Labor Shortages in Oklahoma and Arizona

A number of people from other blogs have been asking me about Labor Shortages in States that have passed restrictionist Immigration Laws. Here are some news reports from Oklahoma and Arizona.

In Oklahoma, it appears the stricter the enforcement, the more pronounced the Labor Shortages: NewsOK.com Reports:

As immigrant workers flee the state, immigrant-heavy sectors such as construction have seen varying declines of skilled workers. In Tulsa, where enforcement has been more pronounced, so have labor shortages. The distress it has caused in the construction sector in Oklahoma County has been only slight. Overall, the blow of immigration enforcement appears to have been softened by less building, experts said. "I would say in Tulsa, it has been as devastating as they had expected,” said Mike Means, president of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association. By contrast, Means said, builders in Oklahoma County have adapted to working with fewer crews and are still getting the job done.

Arizona Republic Reports:

...People such as William Triplett, a Mesa truck driver, bristle when told Americans won't work some jobs. "I know they would. You have to advertise for them and make transportation available," he said. The business community maintains it has done what it can to fill jobs with Americans, and that a labor shortage hurts the state's growth. "We must find a way to ensure Arizona businesses have access to a sufficient number of legal workers. Relying on our broken federal immigration system makes this nearly impossible," said Glenn Hamer, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a statement. Joe Sigg, the director of government relations for the Arizona Farm Bureau, said raising wages would not fill growers unmet needs."Just paying more doesn't increase the size of our native-born labor pool," he said.

Make A Difference!

Why do I blog? As my Mission Statement says, I blog “To provide a forum where people, both PRO and ANTI, can discuss American Immigration Issues civilly, freely and safely thereby reducing the hate, anger and misunderstandings currently inherent in most of these discussions.”

I think it is important that both sides have an opportunity to read articles from reputable, neutral sources which provide up to date Immigration (legal and illegal) news reports. I also include Politics and articles about the Economy since these topics are closely related to Immigration.

The vast majority of my commenters are ANTIs. Some of them give me a hard time, but overall, we remain civil and sometimes we change each others´minds. Many of my PRO viewers email me and send me kind words. Many do not post because, as they say, they don´t want to be attacked by the ANTIs.

Last year, a Professor from a California University wrote to me and said, “Your blog is so beautiful that I offer it to my students as a model of what they (and I) can achieve. I'm really trying to encourage them to use the power of the First Amendment and the Internet to enter public discourse and be heard. We've had a couple of flamers from white supremacists groups which briefly intimidated and confused my students, so I was so happy and relieved when an excited student came to my office hours, ... to tell me how you responded to one of her blogs on immigration and encouraged her to keep writing. It meant so much to her to hear positive feedback from a member of the public. Thank you for that, and thank you for your generous gesture to help with advice in business and politics. I'm sure I'll take you up on it.” I am touched each time I read this letter.

I also participate on other blogs and forums. Today, a neutral (neither PRO nor ANTI) commenter wrote, “I highly recommend Dee's blog. She posts articles that show both sides of the issue…..There are plenty of articles on her site in which she quotes employers in the roofing industry, in the ag industry, etc complaining that the exit of the 12 to 20 million undocumented will force them to pay higher wages to the US citizens that remain in the labor pool. Read Dee's site. Also read the links to George's material. If you read everything on Dee's site and you read all George's material you will be well positioned to make your own choice.” His kind words also touched me.

Every once in a while I will get a rather mean or angry ANTI asking me to stop my blog. The very fact that they are asking me to stop tells me that my message is getting through.

All of this feedback reminds me I should never lose my motivation or my drive.

If I can help one person understand there are two sides to the Immigration issue, If I can help one person understand there are good people on both sides of the issue, If I can help one person understand Comprehensive Immigration Reform is a logical solution, If I encourage one person to understand they have a right to their opinion, they have a voice and freedom of speech, then I have accomplished my Mission.

I encourage everyone to start a Blog. Make a Difference!

Border Residents Ask Presidential Candidates to Listen to their Perspective!

As we approach the March 4 Texas primary, all eyes are on Texas. The following are excerpts from area newspapers and advocacy groups.

Texas Border Residents Report:

"If Barack Obama wants to win Texas big, if he wants to win the hearts of the real Texas grassroots, if he wants to garner the Hispanic vote, if he wants to be the champion of the poor, he needs go no farther then the Texas-Mexico border. It is here that the poorest region of all America exists, where hundreds of thousands of neglected Veterans live, where the highest percentage of Texas Hispanics live. He would need to convince us that he will stop the border wall, that he will stop the internment camps (Detention Centers), that he will stop the ICE raids and the ENDGAME, that he will end the militarization of American soil and the harassment of American citizens of color, that he will treat our neighboring country and Number 1 trading partner with love and respect, that he will stop the economic slavery of NAFTA, that he will insure that children are not imprisoned for profit, that he will not allow private and public land to be seized for something as totalitarian as an “iron curtain”. He will have to convince “we the people” of South Texas that that he will stand WITH us in leadership."

From the Houston Chronicle:

Border locals complain DHS uncompromising
By SUZANNE GAMBOA Associated Press Writer © 2008 The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Border residents complained to a House panel Thursday that the Homeland Security Department has been unwilling to listen to them as it builds a security fence along the U.S-Mexico border.
The complaints stem from the federal government's effort to build 700 miles of fence along the southern border, required by a 2006 law signed by President Bush. The Homeland Security Department wants to finish about 370 miles by the end of the year. But local officials said the department has ignored them and their concerns in its rush to meet that goal. For example, some landowners want the department to leave in place barbed wire fencing that costs $8,000 to $10,000 a mile. The fencing is being ripped out as vehicle barriers are erected along the border, said Nan Stockholm Walden, an Arizona farmer and rancher. "There's been a breakdown in trust," she said. "There seems to be no willingness to compromise or listen at all and that's where people become suspicious and tell DHS they won't let them on their land." The Homeland Security Department has filed dozens of condemnation lawsuits against landowners in Texas, Arizona and California to get access to their property. Recently, Homeland Security agreed to a local plan to improve levees on the Rio Grande near Hidalgo County in response to opposition to plans that would put homes behind the fence. The hearing was held by a House Appropriations subcommittee that approves the Homeland Security Department's budget.
Last year, Congress required the Homeland Security Department to consult with other government agencies as well as local officials as a condition of getting money for the border fence. Subcommittee chairman David Price questioned how meaningful the consultation has been. He said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is ignoring "the fact that consultation leads to an outcome that may be superior". Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster asked the panel to "use your muscle to bring them to the table and work with us." "We were told that the (Customs and Border Protection) had held 18 town hall meetings that, on investigation, turned out to be meals in restaurants and phone calls," said Foster, chairman of the Texas Border Coalition of elected officials and business owners. Foster's city has been sued for access to city owned property. Eagle Pass has opposed plans for a fence that would run through the municipal golf course. But city officials have agreed to improve a golf cart path so Border Patrol vehicles can use it and have agreed to have light towers erected to illuminate the course. Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar, speaking to reporters, defended his department's consultation with local officials and communities. "I think it is important to recognize there is a massive amount of outreach going on," he said. He said the city of Eagle Pass is the only land owner in the El Paso, Marfa, Laredo and Del Rio Border Patrol sectors that has refused to allow the Border Patrol on its land. Many residents in the Rio Grande Valley, including the city of Brownsville, has refused the Border Patrol access.
"While DHS certainly has a duty to secure our borders and ports of entry and to enforce our immigration laws, the department also has a duty to be considerate of citizens' rights — especially law abiding citizens — while carrying out the mission of securing our borders," said Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, the committee's top Republican.

ANTIs Finally Understand It Is the Economy/Business that is responsible for Lower Wages!! (not migrant workers)

GM, Ford and Chrysler announce plans to "buyout" their ENTIRE U.S. hourly workforce so they may hire employees at half the current hourly rate. This is for Economic reasons and has nothing to do with Illegal Immigration.
As PRO reporters continue to highlight the Nation´s Economic News, the ANTIs are finally understanding our nation´s lower wages are due to Economic/Business issues and the root cause is NOT Illegal Immigration.

CNN Reports:

GM offers buyouts to 74,000
Auto giant aims to replace much of U.S. workforce with lower-paid new hires - dangles $140,000 buyouts to UAW members to stem North American losses.

By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
February 12 2008: 10:04 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- In an effort to shave ongoing losses despite strong global auto sales, General Motors offered lucrative buyouts to 74,000 employees - its entire U.S. hourly workforce.
The nation's largest automaker reported the latest round of buyouts as it reported another loss on its core auto operations in the quarter, as improved performance in some overseas markets was balanced out by a rising loss at its North American plants. The company was helped by a tax benefit in the fourth quarter and a gain on sales of some assets. But problems with the GMAC finance unit and large charges taken in the third quarter related to other tax issues left GM with a company record $38.7 billion net loss for 2007.

...the latest range of offers to the remaining 74,000 GM workers represented by the United Auto Workers union is designed to allow the company to save money by paying new workers significantly less in pay and benefits than its current workforce, rather than lead to the large reduction in staffing sought in previous buyout packages. GM spokesman Dan Flores said the company had no announced target for headcount reduction this time. "We certainly expect to be doing hiring as a result of this package," he said.

Those who leave and agree to sever all ties with the company - including giving up lucrative pension and health care coverage - will receive a lump sum of $140,000 if they have 10 years of service, or $70,000 for those with less than 10 years.
"We've worked with our UAW partners to ensure our employees have a variety of attractive options to consider," GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said in a statement. "The special attrition program is an important initiative that will help us transform the workforce." Ford and Chrysler also have the provision in their new contracts to pay new hires less in salary and benefits, but their workforces are not nearly as old as the UAW membership at GM, so they may end up seeing less turnover in their hourly staff. Ford has its own buyout offer out to all its remaining 54,000 hourly U.S. workers. The proposal was announced last month when the company reported a fourth-quarter loss. Privately-owned Chrysler has offered buyout packages to hourly employees at targeted plants, but has not make a companywide offer.

ANTIs Mayberrian Dream Turns into Downtown Reality

The following are two news articles. The 1st is a news article from Oklahoma. The 2nd is a news article from Arizona.
In November, Oklahoma passed a restrictionist Immigration law which included verbiage indicating transporting illegal immigrants is a crime. This resulted in Racial Profiling. As a result, a vast number of Hispanics, both legal and illegal, are leaving the State. As businesses are going out of business, lawmakers are looking to rescind the law. This law was originally pushed forward by the Minutemen and introduced by Republican Randy Terrill. Arizona´s restrictionist laws go into effect March 1.
Oklahoma: Tulsa World Reports
U.S. Chamber fights 1804 By OMER GILLHAM World Staff Writer 2/2/2008
It's joined other associations suing Oklahoma over the immigration reform law.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has joined forces with the Oklahoma City and Tulsa chambers to sue the state over its immigration reform law. The U.S. Chamber filed for an injunction Friday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. The lawsuit targets specific aspects of House Bill 1804. Among other things, the new law creates state barriers to hiring illegal immigrants, requires proof of citizenship to receive certain government benefits and makes it illegal to knowingly transport illegal immigrants. Through the injunction, the U.S. Chamber is seeking to stop the implementation of two sections of the measure. The lawsuit challenges a requirement that employers doing business with the state use the federal government's voluntary experimental program for verifying work eligibility. It also challenges require ments for businesses to verify the work authorization status of individual independent contractors to avoid state tax penalties. The injunction alleges that the challenged sections of the law are pre-empted by federal law and are unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution. In a prepared statement, the U.S. Chamber said: "The organizations supporting the in junction explained that the lawsuit focuses on those provisions of HB 1804 which impose unreasonable burdens on Oklahoma businesses and puts them at a disadvantage compared to competitors in other states, and that HB 1804 puts businesses in the impossible position of having to comply with conflicting federal and state laws."
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Arizona - Fox News Reports:
AGIA PRIETA, Mexico — For the first time, Mexican officials in Arizona admit there is hard evidence illegal immigrants are preparing to leave the state because a new employer sanctions law is making it difficult, if not impossible, for them to keep a job. Illegal immigrants are flooding the Mexican consulate in Phoenix for documents that will allow them to return to Mexico to enroll their children in school, the consul to Arizona, Carlos Flores Vizcarra, told FOX News. They are also requesting a document called "menaje de casa," which allows illegal immigrant families living in the U.S. to cross into Mexico without paying a tax on their furniture and personal belongings. Vizcarra said 94 families asked the embassy for students transfer documents last month, compared to only three last year. He said several thousand immigrants asked for the tax document. In a separate interview, Edmundo Hidalgo of the non-profit immigrant support group Chicanos Por La Causa, said 30,000 illegal immigrants said in a survey last week that they planned to leave Arizona sometime before March 1, when the state’s tough new employer sanctions law goes into effect. Under the law, employers can lose their business licenses if they hire undocumented workers.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has set up a hotline for citizens to report on employers who hire illegals. He has said enforcement will begin when the law goes into effect. Many deputies have also been given arrest authority by Customs and Border Protection to enforce federal immigration law. So in the course of a traffic stop, illegal immigrants without a driver's license could ultimately face deportation.
These factors, combined with a slowing economy, are forcing many undocumented workers to consider leaving Arizona. According to a study last year, 12 percent of Arizona’s workforce is in the U.S. illegally, the highest percentage in the nation. At a immigrant shelter in Agua Prieta, Mexico, just south of the Arizona border, officials say illegal immigrants are leaving the Grand Canyon state because of the employer sanctions law. In the last month, for every five immigrants trying to enter the U.S., four were crossing back in the other direction, said Rosa Soto Moreno, who runs a Catholic shelter that provides food and lodging for illegal immigrants. Soto said illegal immigrants crossing back into Mexico is a new phenomenon, and she attributes it to the new law. "Many of the supervisors are upset by the law, but have told their workers they have no choice," she said.

As the saying goes, "Be careful what you ask for. You might just get it. Not Downtown Mayberry, rather Downtown Reality!"

Mitt Cuts and Runs! McCain is the GOPs 2008 Candidate!

WTF Headline: "Geraldo Shills for McCain"

As unbelievable as it may seem, Geraldo Rivera is shilling for John McCain. Geraldo spoke with Brian and the Judge where Geraldo admits he is a "John McCain Republican."

During this interview, Geraldo takes on the Right Wing shock jocks like Limbaugh, Dobbs, Malkin, and Coulter.
Geraldo saying the Moronic Mavens of Maliciousness aren't doing themselves any good with their irrational hatred of John McCain. From what he says, they are simply becoming a laughing stock.

Geraldo goes on to say he believes Hillary will be the Dem candidate because he thinks the Latino Community will vote for Clinton by a 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 majority. Geraldo says John McCain is the only Republican that can beat Hillary and the Dems. He says McCain should select Condoleeza Rice as his VP. He says that she will gain him both African American and Female voters.

Many of the Right Wing and ANTI sites are FLAMING with responses to Geraldo. Needless to say, Malkin is beside herself with anger. She has already written several posts on her blog in response and retaliation. The ANTI sites are just as angry.

My view is Geraldo is a blowhard and speaks for himself. I used to be a fan of his when he had his own show and was a Liberal. Since he has been on Fox and turned into a McCain Republican, I don´t often agree with him anymore. Geraldo made one more very controversial statement, "Any hispanic that votes for an anti illegal immigration candidate is an uncle Tom." I totally disagree with this statement. I have some nephews in the military who support ANTI candidates. I don´t agree with who they are supporting but I would not call my nephews by the term "Uncle Tom" either.

My question to my readers is:
I don´t understand why McCain is leading. I read so many blogs and most ANTIs and Republicans hate McCain. Read Rush, Malkin or Coulter. They hate McCain. Read any of the anti sites like alipac or fair or numbersusa. They hate McCain. How on earth is McCain leading? I don´t get it. The only guess I can make is:
1. There actually is a "right wing conspiracy" (RWC) and they believe McCain is the only one that can beat the Dems.
2. If this is true, I would guess someone like Jeb Bush (or as Geraldo suggests, Condoleeza) will be named as VP and McCain will be taken ill soon after the election.
Can someone explain to me how McCain is leading IF there is no Right Wing Conspiracy? And please do not provide the explanation that Huckabee is the Romney "spoiler" because the ANTIs hate him even more than McCain.