Immigrant labor
...es some of the historic ethnic racism that has taken place simply because of skin color and perceived notions, and how it has affected modern relations between Mexican-Americans and whites. This article shows that identity and skin color still play a large part in poverty, racial strife, and hatred, and that Americans have not come as far as many might think in the war against hatred and racial inequity. There are several main points in the article that the author uses to back up his allegations. One of the most compelling is what he begins his article with, the consequences of California's Proposition 187 on immigrant workers and their families, including the lack of adequate health care and educational opportunities. The author goes on to discuss the white voters who voted for passage of Prop 187, and what they hoped to gain by passing this clearly racist and inflammatory legislation, yet the proponents of the measure denied any racist animosity behind the legislation. The author also showed some of the ways English speakers retaliated against Mexican-Americans in the first days of the new laws, and how Governor Pete Wilson lost huge numbers in his approval ratings as his own racist feelings were revealed on the subject. The author then notes how Mexican-Americans add to the American economy with taxes and purchasing goods and services, and that many of the jobs they perform would go undone if left to the white community. The author also discusses the political parties' support and resistance to the proposed Proposition, and shows how Prop 187 was just one in a long history of U.S. laws geared to blaming economic and societal woes on immigrants. He also discusses how immigrant labor provides tax incentives for many businesses, and how many companies have left workers high and dry in the United States when they have taken their jobs overseas to China, Mexico, or India, to name a few. He also talks about how many ethnic studies have helped people understand the disparities that form between ethnic members of a society, and how to combat th...