I think most of the victims of Hurricane Katrina will tell you that a guest worker program will NOT benefit the American people.
Residents of New Orleans have been denied access to the jobs that will help rebuild their own city because the Bush administration, as Lou Dobbs put it, has “simply made it absolutely a matter of ease and convenience to bring in illegal labor, undercut American labor and simply disregard those displaced workers.”
The Rev. Jesse Jackson decried the situation by saying “What must be clear — made clear by our government — is that those who have been displaced have the right to return home. The purpose is on jobs, job contracts and that precedent has not been established … these citizens, white, black, and brown, whether Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, have the right to return with preferences on jobs and contracts. Right now that’s not established and being honored.”
This is what happens when the cheap labor advocates and corporate lobbyists get their way: Our most vulnerable Americans lose their wages, benefits, and security. This is wrong. You have a duty to protect our most vulnerable Americans and you must vote against a guest worker program.
Sincerely,
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
