Jan. 26, 2004 - 17:53 MST

THE WONDERING JEW

Did It Start ?

In my early memories are the workers up around Brighton, Colorado. That is where the sugar beet fields were, where many Hispanic workers made their subsistance wages. That would be back in the 1920's.

I think the railroad Stanford built up along the west coast of our country had a vast amount of Asian workers doing hellaciously dangerous and exhausting work, for next to no wages and subject to discrimination.

The Tampa, Florida area, Ybor City where the cigar factories were is, I think, another example of imported workers doing work for next to nothing, Cuban folk most of them.

It started back while immigration laws only allowed a quota of different nationalities in country each year. We had a means of controlling the influx. Yet the moneyed brought in cheap labor even so, one way or another.

I guess the modern CEO would feel that any job that didn't pay in the millions would be beneath them. But, I remember some of my co-workers who would not lift a broom at clean up time because that was "janitor's work." But when I was young they taught me to clean up after myself . . . . so where do folk figure certain work is beneath them ? Dunno, but they do.

I don't think this should be a modern way of life. Thinking back I guess economy was based on slave labor or poor migrant laborers. One country would defeat another in war and the losers often would become slaves, mostly without a chance to become free citizens ever. Through the centuries many people were born and raised knowing that they would be restricted to lower classes and kept there -- no way out.

Seems that this sort of thing existed in Biblical times too, according to what I understand of what I have read. And even in our vaunted educational system of our country which is supposed to give equal education to all, it seems that the schools in an area of rich folks have everything so much better than the schools in poor districts. Is that the way things should be ? Not to my notion I think. Seems like even here those that have - keep, those who don't - can't because of too many obstacles.

Now the gates to our southern border are being thrown open by Mr. Bush et al if they can do it. The real reason ? To my mind it is because wages can be kept low in our country, seeing that immigrants, whether green card or not are underpaid. Thereby perpetuating the idea that Anglos won't do dirty work.

The Bible somewhere, I think, says that, "A man is worthy of his hire." But who decides that worth ? And shouldn't that worth be the same for all ? A fair living wage ? Why can immigrant workers be paid so little ?

Why are vacation times and break times given to most of the workers in our country ? Because they were fought for by union folk and the non-union companies had to follow suit to be able to attract workers. But illegal immigrant workers have no union therefore can't bargain.

Why can't we as a country establish fair wages and make sure that any immigrant be paid what a citizen is paid ?

I'm wandering in my own thoughts probably. I wonder if the first guys out of the trees made slaves out of those who came out of them a bit later ? I wonder where Did It Start ? . . . . . . . . . . .

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