When people say (shout ) No “Free” Healthcare to Illegal Immigrants! here’s what I think they’re saying:
Go home.
You’ve entered our country without proper documentation. Back when our ancestors did it, that was ok. And lucky for us, too.
But, you’re not part of our family, so...it’s not ok...anytime.
We don't know, nor care, that our nation is a nation of immigrants. Who cares that we serve, once served maybe, as a beacon of hope for those with the motivation and courage to come here as strangers and forge their own opportunities.
We're scared. And besides, we’re scared. We’ve been told to be scared of ‘others’. You’re ‘others’. We’re scared of you.
And things are changing. That scares us. You're change. You scare us.
We don’t want you.
But...hang on a minute.
We do want you to do all the jobs we refuse to do. Like, clean our hotels and our restaurants, and work the lines in meat-packing plants and be janitors in our office buildings when we’re at home with our families because we believe in family-values.
We like the cost-savings from your low wages. Can you imagine how expensive our bacon and ham would be, or our hotel rooms, if we had to pay wages and benefits high enough to convince us to work there? Can you imagine the impact of those higher costs on corporate stocks?
We do want you to live in cramped quarters, separated from your families, though. That’s less expensive. For us. And it leaves the nicer areas of town for us, not you. Because you can’t afford them. Because we won’t pay you enough to live there.
We like your work ethic. We don’t like to acknowledge the hours you must work in order to send money home to your family where they live in towns where there are no jobs. But, we like how much money it saves the companies we buy from. That keeps our prices low, so we can live better.
But...
We're threatened. The poor jobs, the low wages, the cramped living quarters, the distance from your family don't slow your motivation to come here. You see the opportunity to make a life for yourself, if given the chance to work. We, on the other hand, complain about commutes in our air-conditioned cars , an office chair that squeaks and co-workers with funny smells.
So...
Our hospitals are for us. You can keep those jobs. We don't want 'em. We need 'em to be done. We just don't want to do them. But don’t you dare come bringing yourself to our hospitals for ‘free’ healthcare. That’s for us and our families...because we're entitled; we've earned it. Have you?
That's what I hear. What do you hear?
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