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Add to FavoritesThere are so many debates going on about illegal aliens and their rights that the average citizen must think everyone has lost it. Why not face it, there are laws in this Country and if an individual decides it is all right to break one, why not break them all. Law abiding citizens respect the laws because they know they are what elevate them and allow them to live among each other with a modicum of civility.
The term "illegal" refers to something or someone involved in unlawful, criminal, or activities that go against the law. Therefore, it is safe to say the term is applicable when identifying and taking legal actions against murderers, thieves, highjackers, driving under the influence, pot smokers and illegal aliens, etc.
The only difference is there is an expectation that every one of the aforementioned offenders, except for illegal aliens, will pay for their crimes. There are laws that protect citizens from murderers and from robbers and the whole lot of miscreants, so why are illegal aliens outside these same laws? When these questions are parsed, the judicial system becomes little more than a joke. For example, take John Joe Average who decides to pillage his neighbor's home and take from it an inordinate amount of the resources within that has caused it to run smoothly.
As a result of Mr. Average's actions, every member of the household must increase their contribution to the home's coffer and suffer a correspondenting decrease in their style of living. Using the same argument America uses for illegal aliens, should not Mr. Average be let go? How is his actions different from illegal aliens. May be he should tell the police to let him go because he might be useful in performing some menial task no one else wants to do? Sounds like a plausible defense to me.
May be there would be a credible raison d'tre for defending this group of individuals if there were no laws or legislation offering them a pathway to citizenship in this country, but there is. They are choosing to break the laws and many Americans are aiding and abetting them. This is not about discrimination or bias, this is about obeying the laws. Illegal aliens are not held to the same standards as Americans. Actually, it's Americans who are being discriminated against in this area.
All employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens should be forced to pay huge individual fines for breaking the law as they, too, are as culpable as the offenders. The tired argument that Americans do not want the menial jobs that illegal aliens perform is definitely not true the majority of the time and employers should stop using it as a defense. It is all about fair and equitable wages and employers and most Americans know it. All fair minded Americans should be offended that their intelligence is insulted in such a blatant fashion.
This is also a human rights issue, as most employers are only interested in cheap labor rather than the economic, physical, and sometimes mental, wellbeing of the illegal aliens. As for allowing severely disabled Americans to do the jobs that illegal aliens do, further exploration is needed on the subject.
What is meant by "severe?" If an American is physically and mentally able to perform a task, nothing else should matter. There are folks with limitations, but folks should stop categorizing this class of individuals based on disability, race, creed, etc., and simply let folks do what they are qualified to do.
There are many folks society deems disabled, but they do not see themselves as disabled as they are fully functioning citizens. Of course they would like to, and should be able to, perform most of the tasks illegal aliens do, but they should also be guaranteed a living wages.
Disabled folks must also pare down some of their expectations. Small companies that are willing to hire folks with limited capacity are hesitant as many insist on having all sorts of accommodations. Just because these small businesses are managing day-by-day, it does not mean they are rich as many are barely eking by.
I suggest those with limited capacity be given the same opportunities that are now being given to illegal aliens with one exception: give them fair and equitable wages.
Learn more about this author, Dossie M Terrell.
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No
Well this is the first time I've ever heard of severe disabilities. Wouldn't that be someone Like Steven Hawking or Christopher Reeve? There are many kinds of disability. It's not a matter of cultural Bias that we do not hire the disabled because no one likes them. So that they equal the bias felt towards illegal immigrants in the eyes of the general public. It's not like the disabled are forbidden to work. Many of them do. Many of them work part time. Those that wish to, do so. The illegal immigrants aren't stealing the jobs of the disabled. It's not a matter of who the businesses will employ and who they won't employ. That's not why people are on disability. People are on disability because they are disabled which means that they are unable to support themselves.
Now in the case of someone like Stephen Hawking he can still do what he loves and he still gets paid for it. Not many of the people with disabilities are that brilliant or that lucky. Most disabled people are either disabled physically, mentally or a combination of both. It's not easy getting onto disability and it's not easy getting off of disability. As for working most people with disabilities don't work some might volunteer a little bit or work part time but most do not. Why? Because they've tried to work. Some have tried for many years to hold down a job, any job, but job after job they loose them. So they are on disability. It's heart wrenching to keep trying to find a job or career that one can excel in only to be passed by, by others.
Depending on whether the disability is physical or mental can also affect society's reaction to the disabled so that they are often ridiculed or ostracized depending on what their disability is. Office politics often play a major role in whether the disabled can work effectively or not. A popular story that shows how the work environment can affect a disabled person is "Flowers for Algernon or My Name is Charley" by Daniel Keyes. People are often cruel to the disabled and many get away with it. That's not the whole reason why they don't work. Often they cannot complete the task at hand properly or in the required time. Many become disabled after they have been in the work force for a number of years. Counseling is offered to the disabled who attempt to work so that they may be helped in dealing with other workers or different social or logistical problems at work. Despite this many disabled people are still unable to work.
In a perfect world we could all work.there'd be a job that paid well for any person according to his/her needs and desires. Many disabled people don't work because they cannot get sufficient health care to take care of their medical needs. Finding a job that would be physically, emotionally, socially, or mentally possible for a disabled person is like finding a diamond in the rough. It's tough enough for a disabled person to live day by day much less work to support themselves.
Instead of hiring illegal immigrants companies should be restructuring themselves so that they can offer better jobs for better pay to those citizens who are unemployed. It's the company's choice to structure their work force in such a way that they have a limited number of good paying jobs along with a number of poorly paying jobs. In most cases poorly paying jobs should lead to other more lucrative jobs in the company. Unfortunately there are those companies who take advantage of an underground economy of illegal immigrants to cut costs and save money by hiring someone who cannot stand up for their rights and demand better pay and more opportunities for advancement. Such companies should not only be fined heavily once caught but the company officers should be charged legally with whatever statute of the law they are breaking by hiring illegal immigrants.
In conclusion I would say NO! Companies should not hire the disabled instead of illegal immigrants because the illegal immigrants are not stealing work form the disabled. The disabled are called so becuase they cannot work because of mental, emotional, social, or physical reasons. However companies that do hire illegal immigrants should be stopped because they are breaking the law. By creating an unfair competitive enviroment for other companies that do obey the laws and have to pay full price for labor.
Learn more about this author, Eric L. Haschert.
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