Comments on: The Gardener of Eden http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/09/29/the-gardener-of-eden/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:49:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: grumpypilgrim http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/09/29/the-gardener-of-eden/comment-page-1/#comment-3655 grumpypilgrim Sun, 01 Oct 2006 04:16:33 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=583#comment-3655 Erich mentioned social security taxes and how the government "seems not to be using much effort to require businesses to investigate the credentials of its workers before hiring them." Indeed, one reason why so little effort is put into finding illegal immigrants is that many of them have invalid social security numbers that cause employers to pay social security taxes on their behalf...and the Social Security Administration is happy to accept those taxes knowing that the beneficiaries will never collect. Erich mentioned social security taxes and how the government “seems not to be using much effort to require businesses to investigate the credentials of its workers before hiring them.” Indeed, one reason why so little effort is put into finding illegal immigrants is that many of them have invalid social security numbers that cause employers to pay social security taxes on their behalf…and the Social Security Administration is happy to accept those taxes knowing that the beneficiaries will never collect.

]]> By: Erich Vieth http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/09/29/the-gardener-of-eden/comment-page-1/#comment-3644 Erich Vieth Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:25:07 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=583#comment-3644 I haven't researched this at all, but I do have to wonder how hard we are working to make certain that workers are legally in America. After all, businesses are obligated to pay social security taxes on behalf of all workers. If the worker doesn't have a SSN, to whom are these businesses paying those taxes? I suspect that our federal government speaks out of both sides of its mouth--how else would it be that millions of undocumented workers are here. The Government publicly SAYS that undocumented workers should not be here. Simultaneously, it seems not to be using much effort to require businesses to investigate the credentials of its workers before hiring them. It's not the our government is turning its eye for the benefit of the workers (industrious people, as you suggest). It would be for the benefit of the businesses that hire them. It is for the reasons you suggest that the system plods along in this two-faced way. I agree with you that we ought to put everything on the table and make clear decisions about what we are going to do about undocumented workers and their families. I don't see such a conversation happening any time soon, for the same reason that we don't have honest conversations regarding most things: an utterly corrupt system for financing elections. I haven’t researched this at all, but I do have to wonder how hard we are working to make certain that workers are legally in America. After all, businesses are obligated to pay social security taxes on behalf of all workers. If the worker doesn’t have a SSN, to whom are these businesses paying those taxes? I suspect that our federal government speaks out of both sides of its mouth–how else would it be that millions of undocumented workers are here. The Government publicly SAYS that undocumented workers should not be here. Simultaneously, it seems not to be using much effort to require businesses to investigate the credentials of its workers before hiring them.

It’s not the our government is turning its eye for the benefit of the workers (industrious people, as you suggest). It would be for the benefit of the businesses that hire them. It is for the reasons you suggest that the system plods along in this two-faced way. I agree with you that we ought to put everything on the table and make clear decisions about what we are going to do about undocumented workers and their families. I don’t see such a conversation happening any time soon, for the same reason that we don’t have honest conversations regarding most things: an utterly corrupt system for financing elections.

]]> By: hogiemo http://dangerousintersection.org/2006/09/29/the-gardener-of-eden/comment-page-1/#comment-3627 hogiemo Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:32:33 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=583#comment-3627 We have federal and state minimum wage laws to protect workers from exploitation. Recently, the Congress failed to raise the US minimum wage because the raise was linked legislatively to a permanent repeal of the estate tax. As for the rest, we have choices to make as consumers like boycotting Wal*Mart because it imports 10% of all imports in the US from China which has murdered 1.2 million Tibetans, imprisoned persons for their religious beliefs and subjected such prisoners to prison slavery to manufacture goods sold in America and to forced organ donation. I believe we have an obligation as citizens to hold corporations and our elected representatives (they aren't the same people, President Bush and Republicans!) accountable. To that end, I declare that I will start a non-profit organization with the express purpose of educating the public about abuses of power and privilege, regardless of partisan concerns. The new organization will stand for people and, for the world in which we all live. If we choose, we may have the world which our children inherit be a place which reflects justice and peace. We have federal and state minimum wage laws to protect workers from exploitation. Recently, the Congress failed to raise the US minimum wage because the raise was linked legislatively to a permanent repeal of the estate tax.

As for the rest, we have choices to make as consumers like boycotting Wal*Mart because it imports 10% of all imports in the US from China which has murdered 1.2 million Tibetans, imprisoned persons for their religious beliefs and subjected such prisoners to prison slavery to manufacture goods sold in America and to forced organ donation.

I believe we have an obligation as citizens to hold corporations and our elected representatives (they aren’t the same people, President Bush and Republicans!) accountable. To that end, I declare that I will start a non-profit organization with the express purpose of educating the public about abuses of power and privilege, regardless of partisan concerns. The new organization will stand for people and, for the world in which we all live.

If we choose, we may have the world which our children inherit be a place which reflects justice and peace.

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