Hardworking

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Today, as I purchased groceries I was mad because I had nothing left over to tip my bagboy.  Here in Mexico, those who can work and those who cant try.  I am surrounded by disabled men selling me candy at every bus stop, women selling me their home made goods at every street corner and children bagging my groceries at the store.  When I first got here part of me, like my husband did a double take at the children lined up that cash registers waiting to bag your groceries in hope of a small tip.  Sometimes 7 maybe 8 years old it is expected that when needed and while not in school even the smallest members of a family contribute to its well being and sometimes it’s a parents way of teaching morals, values and most important the value of money.  The American part of me (because after 23 years I feel like I have one) wants to detest the fact that small children are working like that, but the Mexican part of me (the part that still has memories of being a child here) is also proud of the way my people rise to the need. 

 

In the U.S. people like me and my family are described as thieves and criminals.  Often being accused of taking “American jobs” when in fact most often it is us who do the jobs Americans aren’t willing to do.  I’ve seen Americans holding signs that read “will work for food” and “why lie, need beer” while brown people like me stand on the side of the roads selling flowers and oranges.  We are criticized for selling those items but what no one stops to notice is that as a culture we are taught to work.  For better or worst we are taught we can’t get ahead in life unless we work.  Glen Beck talks about what a drain we are on the U.S. when in fact immigrants do not qualify for any social services, not Medical or Medicaid, not Unemployment and certainly not Welfare like people scream about.  If people stopped and thought about it, you need social security numbers in order to access these services.  When you are undocumented you do not have a social security number.  However, undocumented workers pay into all these systems even when they work illegally.  Employers must remove a Social Security tax, state taxes, federal taxes and medical taxes.  If you contribute to these systems but cant access them, what happens to all that money?  The truth is that the U.S. needs us as much as we need the U.S.  That money goes unclaimed and benefits those “citizens” who can access the services.  At the end of the year the IRS takes its share as well.  Undocumented or not the IRS wants its share and they even provide a Tax Payer Identification Number (TIN) so that no person gets away without paying their share of taxes.  Of course like in any country there are those individuals who take advantage of the systems and just like there are undocumented people who may take part of systems that don’t apply to them there are plenty of citizens who do the same.  I know plenty of “citizens” who rather than go back to work in a minimum wage job will take all the unemployment money the government will give them.  Once exhausted they scream and bitch, complain and blame for not having the benefits anymore.  I know this to be a fact because I know some of those people personally.  Then when there are actual needy individuals they are short changed, given the run around and scrutinized for needing the services.  There are good and not so good people who take use services wisely and those who take advantage of it.  Should we devalue those who need it because of those who exploit it?  Last I checked it’s the U.S. where you are innocent until proven guilty.  Unless you need welfare or an unemployed, then you must be punished for being poor.