just to buy my fall clothes (my parents would buy those expensive Bell Bottoms at $15+ a pair. I had to compete against adult Mexicans who knew all the tricks in a job that pays by the bushel, peck and quart. They took all the big fruit because it filled their containers quicker. (thats one reason why fruit in the store has no taste, the small berry's are sweeter but get left behind) After fruit came bailing hay.

No, I'm not a Californian, I'm a Michigander!

I struggled doing construction, a seasonal job, to put a roof over my families heads for five years.

Yet, the problem lies not with our system of immigrations and temporary/seasonal farm workers, it lies with open, unprotected borders that neither the liberal crybabies, or the conservative meanie weenies want to fix because it is a downed power line that no one wants to touch.

Meanwhile, we watch and wait for the day one of the illegals walking across the border carries a suitcase nuke with them to Phoenix, Los Angles, or Las Vegas.

Thank God the Militia Movement that opposed Bill has Morphed into the Minute Men Movement to oppose Bush!

The heart of the problem is politics, a Machiavellian cabal of Byzantine intrigue; a united minority, set against a divided majority, to keep us fighting against one another in order to prevent the rest of us who can think, from wresting control from a group of lawyers on welfare!

Yank My Doodle, It's a Dandy!

Social commentary is a big part of writing and therefore I'm going to leave this thread open. But, lets try to keep everything geared towards the forums topic, and not let this turn into just a rant thread. Thanks so much, Diana Writers Moderator

I think if everyone had a puppy or a parrot, things would be calmer.

Unless, now that I think on it, they were migrant puppies and parrots.

Who don't even bark or squawk in English.

Son of a.....

And then I'd have to wait even longer to be Super-Sized at the MacD because some Third World parrot is screaming "Awk! Hot grill! Hot grill! Burn the bird! Burn the bird! Awk! Call a lawyer!"

Damned immigrant, welfare-sucking, liberal pets!

(Boy, that was easy. Thanks, dido6, for leaving the string open. Please e-mail me if someone starts a "Remember when women and minorities were property?" thread. That's really kickin' it Old School.)

(Ouch! Sorry. Bit my tongue. Planted firmly in my cheek.)

Politics is an important part of writing...I thought this kind of thread would wake a few people up...I always had all sorts of roomates and suitemates in college so its not really a minority thing. I also worked in a tool and die shop between my freshman and sophmore year, cutting grass and sweeping up. The earnings from that job paid for that years schooling. Like I said I have nothing against the people who come on a single green card and go bck after three years as its not renewed, nor do I have anything against permanent resident aliens...It's the nine monthers coming up here I don't think they should automatically be the only one's considered as able to pick blueberries....too many people in Benton Harbor and Paw Paw are already out of work...so I concurr with the cryptic Michiganian having lived there a long time.

I think it's an excellent topic and one far too often ignored by the main steam media outlets, or used to further a derisive agenda. There should be no division on this topic considering that nearly every American has some family ties to immigrants.

I married my wife of 25 years while stationed in South Korea. My best friend from childhood arrived in Michigan from Mexico City. Found a way to finish his college degree, though it took him 10 years, there were no Pell grants and you had to be 21 to get student loans unless your parents would co-sign; he had no parents.

He currently works for General Motors Hydromatic Plant as an Electrical Engineer and is a few years away from retirement now.

Frank owns several nice homes which he rents, and has a sideline business with ten employee's. Frank Garcia doesn't use illegals in his business, and doesn't believe that people cutting in line and getting special treatment based upon ethic origins was, or is, a good idea. Hard work, determination, and some financial loans from my Grandfather got him where he's at.

Yank My Doodle, It's a Dandy!

Frank is to be admired as a fine human being. To come to this country ,and desire to stay, carries no qualm. My family came from Switzerland in 1922 and there was a rush to get citizenship...there was a quota system on several ethnic groups at the time. English was the only language allowed. All hints that any allegiance to another country were harbored were not tolerated. The problem as I see it was my grandmother was 16 and not with her parents...but with her sister and husband.A different kind of fear, but it drove them to seek citizenship as quicky as possible. I also don't think trucks coming in from Mexico should be able to avoid fees paid by american truckers as one benefit of NAFTA. Every truck of cars coming from south of the border gets the auto companies an exta few hunded in profit. They should have to pay those fees too.

What happened to my post? was it purposely sent to the shredder...if so let me know and I won't repost it.

I don't see a post from you in this thread, japes. It must have gotten eaten. I didn't delete it though, so feel free to repost.