Geraldo was on Fox News the other day making the case for immigration. His argument was immigrants do the jobs Americans refuse to do, like mowing lawns, cleaning, nannies, etc.
While I strongly favor legal immigration, these elitist arguments drive me crazy.
Why?
I am a small business person. Guess what, I frequently have to clean toilets. I might not enjoy it, but it is part of running a successful business and creating a nice environment for my customers. American citizens proudly mow my lawns. Lots of Americans I know earned their first dollars baby sitting.
As Geraldo looks down his long elitist nose at people who do this work - surely they must be less then human (well American human), what he does not realize is a lot of ordinary Americans have to do these mundane tasks every day.
His views are not just elitist, they are down right racist.
Does he think so little of the "low lifes" that are not American citizens, that he believes all they can do is mow lawns and scrub toilets. That is simply insulting to so many highly skilled professionals - Doctors, Programmers, Business People, Entertainers, etc.
In the same conversation he is saying how great it is that unemployment (especially black and hispanic unemployment) are at all time lows and their wages are growing. Yet he is arguing to bring in lots of people to compete at the "low" end of the market and drive the wages of America's lowest earners down - hitting a whole new level of racism and economic ignorance.
I am sure Geraldo would argue he is not a racist, after all the elite are never racists. I am sure his arguments make perfect sense on the cocktail circuit. My answer to him would be that I do not believe you are a racist - but some of the views you espouse are. Play them back to yourself slowly and think about it. Talk to (not at or down to) real Americans.
I strongly support LEGAL immigration - but elites like Geraldo do not help the cause.