The new Immigration law/debacle in Arizona

My readers know that my parents are immigrants - first generation to England after the emancipation of Jamaica, a former British colony. Many great countries are built on the backs of their hardworking immigrants - taking jobs that most Americans or even Europeans, for that matter - don't want to do.

Years ago, whilst working in preparation for the Olympics of 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah - I recall vividly a raid on airport workers - they rounded up nursing mothers - separating them from their not-yet-weaned babies - I watched them put them all into paddy wagons or vans designated to harbor the disenfranchised.

I fielded many phone calls from disgruntled residents - many of whom wanted to know how they could apply for those jobs that had been "taken from them" by these undocumented workers. Turns out they didn't really want to work for barely over minimum wage - turns out they mostly wanted to vent and have some innocent bystander listen to their rantings about undocumented aliens.

The ACLU is poised to address this issue and I know they are working overtime to make sure that they are ready to meet any challenge.

I hope to be able to attend a rally supporting immigrants in New York - how thankful I am for the leadership of Mayor Mike Bloomberg who supports immigrants and recognizes the vibrancy that they bring to our lives - this is not about who cleans your hotel room or who busses your table - this is about giving opportunities to all who desire to come to America.

There has to be a humane and orderly way to do this - in the meantime - "Ihre Papiere bitte" - to which I would be tempted to reply: "Do I look illegal?"

Anything Europe does, I love it - yes, I do have some biases.

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/03/29/europes-solution-take-more-time-off/

This amazing story showed up on the Times blogs today.

It speaks of the different countries in Europe and how they are managing their respective workforces during times of an economic downturn. Contrary to their American confreres, they are not laying off, they are putting workers on shorter work weeks or furloughs, as in the case of my brother in law who works for Ford Motor Company. Of course, he would rather work his regular hours and have a full paycheck, but in this case, 1/2 a paycheck is better than no paycheck at all.

Last week, I was visiting with a coworker - we chatted briefly about our respective families and then he said something that was quite remarkable - he was glad that his family was all employed. It was said so simply and with a sense of reverence, even deep gratitude.

I mused over his reaction and comment for the rest of the week and shared the story with another coworker today. Ironically, we have had a few layoffs where I work in recent weeks and the mood has been quite sombre, morose, even and certainly not without great duress, given the nature of having to lay people off.

In the case of the small non profit where I work, having those individuals remain even on a part time basis was simply not feasible. The monies are running out and in a few short years, the organization will likely cease to exist, short of some extraordinary fundraising efforts. Granted, every effort is being made to see that the closure does not come, hence the laying off of two staffers.

That stated, what if we in America would look to our European counterparts for guidance - shorter work weeks, job sharing, longer vacation times, etc.

If you read the article whereof I speak, you will be perhaps surprised as I to find that of those who have been laid off in this countryin the last 12 months, 6 in 10 workers have not received any unemployment benefits.

It is time to rethink how we work in this country - Utah is leading the charge - the governor implemented a 4 day work week some months ago, to save on gas prices. Other states should follow suit.

By a margin of 5 to 1, why do Europeans prefer Obama?

My English brothers in law are thrilled at the change that is engulfing America.

Years ago, prior to the Iraqi war, my neice named Bush a warmonger. She was a teen for the summer in the US as a volunteer at a camp for underprivileged youth. She saw the writing on the wall, even at her tender age.

Europeans are yearning for a time when they can again love their American brothers and sisters. No more of this"Big I, little You!" Bush's way of diplomacy. No more fist slamming, rubbing the shoulders of Angela Merkel inappropriately, I might add - and to do that to a German to boot - they are, after all, less than warm and fuzzy - I know - I lived there for 7 years and almost married one. No more of this "we know better than you" nonsense.

Finally, a true diplomat - one who, in spite of his relative youth (he is just a year shy of my 45 years) - gets diplomacy at its very core. His foreign relations advisors number some 300, vs McCain's 30. Who is it who is serious about foreigh policy again? Which candidate is making the most progress?

I can speak for my European family members, and for myself when I say - we all want to be the change that Obama speaks of.