Yeah, I think the Snopes link established that the numbers were made up. I think lists like this actually hurt those of us opposed to illegal immigration more than help. Some people might believe it out of hand, but most will check, and when they find out the numbers are fake, it damages the cause. I am not opposed to anyone coming to this country. I am not against foreigners. I myself grew up in Canada, and all of my family are Canadian. I am in fact an "anchor baby" so to speak, as I was born in the USA while my father was attending college. I was the lucky one in my family, and I have several family members who would like to become Americans, but have difficulty with the time and expense it will take to become one. That is what is frustrating to me and to them. If you want to come from Canada, please wait in line, spend thousands of dollars, and wait a minimum of 7 years. If you want to come from Mexico, well just come on in! I am opposed to people coming to this country illegally. If we as a country decide that more immigrants are needed, wanted, permitted, then fine, let's change the immigration laws. No problem. At least these people will then be in the system. They will be accountable. They will have a stake, and they will feel much more committed. Plus, they will be less of a drain on resources as they will pay at least some of their own way.
And for those who think that the only people who oppose illegal immigration are those afraid of competition from other workers, that doesn't apply to me either. I'm an attorney, so I'm not facing any competition from illegals. I do, however, support those who make the argument that illegal labor is unfair competition. Take my line of work, for example. Because I have to pay taxes (property, self employment, income, etc.) and health insurance premiums, and auto insurance, I have a certain level of cost that I have to build into my rates. My competitors have the same costs, so our rates end up looking similar. If, however, I can avoid paying taxes and insurance premiums, my costs can decrease. If I can push that cost onto society, then I can "compete" better with my competitors. But, it is unfair competition. If illegal aliens were required to pay taxes and insurance like the rest of us, they would not be able to work for nearly what they work for now, and the problem would be largely solved. I read one person's solution is to require that all employers pay the same wage to everyone, regardless of immigration status. That way, employers would have no incentive to hire illegals given that they are saving no money. Good idea, except that it would work about as well as gun control, given that employers who are hiring illegals are already breaking the law, so why would we think they'll obey the law regarding pay.
One final point. I find it interesting that many of the same people who criticize US corporations for "exploiting" third world employees in third world countries are not criticizing US corproations for exploiting those same employees when they come to the US. If I opened a branch office of a lawn care business in Mexico and only paid my employees $5 a day, I'd be a scum bag. But pay them that in the US, and it will be overlooked, because to make waves about it would be to hurt the flow of illegals "willing to come here and do jobs Americans won't do."
