by John Young
Right now there are moratoriums in effect on evictions, turning off electric service and so forth. But when those moratoriums expire — and they WILL eventually expire under pressure from businesses — you are going to see a bloodbath.
In June of 2020, President Trump signed an executive order putting a hold on H-1B, H4, L-1 and J-1 visas, because the lockdowns and shutdowns from the Coronavirus imported from China have resulted in 26 million unemployed Americans and 10 million underemployed Americans. His reasoning is that during such an economic crisis, it would be unconscionable to force Americans put out of work through no fault of their own to compete with cheap foreign labor for the few jobs available.
Anyone who actually cared about Americans — of any race — would certainly support such a move. Ordinary Americans, including highly skilled workers, are poised on an economic precipice, on the verge of unprecedented evictions, foreclosures, bankruptcies and homelessness.
Try to act shocked, but that pillar of patriotism, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has filed a lawsuit (3:20-cv-04887) on behalf of their 300,000 members claiming the executive order is unconstitutional. Their appetite for cheap labor is so insatiable that it cannot be sated. And frankly, my dear, they just don’t give a damn what happens to Americans so long as they get their personal extra $10 in profit.
People will make theoretical arguments about economics, “free” markets and so forth all day long. And maybe some of those arguments have real merit. But I want to break this down to a different level.
Americans are our neighbors, our family members, our extended family members. And to some degree, unless we are so wealthy we think we can separate ourselves from it, whatever affects other Americans will also affect US. That is to say, the environmental, cultural and social conditions that result from the phenomenon of 26 million newly unemployed and 10 million underemployed will affect all of us, even if we are among those who still have jobs.
If you are someone who perhaps is not getting foreclosed, you can be sure that the value of your own property will be reduced when 1/4th of the properties in your neighborhood goes up for auction, and end up boarded up for a few years.
So even if you are not personally directly affected by this massive level of unemployment, you most certainly will be affected indirectly. Right now there are moratoriums in effect on evictions, turning off electric service and so forth. But when those moratoriums expire — and they WILL eventually expire under pressure from businesses — you are going to see a bloodbath.
Suicides are already on the rise among already high-risk populations.
So when the Chamber of Commerce sues to bring in cheap labor rather than being willing to invest in what is usually minor required training of existing Americans, you need to understand what the underlying mindset really represents.
It represents not just a hatred of those who desperately need — and are qualified for — work. It represents a fundamental callous disregard for Americans as a whole. It is a desire for profit so insatiable that it literally doesn’t care if people die tomorrow so long as one extra dollar is derived today.
Our founding fathers understood that liberty was always balanced by responsibility. The Chamber of Commerce wants liberty for profit while socializing the profound and devastating social consequences that will be many times greater than the profits they derive. But they don’t care, because they (think) they won’t personally pay it.
This is the sort of thinking that can no longer be accepted by anyone with any shred of human decency.