Weaning Us Off Slave Labor

It seems that everywhere my husband and I travel we see that there is a class of people that are used as "slave labor".  

In China the Mongols live in slum housing along the ditch bank, no schools are provided for their children and they fill the labor pool doing the menial and dirty work. In India the unclean caste were and maybe still are taking away the human waste. In the Middle East people from The Philippines, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan flow into the country to operate restaurants, work as servants and do all those jobs no self respecting citizen of those countries would do.

In the United States we have used the black people and are now using the legal and illegal immigrant from VietNam and Mexico. I see them in the back rooms of restaurants and nail salons. In Portland, for example, a prominent local restaurant owner was charged the harboring illegal residents in his 5 Star Chinese establishment.

I have heard nail salon owners tell their workers to stay indoor...it is not safe. Seasonal labor provides the cheap workers that pick our crops and work in processing sheds. When Border Patrol raids those places, workers flee in every direction.

We are indeed totally and absolutely dependent on these people to maintain our way of life. Without them I suppose prices are going to go up because, like the Middle East, no self respecting US citizen wants to do what these people have been doing for so many years. Even the homeless or welfare recipient would not or could not do what our illegals do day after day. It is a hard, dirty and demeaning way of life.

But how do we wean ourselves off of our need for people that have to work for so little because they have so much to hide? Because that is what we are going to need to do if all of the "illegals" are sent home.

I think that we will have to give up a lot of service and begin to pay the "real price" required when a US citizen is employed. All of that money that illegals using illegal SS numbers that pours into Social Security and is never take out will go away. Who knows how that is going to affect SS retirement incomes in years to come.

And that is only the tip  of the iceberg.

I often ask "what part of illegal didn't they get?" I too get angry when I hear people talk about how long it took them to get a green card when others are coming into our country under the fence. Yet I can be a pragmatist too. The reality is we are addicted to and alway have been addicted to slave labor. Today it just comes with a different name.

So there you have it. Any thoughts?

b+

Am I Pushy? Are They Polite? Canadians and Americans

My Husband and I during a visit to China!

If you are a snowbird and from Canada you know what I am saying. Americans are not like Canadians in a lot of ways. I think Canadians are very polite.  I always thought I was polite too but it could be that Canadians don't see me that way. Maybe my way of just introducing myself and inviting you to come live next door to me is pushy and therefore a little rude. Well I was told I was too pushy. But I don't think so. I think I am friendly.

I was standing next to a woman at a gathering here in our park. It was very crowded and I started a conversation by commenting on how big the bubble is we put around our body. People that live in the Far East have a very small bubble and are accustomed to being pushed and crowded. She turned to me and said "I wouldn't know. I am a Canadian." I didn't know what she was talking about. I didn't think we were that much different.  Are we? Or did she dislike me that much?

I really do sympathize with the Canadian snowbirds that visit each year.  They are model citizens and a great asset to our park.  The thing is though, they are not US citizens.  It is very hard for them to remember that after thinking of this as a second home for months on end.  When they are stopped at check points north of the Mexican border, they are asked for their passports.  One border agent threatened to jail a group of Canadians traveling with Americans when the Canadians couldn't produce it.

My husband and I worry about our rights here because of Arizona's policy regarding suspicious Mexican Americans. Our last name is almost hispanic.  I have thought about carrying a copy of our passport just in case.  It would be very frightening for me if I were a Canadian. It would be hard to remember that I was a visitor in this country and don't have the rights US citizens enjoy.  I think Immigration can detain a foreigner without a warrant for quite a while.  I have even read about US citizens being detained because of an unfounded suspected violation of the Homeland Security Act.

I even have to remind myself where I am when we travel. The border requirements in Spain, China, Vietnam and Thailand could be a bad thing if we didn't look just right.  When we are in a place where we are not a citizen, we are very careful and always polite. Sometimes we even try to look Canadian because the world likes them better.  The United States is not different.  Illegals come into this country from all over the world.  Some come to visit and just never go home. It is a huge drain on our economy.

So I do think that Canadian are polite and I am pushy.  No Canadian has ever said I was rude.  I came up with that one on my own.  I worry because I don't like for anyone to dislike me.  But then that is just me.  I am an American!

Have a wonderful day.

b

Related articles

• 10 Canadian Snowbirds Border Crossing Problems + Links (retireinstyleblog.com)
• Canadian uses iPad image of passport to enter U.S. (macleans.ca)

10 Canadian Snowbirds Border Crossing Problems + Links

Here in the US we are trying to plug the holes in our borders and the results not only causes the bad guys to worry, they also make the good guys feel like thieves in the night!  It is necessary but still unfortunate. When you cross the borders into this country you get a small taste of what a police state would feel like, especially if you are not a citizen of this country.  It is the price we all pay for the fight against terrorism, illegal crossings and drug activities.

Because of a news item I saw recently, I was curious how our Canadian friends faired at the border.  So I asked if it would be alright for me to attend a Canadian Snowbird Association meeting here in our park last week where crossing issues would be explained. I was a little surprised at how reluctant they were to allow me in but I suppose our border crossing policies have something to do with it.

One of the pieces of information I received at the meeting was a magazine called CSA News.  Letters to the editor was especially interesting.  Subjects included:

Image via Wikipedia

• Border crossing issues and the need for a Nexus card.
• Political complaints in the right wing vs left wing issues
• Travel medical insurance
• Where to go in the USA
• Locations of meetings
• Insurance issues
• Working in the USA 
• Best options for transfer of funds from Canada to the USA

The presenter at the meeting I attended had answers for several of these issues and especially problems you can encounter at the border crossing:

1. Even calling your winter location "home" can be a problem. Bring proof of property ownership or rental when you come into the country.  Have clear honest answers for your travel plans when you approach the border.  They don't like lying or unclear answers.  Find out what they will ask before you leave home.
2. The number of days you allowed in the country can vary from province to province and time you spend out of the USA on vacation or travel may still count towards those days. For example, if you board a cruise ship for a trip to Mexico or Central America will be counted as days toward you stay.  
3. The amount of time in the country matters to the USA and the Canadian provinces because the amount of time in the country can come into play on your insurance. Again remember that each province has their own rules.
4. Border agents have called into question the amount of money snowbirds are bringing in and how they will live if they don't have enough to last them for the stated amount of time.  It can take some convincing to get them to understand.  CSA has some very good suggestions as a solution for money transfers.
5. He also cited an incident where a snowbird brought tools to repair a truck with him.  He was sent back home because the border agent inferred that the Canadian planned to work and earn money...big, big no no.  
6. You are required to file a form with the IRS swearing that you have not done been working for money. 
7. Remember the border agents works in complete autonomy and there is no appeal when they decide to make your life miserable.  
8. Your border crossing records are kept for 6 yrs. (?) and one agent can refer back to allowances made in former years and call them into play now. 
9. There is no way around it because all computers in Canada and the USA are linked.  
10. Last but not least...border agents can monitor conversations you carry on in your car for a distance (1 mile?)  from the border.  And, if you stay for a time within 10 miles of the border (the hot zone) you might be called into question because that is where most illegal materials are exchanged for transport into or out of the countries.

All of the information needed to answer questions can be found within publications put out for the association.  If you are new to the snowbird life, I highly recommend that you contact these people and join the organization.  If you are in a large RV resort they may even come to make a presentation for you. If they do be sure to attend...is will make a difference in the end.  

I just thought you needed to know.  As a USA citizen I now have a new insight into what goes on at the border of our country.  Wow!

b (be sure to read the comments and leave your take on the whole thing)

PS:  I came on another incident that caused a traveler to be delayed for an extended period...be sure that the name on your airline ticket is the same as the one on your passport.  That too can be a problem.

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