Illegal Immigration

There's a guy that I often see standing on the corner with an old fashion picketing sign. He's even got a flag holster thingy to help him carry his sign which is quite large. There's a message on each side of the sign that he alternates showing to people as they wait at the traffic light. The man is anti-illegal immigration. He's been protesting the alleged use of illegal immigrant labor by Verizon to dig FIOS lines all over Chesterfield County. Actually, it's a subcontractor that Verizon has hired to do the work. The man has also protested in front of a local fast food restaurant claiming that the owner of the restaurant hires and boards illegal aliens.

In a strange way, I have a lot of respect for this guy. Here's a guy that feels so passionate about an issue that he spends a good portion of his day protesting in an effort to bring about change. His message on his board is clear, professional, and non-partisan. He seems a little goofy and kookie but I still have respect for the guy.

All that said, I don't necessarilly agree/disagree with the guy. Personally, I do think that there should be stricter laws that punish employers that hire illegals. But I also think it's not practical to ship all the illegals home and build a big wall on the border. Part of me also turns a blind eye to the whole practice. Let's face it. There aren't enough people in this country willing to pick lettuce or other menial tasks that illegals are willing to do. In Germany, where unemployment is at about 10%, farmers can't find any Germans to perform field work. The only people that they can find are immigrants. I don't pretend to have any solutions to this issue, and I think that it is an issue that needs fixing. But I think that there are more important issues to deal with at this point in time.