[AAACE-NLA] Language and labels and immigration
Merle Ayres
merleayres at hotmail.com
Mon Oct 1 22:49:00 EDT 2007
The economics of the Hispanics is finally surfacing. Some groups in Iowa are
suggesting a boycott of the biggest shopping day of the year coming up. The
boycott would let us know the economics impacted from this proposal. Lets
face it. We have cheaper food because of their labor. Agriculture prices are
a direct result from their labor. Many Latinos are injured at work and the
threat of deportation is used to silence them. With no health care its
difficult for them. This is not a very welcoming picture I know of our
country. Bishops are speaking out about the presidential debates on how they
are becoming so abrasive that the Hispanics are going underground and
hidden. They don't like the trend or raids and separation of families.
The hype is harder for me to get ESL classes going this fall. The Latinos
are most likely not comfortable coming to the classes. McDonald's was raided
to sort out undocumented Latinos and Hispanics because someone complained of
identity theft. Egg factories are raided 30 miles from where I live.. They
spend big bucks putting them in jail and transporting them out of state to
other detention centers. They could put this money spent on teaching English
as I can't get a teacher from the nearby community college to teach because
of funding. etc.
I think the Canadians get short shrift because their border is very open in
the arrowhead area of Minnesota and no one even mentions that. The canoes
are docking at night as I speak. They can cross in the trees easily. Maybe
we just trust them better from the north.I have been in that country and the
borders have no fences. Why don't we build some there. But thats not the
rush for now. I'm just frustrated at
the people who draw a line in the sand and won't or refuse to bend in their
thinking on this issue. We do not offer any solutions. Guest worker programs
by our President was introduced as one way to help with the immigratioin
problem. Some kind of identification system could be worked out. Have part
of the workweek used for learning the language built in with employment
requirements.A teacher could go to the workplace. They drive and share from
different school districts so it can be done. Libraries could be used more
effectively by teaching preschoolers language skills and adults
also.Computer use to teach life skills could be more easily available.
Tecky moble units in rural areas could be built by retrofitting campers from
living quarters to labs. I,m showing some bias here I Know but these are
some things I am thinking about. I would like to hear some others on this
topic. Thanks for reading. Merle
Merle Ayres
412 8th st. North
Humboldt,Iowa 50548
Tel.1-515-332-4630
Fax 515-332-1738
>From: Andrea Wilder <andreawilder at comcast.net>
>Reply-To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by
>AAACE<aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by
>AAACE<aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>
>Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Language and labels and immigration
>Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 19:58:10 -0400
>
>Andres--
>
>Do you mean just illegal, or are you putting in the cost/ benefits of legal
>immigrants also?
>
>Andrea
>
>On Oct 1, 2007, at 4:06 PM, andresmuro at aol.com wrote:
>
>>Kerney wrote:
>>>Paying for their transportation back home would easily be offset by the
>>>savings realized by no longer paying for their education, health care,
>>>language translation services, etc….
>>Do you have any citations that support this claim? All the literature that
>>I have looked indicates that the economic benefits of illegal immigration
>>far outweigh the costs.
>>
>> Andres
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Kearney Lykins <kearney_lykins at yahoo.com>
>> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
>> Sent: Mon, 1 Oct 2007 11:09 am
>> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Language and labels and immigration
>>
>>Debbie,
>>
>>I copied your last post here in bold, and then added my comments and
>>answers to your questions.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>> Kearney
>>
>>You and I agree (miracle of mircles) that the challenge in "negotiating
>>the tensions" is where the rubber meets the road. I believe, however,
>>that even if a "loaded mesage" is accurate, it is better to "unload" it
>>and in the process it can become more convincing.
>>
>> This exchange has been instructive. Let's do some more of it. I'm
>>going to do my best to avoid loaded language as I continue:
>>
>> Today, I came across the following, published in the Nov. 05 issue of
>>Legal Basics, a local newsletter published by the SC Bar.
>>
>> "Many undocumented workers receive their wages through regular payroll
>>checks from which FICA is withheld thus federal taxes and state taxes are
>>withheld. The Social Security Administration reports that $7 billion is
>>paid to a 'suspense file' when social security numbers don't
>>matchup...many undocumented workers file their federal and state taxes
>>with the IRS and their state Department of Revenue every year...according
>>to the IRS, in 2001 530,000 Forms 1040 were filed by taxpayers using the
>>ITIN only issued to taxpayers who do not qualify for a Social Security
>>card."
>>
>>Kearney, you state that the federal government doesn't enforce the
>>immigration laws on the books now. At first glance, this is true. But
>>the part of the federal government charged with enforcing immigration law
>>does deport illegals (enforcing the law) when they know about them. I am
>>referring to the federal government’s failure to make the borders
>>sufficiently secure. The border is largely porous. Where the holes have
>>been plugged, illegal crossings have diminished.
>>It is other parts of the federal government (IRS, Social Security, etc.)
>>who do not enforce the immigration laws because they are not charged to do
>>so. Now here we have a list of 530,000 people who are employed and paying
>>taxes, and presummably have addresses from which to mail a tax form--yet
>>are undocumented--oh, all right, "illegal". I assume you expect the IRS,
>>in this case, to give that list to the INS so all these people can be
>>deported. For the betterment of our health, safety, and sovereignty, I
>>think these departments of the federal government should communicate and
>>cooperate with each other. If that means more illegal immigrants get
>>deported, I am fine with that. What I am not fine with is the current
>>system which rewards immigration law breakers (employees and employers)
>>and cheapens citizenship.
>>Can we at least agree that such an undertaking would be impossible to
>>execute? If your standard for the execution of the undertaking is
>>perfection, then yes, it would be impossible, just like the enforcement of
>>every law is. But if the standard is great improvement in the way the law
>>is currently enforced, then no, I do not agree that the task is
>>impossible.
>>At the very least, how would you pay to transport a half million people?
>>Paying for their transportation back home would easily be offset by the
>>savings realized by no longer paying for their education, health care,
>>language translation services, etc….This is especially true when they are
>>caught close to the border. But the real issue is prevention. We have no
>>excuse for allowing the problem to get this huge. Laws that are not
>>enforced encourage more violations. Laws that are enforced discourage
>>further violations. Surely we can think of many examples in many realms
>>of social interaction.
>>Suppose each illegal is expected to pay their own way out of here. What
>>if they don't or can't? Where would you lock up 530,000 people? Even if
>>deportation were possible, can we agree that the employers of 530,000
>>people would be left without a labor force and this would affect many,many
>>others who ARE legal citizens? That would depend of course on the
>>distribution of these 530,000 among their respective employers. If they
>>work for 530,000 employers the effect is negligible. But regardless of
>>their distribution the economic effects are temporary. In a free market,
>>needs get met, and that includes labor needs. On the other hand, surely
>>you realize the good effects as well. Imagine the reduced burdens we would
>>experience regarding ESOL waiting lists, emergency room waiting times,
>>state food stamp budgets, public school student-to-teacher ratios, strains
>>on education budgets and counseling services, uninsured drivers, cases of
>>infectious tuberculosis, etc….
>>
>>Here is another case, a true story. We have a German adult learner who
>>was married to a US career military man, a citizen, for 25 years. All her
>>children, grown now with children of their own, were born here and live
>>here. The couple divorced. Her legal status is now in question, because
>>the legality of her marriage has somehow been questionned (I think the
>>military man was married before and the dissolution of the first marriage
>>is unclear.) This came up when she applied for veterans' benefits as a
>>military widow. She is presently "undocumented". (She is not yet
>>"illegal" because her case has not yet been adjudicated.) She cannot work,
>>and her children are supporting her. She is facing deportation to
>>Germany, where she knows no one.
>>
>>Kearney, do you see this woman as a lawbreaker who needs to be immediately
>>thrown out of the country? No. Unless she knowingly married a man who she
>>knew to be still married to another woman, to my knowledge I wouldn’t
>>think she has broken any law and thus would not subject to deportation. If
>>this is not the case, then her defense is much weaker.
>>The laws themselves are the source of our struggles, since in this case
>>there is no differentiation between her and someone who sneaked over the
>>Rio Grande last night. I don’t know this to be fact. I am not questioning
>>your character here, just your immigration law expertise (and mine). In my
>>humble opinion, that is why we need comprehensive immigration reform, not
>>just enforcement of the current laws. This is also why "securing our
>>borders", (although I agree we need to do a better job of this) isn't the
>>whole answer. Debbie, I am not aware of a raging national debate over what
>>to do about the throngs of “accidental German bigamists.” The estimated 12
>>million illegals who currently reside here do not include such categories
>>and are not the source of our strife or the impetus for the national
>>debate.
>>
>>My philosophy on the immigration issue is guided by:
>>
>>1. Respect for the rule of law
>>2. Protecting the privileges of US citizenship
>>3. Maintaining American sovereignty
>>
>>
>>Fussy? Opinionated? Impossible to please? Perfect. Join Yahoo!'s user
>>panel and lay it on us.
>>_______________________________________________
>>
>>AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
>>
>>http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
>>
>>LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
>>
>>http://literacytent.org
>>
>> Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail!
>>_______________________________________________
>>AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
>>http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
>>LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
>>http://literacytent.org
>_______________________________________________
>AAACE-NLA mailing list: AAACE-NLA at lists.literacytent.org
>http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/aaace-nla
>LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
>http://literacytent.org
_________________________________________________________________
Can you find the hidden words? Take a break and play Seekadoo!
http://club.live.com/seekadoo.aspx?icid=seek_hotmailtextlink1
More information about the AAACE-NLA
mailing list