Comments on: News Click: Gray Market Housing Helps Immigrants

By: Dresden

Dresden — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 05:17:56 +0000

We were discussing helping immigrants legalize illegal partitions in various apartments, making their residential situation less prone to DOB crackdowns. Like there are any… in a city with falling cranes.

I do want to help the immigrants. I want to help them make their own nations worthwhile places to stay in. Fuck American Apparel – foreign sweatshops are good things. Those people are happy to have jobs. Dov is a self-absorbed wanker hiding behind social justice. Eventually there will be a global middle class, and it won’t be living in south central LA.

By: ricmac01

ricmac01 — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:37:22 +0000

And, in Bushwick, stainless steel appliances!!

So, illegal immigrants, the moral of the story is that if you’re going to road-rage do it in the Road Rage Capital – Miami. Oh, yeah – what were we talking about?

By: Dresden

Dresden — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:17:21 +0000

Have you looked around? Basic human rights? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any.

By: mopar

mopar — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:18:30 +0000

Granite kitchens for everyone!

By: Professional Alternative

Professional Alternative — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:14:47 +0000

You seem to be defining “rights” rather broadly. I’m not talking about the right to health care or the right to really good ice cream, but basic human rights, like that of being left alone if one is minding his own business, as most people, including immigrants legal and illegal, do.

Your little anecdote has little to do with the root of the issue we’re discussing and is a purposeful and pretty weak diversion.

By: Dresden

Dresden — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:05:48 +0000

San Francisco gave illegal immigrants sanctuary until the unconsciable law allowed the unconsciable to happen – an illegal immigrant who would have been deported ended up killing a father and two sons in a road rage incident.

http://www.numbersusa.com/content/news/july-22-2008/widow-blames-san-francisco-sanctuary-pol.html

Adding insult to injury, this illegal immigrant will most likely not face the death penalty due to the SF DA’s pledge to never pursue it.

Even the wackiest liberal wouldn’t say illegals have the right to dodge deportation 100% of the time.

By: Dresden

Dresden — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:29:10 +0000

I admire illegal immigrants. A lot. They are strong, resilient, and in the sense of LIFE, I believe they are closer to the “Zeitgeist” than spic and span middle America.

That being said, I wonder what sort of rights I would get if I illegally emigrated to any of their nations?

Should we give them health care? We don’t give OURSELVES health care!!!

By: Professional Alternative

Professional Alternative — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:04:25 +0000

Your argument is that they are illegal therefore they should not have a chance to be legal. That’s circular.

Even the wackiest conservative wouldn’t say illegals have NO rights.

By: Dresden

Dresden — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:33:49 +0000

“A legalization of their status would be great for their bargaining power, of course, and should be encouraged.”

Why should we encourage this? They don’t have rights. They aren’t citizens. Why would we want to help their bargaining power? They are ILLEGAL.

By: Professional Alternative

Professional Alternative — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:19:13 +0000

Oh god, get real. Nobody listens to head-in-the-clouds populism — just ask the NYU brats. Seizing property and defenestrating the rich never did anything good for any economy. Nobody NEEDS to live in New York. If you WANT to, you have to pay.

Tenement conditions never disappeared, I can’t even imagine where that idea might come from. Bushwick has been one big crumbling tenement for 40 years. Public housing is practically synonymous with blight and crime and a complete cultural and societal breakdown. More of the same will not improve life for anyone.

Fortunately, this new wave of immigrants is using these inexpensive spaces as either a spring pad toward a new life here or as a temporary way station where they can make money and then go home. A legalization of their status would be great for their bargaining power, of course, and should be encouraged.