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Monday, March 7, 2011

Texas Bill 1202: Is It a Riddle or Just Hypocrisy?

All American gal, Debbie Riddle source
Thought the Civil War ended slavery? Texas Representative and tea party darling Debbie Riddle wants to bring it back! Under a bill she proposed (House Bill 1202), hiring an "unauthorized alien" would constitute a crime punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine, unless that is, they are hired to do household chores. ¿QuĂ©? Rep. Riddle reportedly wants Texas to institute an immigration law similar to the law in Arizona making it illegal to hire undocumented workers. However, there would be a loophole large enough to drive a truckload of illegal immigrants through for undocumented workers hired to provide maid, caretaker, lawnworker, or houseworker services. So, Texans don't have to fret about being fined for having houseslaves! 

Justifying this absurdity, Texas state Representative Aaron Pena stated that it is so common for Texans to have illegal immigrants working in their homes that it is "overlooked." He further explained that if the proposed law were to apply to all undocumented workers, including domestics and yard workers, "a large segment of the Texas population" would end up in prison. Thus, if undocumented workers wish to clean toilets or shovel fertilizer, the good people of Texas are okey dokey with that. After all, Americans don't want those jobs. If, however, they wish to find a skilled job with prospects of decent money or advancement, they can go back to where they came from. Do I have that right, Ms. Riddle?

Make no mistake: the loopholes created for this law are NOT to protect the undocumented workers. They are to protect the upper class who feel entitled to have their housekeepers and yard workers and nannies but not have to pay them decent wages or benefits. It is to the benefit of their employers that these workers remain illegally in the country so that they can be paid less than minimum wage and work under conditions that no legally hired worker could be subjected to. Because they fear deportation, they have no avenue for complaint if they are not paid or are abused. It's Gone With the Wind, Texas style.
¡Bienvenidos a Tara!


15 comments:

  1. Sounds...icky...and immoral, I'm from Canada, there's human trafficing going on up here for those jobs and more. Very sad all the way around.

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  2. Don't you just fucking hate hypocrites? I'm sorry for cursing on your blog, but I just fucking hate them.

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  3. Just in case I haven't told you before. DAMN, YOU'RE GOOD!!! How dumb can the people of Texas be to allow nonsense like this to even be put on paper? Duh, are there people idiotic enough to swallow this crap? Good job Lolamouse.

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  4. It's ASSININE and so is She and any others that pen their name on this bill!

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  5. Believe it or not, they are alive and well. Not just in Texas (they can get away with being overt about it because they are a stand alone nation with their own laws which are not challenged) Oklahoma, Arizona, Indiana all have their own self serving 'ordinances' that are applied at a whim. What the difference between Texas and the other states is the nature of insidiousness. Around me, I hear conotations, insinuations and subtleties that evince spontaneously in a everyday conversation. Of course maybe my ears are atuned to picking these things up. You'd think I was 'Mexican'.

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  6. I have no words to express how stupid that bill is.

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  7. *head*desk*head*desk*head*desk*

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  8. How on earth could decent citizens elect such a travesty of a woman to a position of such power? I had no idea about this modern version of slavery. Bravo for speaking out.

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  9. this is a scary scenario. very scary.

    trisha
    http://sharmishthabasu.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/slavery/

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  10. Holy cow. It amazes me that people are so willing to present their ridiculously pompous and racist ideas as viable legal policy.

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  11. Hi, Lola-- thanks for the blog. The Bill is actually HB 1202, not 2012 (as hilarious as that would be).

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  12. What the heck? That is downright wrong! Illegal is illegal. Period. I won't go off on my soapbox. I've already deleted half a page here. Thanks for enlightening us!

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  13. Rasquachi-Good catch! The article I originally read about the bill had it wrong! I double checked on the original legislation and you're quite right-it's 1202. The post is fixed. I hate having mistakes in my posts, so thank you so much!

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  14. I agree it's completely wrong, but like someone else said it's not something that isn't already seen all over the place..

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