I ask this not because I am trying to draw some equivalency between the institution of slavery and migrant farm workers.
But I hear frequently from the apologists from illegal immigration that we benefit from cheap labor. That justification is fraught with many ethical problems. First, by maintaining the status quo, it only ensures that the problems with Mexico's economy will remain and become more entrenched. I wonder who is willing to justify the continued economic and political poverty of the average Mexican in Mexico by saving a few cents on their bell peppers.
Another difficulty is this: by keeping a ready and available supply of cheap labor, it stifles innovation and advances in technology. Some on here have pointed out that the agriculture business would go bankrupt. Well, what happened after slavery was abolished? They lost the supply of cheap labor then, but the industry adapted. In fact, the inventor of the internal combustion engine started out building machines
2006-09-03
20:06:20
·
4 answers
·
asked by
BrianthePigEatingInfidel
4
in
Immigration