Go home, eh I am home. Welcome to our world.

There was recently a very amusing debate on a local radio station about immairation into the UK. The host asked people to call in with their views and it was a sad indication of how poorly informed and badly educated alot of my country folk are.

here are the top 3 points alot of people made against immigration.

1. they take our jobs
2. they don't speak the language
3. they burden our healthcare and social security system.

I'm going to assume there are very similar arguments and situations like this in America. In the uk it's Polish people right now, and I guess Mexican people over there. Here are my views on the 3 points.

1. If you can have your job taken from you, or get beaten in an interview by an immigrint who barely speaks the language and has only just arrived here then you are a loser of such epic proportions the job you were going for probably had it's training in mime. You don't hear Doctors and lawyers and skilled people complaining about immigrints taking their jobs, it's always working class badly educated people who can't do anything else but pack boxes etc.

2. Don't speak to them then, if they don't speak the language. In large cities no one speaks to anyone. I live in a nice block of flats in a nice neighbourhood but it's hard to even say hello sometimes to people.
in the stairwell, they are usually rushing around or just not interested. So what do you care if a foreign person moves in who can't speak good english!

3. If they do claim benifits it's to stay alive and get themselves some money to eat and find a place to stay, not like most local people on benifits who just can't be bothered working and pop out 8 kids to claim on whilst also lying about incapacity benifit. I know alot of Polish people in Edinburgh, and they are some of the hardest working folks I've ever met. They come to Edinburgh and work in low level jobs and earn 3 times as much money as they would back home, they pay emergency tax, which is much higher than a local, work for 6 months and go home to buy a house or start a business.

let me ask you all. if you could easily and cheaply go live in the UK for 6 months and make 3 times as much money for doing the same work you're doing now, wouldn't you do it?

I am so sick of anti immigration thinking, especially now the BNP have seats in the house of commons, damn Nazi's.

I currently work at an Insurance Company, and I couldn't begin to tell you about the stuff I see here, but putting that aside, I think imigration is a problem in most contries, some might not be as big as an issue, but it still resides there.

I think it is wrong on many levels to pick a potential candidate based on their backgrounds rather than their qualifications. In the State of CT (where I live) we recently had a case that had been going on for 5+ years with firefighters. These firefighters applied and took tests for a job opening and they were declined even though they passed with flying colors. The company said something along the lines that it didn't promote enough diversity/minorities when infact one of the firefighters was hispanic. They finally won the case after 5 years of fighting it, as it was ruled reversed-discrimination seeing as the judge whom shot them down at one of the proceedings was the judge that Obama wants to put in the Supremme Court...scary thought if you ask me.

'let me ask you all. if you could easily and cheaply go live in the UK for 6 months and make 3 times as much money for doing the same work you're doing now, wouldn't you do it?'

^Currently, I'd only make 20 cents more than what the Euro is worth. Right now the dollar is up in a lot of different places, so why wouldn't I just take my pick at to were I would go rather than just automatically say...I'm going to the UK?

No offence to the UK, but I'm Italian, so I'd rather be in Italy for 6 months...However, after doing some calculations my mind changed. (I think I did the calculations right, but I may be wrong...lol I'm a bit tired.)

18,432 - UK
3,088.8 - taxed
15,343.20 - after tax in Pounds
30,385.81 - after tax and converted to US Dollars

16,128 - EUR
4,354.56 - taxed
11,773.44 - after tax in Euros
22,832.06 - after tax and converted to US Dollars

11,520 - US
582 - taxed
10,938 - after tax in dollars

7,553.75 - Difference between UK and EUR after tax and converted to US Dollars
19,477.81 - Difference between UK and US after tax and converted to US Dollars

I'd roughly make $7,500 dollars more if I worked in the UK for 6 months compared to Europe and aprox. $20,000 more compared to if I stayed here in the US. So yeah, why wouldn't I want goto the UK for 6 months and work? I guess you could see why I changed my mind...lol

I guess I feel differently. If it is a legal immigrant I have no problem with that. It is the illegal immigrants that I have a problem with. Yes we were all immigrants to some extent down the road.

I received this email this morning and think it pretty much sums up not only California but the rest of what is going on in America.

The simple reason that California is broke..

Basic Economics - here is why California is broke! Let me explain... There
are two families. Joe Legal and Jose Illegal - Both families have two
parents, two children, and they live in California .

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security number, and makes
$25.00 per hour with payroll taxes deducted - Jose Illegal also works
construction, has NO Social Security number and gets paid $15.00 cash per
hour "under the table."

Joe Legal - $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week or $52,000 per
year minus 30% away for state and federal taxes... Joe Legal now has
$31,231.00 per year.

Jose Illegal - $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week or $31,200 per
year. Jose Illegal pays NO taxes out of his illegal $31,200.00 per year
salary.

Joe Legal pays Medical and Dental Insurance with limited coverage $1000.00
per month (in California ) or $12,000 per year. Joe Legal now has $19,231.00.

Jose Illegal has full Medical and Dental coverage through the State of
California and Local 'City of Angels ' (L.A) Health Clinics at an annual cost
of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has his $31,200.00 yearly salary.

Joe Legal makes too much money is therefore NOT eligible for Food Stamps or
Welfare, so he pays for food at around $1,000.00 per month or $12,000 per
year. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.

Jose Illegal has no documented income therefore, he is eligible for Food
Stamps and various forms of Welfare. Jose Illegal still has his $31,200.00
(Cha-Ching!).

Joe Legal pays also has a house payment of $1,000.00 per month or $12,000.00
per year and he is now in the hole to the tune of (-) $4,769.00.

Since Jose Illegal... Remember, has no documented income... He also receives
a $500 per month Federal Rent Subsidy - this subsidy pays his rent at
$500.00 per month or $6,000.00 per year - he still has $31,200.00 in his
pocket.

Joe Legal sees this happening and realizes he has to figure out some way to
make ends meet or he is going to lose his house - so... He now works as much
overtime as he can. He finds a part time job on the weekends and evenings.

Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family. Joe
Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal
pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a
government sponsored breakfast and lunch.

Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's
children go home after school. Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the
same Police and Fire Protection Services, but Joe Legal paid for them and
Jose Illegal did not.

Joe Legal must repay educational loans for his children to go to college -
Jose Illegal does not. Therefore Joe Legal cannot afford to send his
children to College - JoseILLegal can!

California taxpayers (like Joe Legal) pay for all of Jose Illegal's stuff.
That totals over $42,000 in this example. So Jose Illegal has his $31,200
plus at least $42,000 of value received each year or the equivalent of
$73,200 after tax income. Joe Legal is struggling and Jose Illegal leads a
pretty good life.

And Voila - California is now broke, busted, and disgusted. And now, you and
I will bail them out.

"1. If you can have your job taken from you, or get beaten in an interview by an immigrint who barely speaks the language and has only just arrived here then you are a loser of such epic proportions the job you were going for probably had it's training in mime. You don't hear Doctors and lawyers and skilled people complaining about immigrints taking their jobs, it's always working class badly educated people who can't do anything else but pack boxes etc."

^People usually hire immigrants over well educated people because they will work for cheaper. But you're right, it's usually the crummy jobs like in factories or something.

I came back here since there was another post and was like, 'Damn, what I do? lol my name is in the post like 500 times...haha' Then I read it, and figured out why. :]

Legal imagrants, I don't have an issue with, for as you said, we all are basically imagrants to a certian degree. I do have an issue with the Illegal imagrants though...

'People usually hire immigrants over well educated people because they will work for cheaper.'

^Not always. Companys will hire to meet their diversity quota over someone whom is well qualified, which is discrimination and I'm pretty sure it's illegal depending on how the company goes about it.

Ah, I forgot about that, but yes, also true. ^_^

I came back here since there was another post and was like, 'Damn, what I do? lol my name is in the post like 500 times...haha' Then I read it, and figured out why. :]

^^^ Poor Joe, sorry dear I didn't even think when I put that up there lol.

I am not sure what the cost of living elsewhere would be and how my job would convert in value.
I am a receptionist/secretary at an Auto Dealership (yes one of the big 3)

I do know this.....that sometimes there are people out there due to circumstances that need help such as welfare, foodstamps and TANF (temporary assitance for needy families). But it absolutely drives me nuts when my mother whom was battling colon cancer and for obvious reasons couldn't work could not get help. We fought for two years to finally have her put on indigent care so that she could get help. Myself, my brother, and my sister all pitched in to pay bills. Since my brother and my sister made more money than myself I lived with my mom and was her physical caretaker day and night. There is so much more to this story than I can tell here but the simple fact was she is only eligible for approximately 30.00 a month in food stamps. She was a stay at home mom from the era when that was what you were supposed to do. She didn't have enough "credits" put into social security to draw anymore for disability either. The reality is quite sad!

Legal and Illegal immigration is happening everywhere and has done for time immortal, its human instinct to improve your lot, to get away from poverty, tyranny, etc to give your childrens children a better way of life and opportunities. Do you blame them? If it was you wouldn't we all do the same. Yet its interesting that most anger is directed at the government for letting it happen as opposed to the actual immigrants.....

Migration once a natural thing but since the advent of borders, jealousies of course occur, a natural thing in the survival of the fittest, its like two survival instincts battling each other, the instinct to improve our childrens lot, and the instinct to protect what is mine and my childrens against invaders!

Its very interesting when you think about it, the human race is a big melting pot. We are in the process of coming full circle. We all have the same DNA structure no matter what race we are, Asian, European, African, Hispanic etc.......so all races have a common gene pool, meaning we all came from a common ancestor, in other words when Homo sapiens (East Africa or some such place) first walked the earth we pretty much all looked the same. It was only through migration and geographic isolation that the different races evolved into the different skin colours and facial features and languages that we recognise as the different races of today

So some time in our future we will become as one race again through mixed marriage, migration. It might take another 10,000 years, but happen yes I think it will

won't that be good...xxx

"You don't hear Doctors and lawyers and skilled people complaining about immigrints taking their jobs, it's always working class badly educated people who can't do anything else but pack boxes etc."

Those jobs are somewhat well protected since you can't just come over here and start practicing medicine, it's always the little guy who is expendable. There are plenty of working class Joes who like their chosen jobs or find themselves there due to extenuating circumstances.

Generalising and taking an ethical standpoint doesn't help the issue... Do you know why the BNP is much more charismatic now rather than disgusted... Because some have contempt for the working class who work all the jobs you probably will never touch with a 2 ft pole... Now its much cheaper to employ immigrants than those born here... You can't blame those them... It is misguided but it highlights an issue...

As for language, its fine if you don't want to talk to people but you're at least required to understand and speak the basic language...

I think its best to understand the full scenario before we place blame on innocents

I didn't know you could get welfare or medical insurance if you had no documentation that you were suppose to be here or even a social security number.

The way I see it is if you want to live in America, you should learn to speak English.

Do you know how frustrating it is to take care of someone at the hospital that doesn't speak English? I know enough Spanish to get by with that but we have had other languages not one person spoke a lick of. So how do you tell this person, I have to give you a shot in the stomach? Or I need you blood for some tests? I need you to sign this paper and give your "Informed Consent"? How would you know the extent of what is wrong with them or how long it has been going on, if it ever happened before?

Then you have the doctors who speak with such a thick accent you can barely understand them and they get mad at you cause you don't know what they are saying. I feel like talking hillbilly to them and see if they can figure out what I am saying!

People like to hire immigrants since they work for cheap. If they are paying them under the table, they don't have to abide by the minimum wage laws or pay taxes on that employee. So for the employer and the illegal, it is a win win situation.
They are working jobs that wouldn't even support a family here....unless you live in a box rent free...

Nee how! I don't know the spelling but phonetically I think it is how you say hello in Chinese so I have a head start. LOL!

I was reading about a case in my old home town of Melbourne where a migrant was paid $1.26 an hour for a 150 hours work as a security guard at the Australian tennis open..... he was abused by his boss so he took him to court and won $115,000 which included $1590 in back pay

Your'e not going to go far on $1.26 an hour in Melb

Fair cop I feel

Nice and respectful, some good idea's....ace.

I think in a way immigration is a strain on both the host and country of origin...

Not only does the host country forget their long held traditions for the sake of multiculturalism but it also drains valuable resources from those countries of origin...

Another question it brings to mind is the fact that first generation immigrants fail to understand the socially intergrate with the host country which also brings to mind the idea of patriotism.