January 30, 2009 08:10 AM UTC

Immigration Laws Hurting Jobs ... for 'Immigrants'?

• 8 Comments
• by: Libertad

Maybe someone can explain the warped logic behind the policy directions cited in this article. My assumption here is that the Colorado economy is retrenching, state revenues are down, and unemployment claims are up.

http://www.thedenverchannel.co…

Fewer immigrant workers are coming to Colorado because of tougher state laws, but the agricultural, ski and hotel industries are having a tougher time finding seasonal workers, Gov. Bill Ritter said Thursday.

Without citing statistics, Ritter said employers around the state complain they face worker shortages because of laws passed in 2006 to fight illegal immigration. He said efforts to fortify guest worker programs would offer a solution.

“I quite frankly think that one of the people who understood this issue best in public life was (President) George Bush,” Ritter said. “George Bush had a real desire to tackle this issue.”

If I read this right certain industries have open positions, yet immigration laws are prohibiting ‘immigrants’ from filling them, thereby causing financial distress to hoteliers, ski operators and packing plants.

Yet at the same time the state is receiving thousands of new unemployment claims. Thousands of out of work Coloradans living on unemployment, not paying taxes, defaulting on mortgages, and draining other bloated benefit programs.

At a minimum, Ritter said, successful immigration policy would “bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows.”

“Find a way to acknowledge their existence here and the fact they’re employed and contributing to the economy,” he said.

I really find it sick that hoteliers (Sage, Hilton), ski operators (Vail, Aspen) and Ag (JBSwift, indies) have complained to the Guv that they just can’t fill jobs and its all do to our sound immigration laws.

What is next here … a state subsidy to fund these companies so they can continue to operate their broken business models? A rollback of immigration laws so that these corrupt businesses can hire ‘immigrants’ and not out of work Coloradans?

I don’t want to sound mean or anti-business here but certain businesses (those who lead efforts to repeal Amendment 54 Good Government) are un-American and shameful for even attempting to pimp the Guv. in this manner.

I call on Ernie Duran and the SEIU to march on these businesses and demand they put Coloradans to work before corrupting and bankrupting our state. They profess to represent Colorado’s working families, I want to see them act.

Now if that means these corrupt businesses get unionized or sign up for union partnerships then maybe that is the cost of doing business in our New Colorado.

These “agricultural, ski and hotel industries” are “John Thains”. Their businesses are corrupt, they pimp politicians for subsidies, avoid hiring Coloradans, pimp for inside sole source contracts and want to repeal A-54 so they can fund politicians who support their un-American activities.