Doing a Job that Americans Won't Do

The dis-oriented author has been closely following the debate on immigration. I am a US Citizen, my mother is from Guam and was made a US Citizen by the Organic Act of 1950. My father was a British subject (Jamaican citizen in 1962), he lived in the US for almost 55 years and held a green card as a permanent resident alien. Myself, I was born and raised in the United States.

This week the Associated Press quoted President Bush saying:

If you are doing a job that Americans won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job.

Perhaps we should have illegal aliens control our borders — that's the real job that Americans won't do.

I keep hearing that phrase — a job that Americans won't do. I assume that means things like washing dishes, working in the fields or janitorial work.

Hey, wait a minute, I've done all of those jobs. It must have been downright un-American of me to take those jobs. Now in my case, those jobs were transitional and none of them were meant to be a full-time career for me or my family would be at the poverty level.

Hmm... if illegal aliens take those jobs under some sort of amnesty, they would become guest workers. Then their families can live at or below the poverty level. Sound like a plan. But wait, under amnesty, these illegals would not have to work under the table in the secret economy. They would have an opportunity to be productive members of society themselves.

But then who would do the jobs that guest workers won't do? I guess we'd have to import more illegal aliens.