Monsters on Maple Street

Now that the economy is falling to bits, a few good Americans are looking to blame someone, some group, anyone for job losses. Not surprisingly as tensions increase with the increase in jobless rates and layoffs, undocumented workers are being blamed for taking jobs from hard working Americans. This is more of the same fear mongering and falsehoods we have heard for years now. We should not focus on fear mongering and blaming the undocumented immigrants for the downfall of the American economy. If a company can pay an undocumented $2.00 USD per hour as opposed to $7.25 USD per hour, it will save millions of dollars each year in wages. Why do you think there is little or no corporate support for immigration reform? Companies would have to reduce their bottom line if they pay workers the federal minimum wage. Undocumented immigrants are a good business practice when profit is the only goal. Undocumented immigration is a problem, but it must be addressed humanely and with an eye always on justice and compassion. They are not the root of the problem. Undocumented immigrants work, sometimes several jobs. They do pay taxes every time they make a purchase with their earnings.  It is the greed of the capitalist that has always been the root of economic woes in this country. It is greed that permits an old man to freeze to death in his home because he can't afford his electric bill. It is greed that has moved millions of jobs off shore because the labor is cheaper and there are no unions and fair labor laws to protect the workers. It is greed that is the destruction of our economy. From Wall Street to Main Street, greed is the driving force. We have no one to blame for the failure of the U.S. economy except ourselves. We have borrowed and spent ourselves into a corner. We can not blame anyone but ourselves for exploiting easy credit and living beyond our means. Oh yes America, there are Monsters on Maple Street - they are US.

The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children, and the children yet unborn.

The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street, Twilight Zone 1960