Arizona passed their law requiring immigrants to prove their legal status and apparently lots of undocumented workers went home rather than live the risk of being caught or even the hassle. Even though this is a pretty despicable law, I’m not going to have any issues with undocumented workers going home. I’ve often wished that the wingnuts who insist that all of the undocumented workers go home would actually get their wish. Mainly so that they can see exactly how much of the economy is truly dependent upon these workers,and how much of the economy that would simply collapse without them. I’ve gotten part of my wish:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es3hq0XM-cw[/youtube]
You heard that right — Arizona wants to flip flop on this and now create a guest worker program. So that they can get back some of the workers who were, you know, powering their economy. That steel plant owner and lots of ag businesses are really hurting since the undocumented workers went home. Meaning that there is stuff that should be produced and demand for items that is going unmet. And even though they say that this program is for ag workers, it will certainly expand to landscapers and pool maintenance and fast food and all of the other places where they need to fill real jobs.
Of course, I think that if they paid living wages for these jobs more Americans would take them. And I’d bet alot of money that the state of Arizona can’t just create its own guest worker program. But between tourist and convention business falling off as well as their business community making clear the reality that there are major swaths of the American economy that is no longer functional with out these undocumented workers it is beginning to look like the business of governing to stoke the fears and resentments of the people who elected you is starting to take a toll on the state.