Yesterday I was listening to a radio talk show host discuss immigration. He pointed out that a lot of illegal immigrants are hired by home owners to do casual labor. He then asked his listeners to imagine they had a grand piano to move, an illegal would do it for $40, and an American citizen, perhaps the kid next door, for $100. Would the listener save money by hiring the illegal or do the right thing by hiring the citizen?My response, if I had been able to get through, would have been that I would have done the right thing—by hiring the illegal, who almost certainly has more need for the money than the kid next door.
Excellent answer, although to be precise the best answer might be to hire whomever will do the best job, weighted for price. But if altruism is your goal...
Posted by Walter at May 2, 2006 09:39 PMThat's a very narrow, selfish view of altruism. How about this: talk the kid down to $60, then give the other $40 to the illegal alien as long as he buys a bus ticket, goes back to Mexico, builds up his own country, and helps reform their political system rather than allowing them to be America's sucker fish. Now that's altruistic.
Posted by: TLB at May 2, 2006 10:03 PMTLB, why does the illegal alien have an obligation to reform his political system? What does it mean to build up your own country? If you define "country" as some geographical location governed by a single body, why is that country yours? How is the U.S. anymore your country? Simply because you pay taxes to the U.S. government? If you live in a crappy country with a crappy government and have the ability to go to a better country where you have opportunities to live a better life, why would you stay behind?
You have no loyalty to any government simply because you were born into their reign. By the same logic, someone should have sent your ancestors "home" to build up "their own country." Simply because they didn't, you are here to complain about the modern day immigrants. How do you reconcile your behavior?
Posted by: Neal at May 3, 2006 02:26 PMDid you see this travesty
Moussaoui Evades Death, Receives Life in Prison
Posted by: nana at May 3, 2006 04:00 PM