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erniet's avatar

The change in “working class” really is the one I see as most insidious because it demonizes so many efforts to promote workers. For instance, you can not be pro-illegal immigration and pro worker; illegal immigration is a major factor in working wage suppression (the model should be if someone won’t do a job, you raise the wage until someone will; now the model is you hire an illegal to do the work). That’s why even labor organizers such as Cesar Chavez opposed illegal immigration. Now, by using, “white working class” even labor supporters can be demonized as racist and the establishment wins again. There are other examples but to me this is the most insidious for working people, in particular the working poor. Keep it up Matt!

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Scott's avatar

This has been my argument all along! Who supports illegal immigration, it’s the big corporations of course! They don’t have to increase wages when they bring in more workers

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Steve Mills's avatar

Open borders advocates love Slavery

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Scott's avatar

Importing that slave class

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erniet's avatar

Yes, illegal immigrant labor long ago moved from farm work, construction, and landscaping to hotels, restaurants and factory floors.

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rlritt's avatar

They still make the major labor in agriculture and meat packing.

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erniet's avatar

Correct ; I should have said “moved beyond farm work..” etc since the use of illegal immigrant labor has broadened in scope.

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Madjack's avatar

WSJ loves that illegal immigration

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rlritt's avatar

Exactly! And who destabilizes the poor countries where they come from? It's our support of their dictatorships.

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MichelleD's avatar

I have seen the entire occupation of carpentry wiped out in Monmouth County, NJ due to day workers. But I did see plenty of paychecks with SSNs on them. I learned from an Immigration Paralegal who served the community that they are purchased from those who will sell them.

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Burt's avatar

You have to have a valid SS for your I-9, but it doesn't have to be yours.

They used to publish the amount of Payroll Taxes collected annually with non-matching SS# and Taxpayer Name, I think it was called Funds in Suspense (?) and it was in the billions of dollars.

Not uncommon in service and construction for DHS audits to find a sizeable portion of illegal workers (enough to close down a restaurant where I worked) but as long as the Employer has a completed I-9 they are in the clear.

Free money for the IRS as that taxpayer can never collect their SS benefits.

That said you can also buy a valid SS# and matching Name, but of course that is typically stolen from somebody else so again, good luck getting your SS back (join the club amirite?).

If I were the Q type I would be running around saying the Dems are running a trafficking scheme for payroll tax benefits.

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rlritt's avatar

The fault is the employers who refuse to pay a decent wage. And those owners vote solidly Republican. They love the unrest between the working and middle class. They laugh all the way to the bank because instead of blaming them working class Americans blame other working class Americans. ( FYI working class is anyone who works for a paycheck, which is most of us)

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Bill Emerson's avatar

Perhaps we should go back a little farther for a more descriptive label. Instead of variations on “working class”, we should use the more flexible term - serf.

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KHP's avatar

And lo, here we are, serfing the Internet!

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erniet's avatar

We’re not quite there yet…but the “you will own nothing” class is pushing us in that direction…

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Larry Cox's avatar

I didn't even mention this term in my comment. While I use the concept of "class" in my writing, I haven't really followed its use over the years. It's an odd term, as - after all - who contributes to society without working? I've always seen it as a bit of a Marxist construction. Some use "blue collar" which is more to the point, but seriously vague. Taken literally, it covers a LOT of ground. The only people who don't "work" are - who? - people who can somehow afford to "play" instead? What about people who love their work or love working? My teacher somewhat frowned on the whole idea that a capitalist should be considered a contributing member of society, but on the other hand, certain among us - such as small children, senior citizens, and the seriously disables are not expected to work.

The problem that many people - especially hands-on workers for large companies - have is their lack of power unless organized compared to the power of their employers to hire, fire, and dictate wages. This is a huge power asymmetry that has haunted us for generations, but particularly since we industrialized. I remember reading a book written in 1888 specifically addressing this problem (with an idealized form of socialism).

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flipshod's avatar

Check out David Graeber's "Bullshit Jobs". The working class is people who don't have bullshit jobs.

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Cowgirlcontrarian's avatar

Was just going to recommend that book. A must read.

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michael888's avatar

Regardless of what the politicians say, both parties' donors demand exploitable, slave labor. Those ceaseless caravans from Latin America are generated by narco states and death squads:

thegrayzone.com/2019/07/28/biden-privatization-plan-colombia-honduras-migration/

Upper management cannot receive their outsized compensation by sharing the profits. Offshoring manufacturing and high tech jobs, and illegal aliens for low end jobs "which Americans won't do" for low pay, is now our established model.

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rlritt's avatar

Most Democrats are not pro illegal workers. It's the Corp farmers and meat packing and food production industries (and by extension food serving industries) that are pro illegal immigrants. They desperately need that dirt cheap labor because Americans scream bloody murder when the price of food goes up. Food inflation comes when the meat packers get paid minimum wage as opposed to $5 an hour and no benefits. Read the The Jungle by Lewis. It hasn't much since then.

My big problem with illegal immigrants is why those countries are so horrible that people flee in droves.. Can't something be done about that?. I understand why illegal immigrants are here, but it would be better in the long run if they stayed in their own countries.

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erniet's avatar

Most of them go back; and they come back when they need more money. While here most are also sending their earnings home. That takes money out of our economy…but it also puts money into their home country’s which gives the home country little incentive to prevent people leaving.

What stopped illegal immigration from Mexico was NAFTA; it provided good jobs for Mexicans to the point where Mexico now has to worry about losing jobs to SE Asia. Migrants now are coming from Central and South America and only traveling through Mexico.

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Shelley's avatar

Some interesting statistics from an 8/26/27 WSJ front page article, "Group Identity Eclipses Policy As Driver of Partisan Divides.

For the past fifty years, Americans have identified as Conservatives or Liberals at roughly 30% each, with the Conservatives sometimes (not now) exceeding Liberals by about 10%.

In 1975 50% of Republicans identified as conservative; 75% now. In 1975 25% of Democrats identified as conservative; 10% now. About 62% of Democrats now identify as liberal.

In 1990, white Americans without a four-year college degree split equally between Democratic and Republican parties -- about 40% with each. Now about 40% still identify as Republicans, but Democrats have dropped below 30%.

In 1990 about 55% of white Americans with four-year college degrees identified as Republican; about 35% now. In 1990 only about 35% identified as Democrats; about 50% now.

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Erica Anzalone's avatar

Yes, demonizing the term "working class" is another way the media seeks to divide and distract us.

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