Blog response to Glenn Beck

I don't get the "taking jobs away" argument. Based on what I see, it seems that many illegal immigrants are in 2 camps: 1) they're already working, or 2) they're standing on a street corner soliciting work.

If Americans think they are taking their jobs - why aren't they standing out there on the street corners with the immigrant bunch, waiting for a construction foreman to pick them up?

Several times this past week, I have had "normal" looking anglos walk up to me in parking lots of grocery stores, etc asking if my company was hiring (I was wearing my suit). It was sad to see. And even sadder to tell them we aren't hiring and I wish them luck. These weren't bums asking for money - they were looking for jobs any way they could.

I don't see the difference between this group of people looking for office work, and the group of Mexicans looking for yard work. It's just different kinds of work. I can't imagine an immigrant in a flannel shirt and dirty jeans asking for clerical work on a street corner anymore than I can see an office worker asking to to dig holes.

I will tell you this -- I am that "normal anglo" and when I lost my job last year, I DID stand on the corner and get manual labor work. No, I don't speak Spanish - you don't need to to dig holes. Yes, I was hired to build stockade fences in the Heights. I was the only gringo there. I needed the work - I couldn't find the work I really wanted - I did what the Mexicans were doing - I got work - I paid my rent - I fed my family.

What's the big deal??