- Joined
- Mar 27, 2009
- Messages
- 11,963
- Reaction score
- 3,543
- Location
- Naperville, IL
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
CONGRESSWOMAN JUDY CHU: Mr. Colbert, you could work on so many issues, why are you interested in this issue?
COLBERT: I like talking about people who don't have any power. And this seems like some of the least powerful people in the United States are migrant workers who come and do our work but don't have any rights as a result. And yet we still invite them to come here, and at the same time ask them to leave. And, you know, whatsoever you do for the least of my brothers, these seem like the least of our brothers, right now. And I know that a lot of people are the least of my brothers because the economy is so hard, and I don't want to take anyone's hardship away from them or diminish it or anything like that, but migrant workers suffer, and they have no rights."
Colbert, albeit veiled in humor, told it like it is. Do you want to pay what your food would cost if we had no migrant workers?! Really?!
For those who can't tell the difference between what "entertainers" like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Stephen Colbert impart, I would suggest it is knowing the difference between SATIRE and CRUELTY. The media elite shrills have hated Colbert since he flayed them alive at the Washington Correspondent's Dinner bearing witness to their power-worshiping souls for the entire world to see. :2bow:
Stephen will never be forgiven by the Georgetown set and perhaps Obama could learn a thing or two.. .. ..rip their masks off and you will be rewarded.eace
Utube Pt. #1
Utube Pt. #2
Utube Pt. #3
Colbert, albeit veiled in humor, told it like it is. Do you want to pay what your food would cost if we had no migrant workers?! Really?!
Everybody in the media seems to be ignoring this part.
His ironic character was a bit of misfire, IMO, but when he got serious during the questions... he was brilliant.
Like humorists that have come before him, Mark Twain, he made his point on his own terms.
Do you support farmers evading millions in income taxes every years, because they're hiring illegal aliens?!? Really?!?
Furthermore, illegal alien wages in agricultural are effectively an across the board tax cut.
Colbert, albeit veiled in humor, told it like it is. Do you want to pay what your food would cost if we had no migrant workers?! Really?!
Unless the costs associated with those illegal aliens (increased social spending, reduced tax revenue) outweigh the benefits of the cheaper labor.
Let me state this right up, the total net benefit or cost from illegal aliens is going to be one grand equation with dozens, if not hundreds of variable factors. The positive and negative impact that illegals have is wide and varied. I honestly cannot even begin to start on that equation.
I can however, address individual benefits and costs. And agriculture is a clear benefit as low wages effectively act as a tax cut. Of course there are costs, such as schooling for their children and hospital care, but rationally, it is going to be extremely difficult to say with any reasonable level of certainty of they are a net benefit or cost.
However, I will leave you with dirty not so little secret. Illegal aliens who enter the US at the prime of their working lives are likely to be a benefit. We spend nothing to educate, house and feed them during their non-productive youth, and then leverage out their productive years at a low labor cost to ourselves. At the same time, we get at least some of their social security to help fund the deficit.
As for reduced tax revenue, I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Are we not taxing them on income? Probably. But at the same time does their labor allow us to free up resources for more productive, higher revenue generating activities? Possibly. Hard to say if they are in fact a reduced tax revenue cause.
I actually don't think it's that clear. If the alien is working under the table (very common), the government gets absolutely nothing in terms of tax revenue.
Even if they're paying taxes with someone else's identity, the total revenue to the government is substantially reduced - not only is the overall money paid to workers less (otherwise there would be no reason to hire them), but the government takes in less from two guys earning $30k than it does from one guy earning $60k.
In addition, it seems likely that the costs are substantial. In most cases, taking care of the children will drastically outweigh any possible benefits from the parents. Even if the average family only has 2 kids, that's $10k/kid/year in public schooling. Add in medicaid or schip and the costs are enormous.
I agree that it's incredibly difficult to consider all these factors and come up with a number one way or the other, I just think it's likely that the costs outweigh the overall downward pressure on prices.
Come again? How are they evading millions in income taxes by hiring illegals? What they are evading is payroll taxes. Seriously. Don't talk about subjects you clearly do not understand.
Furthermore, illegal alien wages in agricultural are effectively an across the board tax cut.
Why you ask? Because antithetic means sharply contrasted in character or purpose, and that does not compute since conservatism is largely based on smaller Government. And now you are confusing Conservative with all republicans and that too does not fit with reality because the are dumb ass Liberal wackos who are Republicans such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, RINO and Liberal incarnate.Social conservatism is antithetical to limited government.
Yau can't seriously believe what you are saying, many illegal aliens work under the table and for less the state minumum wages and even at that they send so much money back to Mexico that without some believe that country would go ahead and collapse.
And this is nonsensical Liberal boulder dash
Why you ask? Because antithetic means sharply contrasted in character or purpose, and that does not compute since conservatism is largely based on smaller Government.
And now you are confusing Conservative with all republicans and that too does not fit with reality because the are dumb ass Liberal wackos who are Republicans such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, RINO and Liberal incarnate.
My answer is yes. I'm no minimum wage supporter, nor union goon, however, if we have a law that says people must be paid $X per hour worked it should apply to all people doing that job in this country. Otherwise we create a lower class of people, unequally protected by the law.
You know Councilman, leisure doesn't mean never.
It was a farce. I would have gone after him with both barrels spitting in the faces of illegal alien criminal victims and human trafficking disgraces while he makes fun of the problem.
There was a time i thought Cobert was kind of funny but he's become a total and complete fool. If you just read the following transcript from his sorry embarrassing appearance on Capital Hill, will agree that he is in need of serious attitude adjustment of a good B***h slapping to get it through his dense or empty head that some things in certain palces are just not funny worth a damn.
Why didn't they just have Bill Maher come and call John Conyers the N word when he ask Colbert to leave.
This is a sick puppy to think being a racist is funny ever.
It was a farce. I would have gone after him with both barrels spitting in the faces of illegal alien criminal victims and human trafficking disgraces while he makes fun of the problem.
This post is the epitome of Non sequitur and I see you have a follower perfect.
I take by your failure to respond, you agree that Social conservatism is indeed antithetical to limited government.
He wasn't making fun of the problem and he wasn't being racist, he was dead serious.
Wonk Room » Stephen Colbert: Let’s ‘Give More Visas’ To Undocumented Farmworkers
Back in June, the United Farm Workers (UFW) launched their “Take Our Jobs” campaign which invites American citizens and legal residents to fill the farm jobs that are mostly occupied by undocumented labor. Comedian Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” traveled to a farm in upstate New York and spent ten hours “picking beans, packing corn and learning about the stark reality facing Americans farms and farmers.”
Today, Colbert testified before the House Judiciary subcommittee on his experience as an entertainer-turned-migrant worker. As part of his testimony, Colbert called for more visas for farmworkers
This brief experience gave me some small understanding of why so few Americans are clamoring to begin an exciting career as seasonal migrant field worker. So what’s the answer? I’m a free market guy. Normally I would leave this to the invisible hand of the market, but the invisible hand of the market has already moved over 84,000 acres of production and over 22,000 farm jobs over to Mexico and shut down over a million acres of U.S. farm land due to lack of available labor because apparently even the invisible hand doesn’t want to pick beans. [...]Watch it:
Maybe we could give more visas to the immigrants, who — let’s face it — will probably be doing these jobs anyway. And this improved legal status might allow legal immigrants recourse if they’re abused. And it justs stands to reason to me if your coworker can’t be exploited, then you’re less likely to be exploited yourself. And that itself might improve pay and working conditions on these farms and eventually Americans may consider taking these jobs again.
Or maybe that’s crazy. Maybe the easier answer is just to have scientists develop vegetables that pick themselves.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?