Logicalinsanity

One of the most enraged arguments I hear against illegal immigration is that it takes away jobs for American citizens. However, I rarely see the same kind of outrage applied towards the common practice of outsourcing labor internationally. This also removes job opportunities for Americans and carries the additional disadvantage of their wages not being recycled into our economy.

Although some may argue that illegal immigrants are criminals, and thus, deserving of greater contempt - couldn't this also be true for companies that indulge outsourced labor performed by children? Common companies like Nike, Gap, Walmart, Coca-Cola..heck...even Firestone tires have indulged child labor.

So my question is ultimately for those who express the most hostility against illegal immigration. Do you feel similarly about outsourced foreign labor with regard to the lost employment opportunities for American citizens? If yes, do you express your position as aggressively?

In case it matters, I am not arguing the necessity of outsourced labor. Given our economic demands for low prices and high profits - I get why outsourced labor is a reality, if not a necessity in our culture. This question is motivated more by a desire to understand if people see (or will admit) a correlation between the examples set out above.

Outsourcing of Jobs Debate:

http://www.createdebate.com/debate/show/Outsourcin...

Child Labor Violations:

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/09/11/childl...

http://www1.american.edu/TED/nike.htm

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0610-01.ht...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2004/may/13/7

I hear repeated arguments that access to regular, preventative health care is not a right. That it is something you earn by working hard and securing a good job. That people who can't afford health care (yet don't qualify for poverty level aid) were just too lazy to educate themselves and find gainful employment.

However, how can any society exist without a portion of the population providing unskilled, low-wage labor? Who would work in our factories, serve our food, clean our toilets, drive our supply trucks and perform the multitude of other tasks we rely on every single day to maintain our quality of life?

Our society is completely dependent on the existence of this unskilled, low-wage working class....yet we treat them as if they are inferior to those who have had a better education and secure higher paid jobs.

If - as a society - we cannot function without them, yet the wage they're paid for work isn't enough to cover basic health care services...how is this not our problem? Or rather, how can you claim it is their own fault for being too poor...when your very way of life depends on the low-wage services they provide?

Although I see a lot of banter here regarding the fiscal consequences of health care reform, I rarely see much focus on the moral dilemma.

So my questions are:

1. IS there a moral dilemma? If yes or no, could you explain why?

2. If you answered yes to above: Do you consider the moral issue more or less important than the fiscal concerns?

3. If you feel there is a moral issue, but oppose any public option:

Is there another option you support that you feel satisfies the moral concerns involved with this issue?

If no, how do you reconcile the conflict between morality and reality in terms of your personal value system?