Fri, Mar 31 2006

Protest marches

Today is the birthday of labor activitist Cesar Chavez. We've have had a tough week or so of area protests because of the heating up of immigration issues. I'm listening to my trusty scanner as I write this and hearing of groups forming in the nearby city of Watsonville. They closed both our area high schools for the day in anticipation of turmoil. I'm wondering how folks reason that this marching will actually help their cause, as they snarl traffic and steal time from those who wish to continue working and learning. Tempers are rising as legal residents and citizens attempt to go about their daily lives with dignity. I also can't help but wonder what would happen if the illegal aliens who are part of these marches would be treated if they tried such things in the country of their birthplace.

The US is an amazing country and I can understand many wanting to be part of life here. It's a shame that what many are marching for will result in low-paying jobs that are almost guaranteed to keep them at poverty level for many years to come. I keep hearing that immigrants are doing the jobs that "Americans won't do", but part of the reason for that is that those who employ filed workers and other folks will not take a stand to pay decent wages. I have said for many years that I don't want to get a basket of strawberries for a low price if it means the person who bent their back to pick the berries is struggling to survive on what little they make. We can't blame only immigrants for these problems. We also have to face the fact that we will have to pay higher prices for products and services if we want to pay people a living wage for their work and we will have to encourage employers to pay that living wage to all workers. It's a shame that immigrants, and the rest of us, seem willing to settle for perpetualizing a caste system destined to demean each one of us.

posted at: 08:55 | category: /Politics | link to this entry