By Franco Cevallos, Editor of “Nuestra Comunidad”
We can´t continue profiting from the labor of undocumented workers, neither can we use their numbers for the Census, if there is not a sincere will to give them an amnesty and provide them health care and other social benefits.
No podemos continuar explotando la mano de obra de los indocumentados ni utilizar su presencia en el censo si no hay la voluntad de darles una amnistía ni beneficios de salud y servicios sociales.
The hatred most Republicans, and even, some Democrats have for undocumented aliens was exposed to the core by the prejudist, demeaning, degrading, disrespectful, arrogant, ignorant, rude and racist comment made by South Carolina’s State Representative Joe Wilson when he called President Obama ´´you lie,´´ for suspecting that he may include hard working undocumented workers in the Health Care reform. Had this same barbaric act been done by a common citizen to ex genocidal President George W. Bush, as the Iraqi reporter Muntazer Al Zaidi did by throwing a shoe at him, would have ended up in jail.
Well, today, undocumented workers cook the food all Americans eat; they put the roofs at affordable rates on most American homes; clean the hotels where they vacation; take care of yards and embellish America; build 30% of roads, buildings and houses, etc, and we are happy to have their cheap labor.
Hispanic workers do the hard work that most Americans refuse to do, thus they have the highest risks of dying or being injured in accidents; and because they do not have benefits, will experience accidental deaths or end up crippled and suffer because they have neither compensations nor health care.
Let’s just think how dehumanized and inhuman are the comments of the hot-headed and irrational Representative Wilson and the people that support him. The Coalition of Latin American Pastors ´´CONLAMIC´´ has made clear its position that it will boycott the 2010 Census and I support their courageous decision because undocumented workers have nothing to gain by opening their doors to be counted, because their numbers will bring more political representation and money for each state, but the so called ´´illegals´´ will receive nothing in return.
To those hypocritical politicians and exploiters of undocumented laborers I tell them that “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” If you don’t like “Illegals”, do not use them and they will go on their own. In the same manner, if they do not want undocumented workers treated like human beings and receive health care and fair treatment, they should not call themselves Christians because Christians fulfill God’s second commandment “to love your brothers as you love yourselves”.
