But who will pick our cotton?

That’s what slave-state Democrats said about abolition in the 1800s. Their  whole economy, their way of life, would collapse without slaves.

Of course it didn’t. Disruption, sure. But not collapse.  

Today they’re saying pretty much the same thing about removing illegals.  

Only it’s not slave state Democrats anymore.  It’s Hollywood types, sports celebrities, mainstream media talking heads, farmers, hotel owners,  contractors, and  especially  affluent liberals.  

They are saying  we rely on cheap illegal migrant labor. Our economy, our way of life, our standard of living would suffer without them. Sound familiar?

It’s actually just about money. And profits. And convenience. And control.  Illegals work cheaper and live in fear of being kicked out. That makes them more pliable for the people paying them. It also makes them more vulnerable to pressure. There’s clearly a power imbalance that some employers readily exploit.

In that way it’s akin to modern day slavery, when it comes to control. They aren’t being threatened with physical punishment, that’s true. But they have to live under the possibility that someone, somewhere could easily turn them in or fire them if they step too far out of line, demand too much, or challenge those in charge of them.

It could happen to them for any reason. At any time. Suddenly, without warning, and cast aside on a whim. Then what do they do?     

The people who employ them – whether in construction, as nannies, in meat packing plants, or as gardeners, for example – like that power. Oh, they’re not saying it out loud that way. That would expose to all their selfishness. As well as the fact they are taking advantage of the same illegals they claim to love so much and want to protect from deportation. 

So instead the people and businesses taking advantage of illegals promote a narrative that it’s simply cruel to deport their illegal migrant landscapers, nannies, handymen, dishwashers and others they say are just trying to make a better life.  Even though they know they’re paying them far less than they should. And not always treating them as well as they should, either.

People knowingly employing illegals at their home should be ashamed. Businesses owners that do this should be charged. NGOs profiting off illegals should also be charged.  And Democrats that encouraged mass migration of illegals just to pad their census numbers for redistricting purposes and to get more Federal money, should also pay a heavy price. 

It’s one thing to say deporting illegals is un-American. Or it goes against our values. Or it’s heartless, particularly when someone has been here illegally for years already. But it’s quite another to keep illegals here just for profit and power.

There are those who say many illegals may have started a family here. And that they aren’t really criminals, are they?

Well, except for coming here illegally, stealing and using fake SS numbers, engaging in identity theft to fraudulently collect benefits for our citizens alone, lying about their status and forging documents to get a driver’s license or a bank loan, overburdening our schools and hospitals – okay there’s all that. And more.

But is that really such a big deal?   

Why yes it is. All of that is indeed illegal.

I have sympathy for people coming here for a better life. There are legal ways to do that. It’s not easy, and it can be expensive. I know because I’ve helped some employees through the process to become citizens. Those who do it deserve praise.

But I have nothing but contempt for the politicians pretending their compassion for illegals is the only reason they opened our borders and released millions of people we essentially know nothing about into our country.  

They didn’t do this out of compassion. They did it for money and power, plain and simple. Now that we’re trying to clear out the worst of the worst, it’s becoming clear to many Americans why they’re fighting so hard to stop the deportations.

It’s not about principles. Never has been.

It’s always been about the same two things: profit and power. 

So were they really just acquaintances?

Someone I know once said he had many acquaintances. But far fewer friends.

That made a great deal of sense to me.

We all know a lot of people we like, and enjoy spending time with, but not that many who would be there for us – and we for them – no matter what.

These are acquaintances. Maybe we would be there for them no matter what, but it’s far less certain whether they would be for us.  That doesn’t make you like them less, or think ill of them, but it should lower your expectations of how deep your relationship is.

Think of it this way: you probably know hundreds of people on a first-name basis. You’ve gotten close to a much smaller set – had drinks with them, maybe dinner out, or hung out together. Colloquially, they’d be called “friends” but in reality, they are just people you are friendly with, and they with you. They are, in fact, actually acquaintances.  

Now think of how many people you could really call a friend. Think carefully. Forget whether they could call on you in any emergency, you would pick them up if their car broke down, or you’d give them the safety of your home if they felt threatened.  Or if you’d be willing to put yourself at some risk, financially or otherwise, to help them out of a bad situation with no expectation of something in return.  

In short, don’t use what you think you’d do as the standard for a friend.  We tend to have unrealistically high opinions of ourselves until tested. Even if you’ve already done those things for people you know, don’t expect everyone else to do the same.

Real friends do all that and more if needed, not to earn your friendship or with an expectation of something in return, but simply to help you out. You may never need that help, however you know if they could they’d come through.   

I suspect I may have four or five real friends today.  I’ve probably had many more in my life, who, for whatever reason, are now lost to me, most likely because our lives or careers simply diverged. I still think of many of them fondly and at times wistfully remembering the good times we shared. I hope they feel the same about me. 

So now I’m down to about four.  That’s probably about average for many men if they were honest with themselves.  Of those, almost everyone has been a friend of mine for decades, from college, from work, from a mutual acquaintance, or someplace else. Whatever it was, we’ve always been there for each other.

They could call me up at any time and I’d always be glad to talk for as long as they liked.  I call them every now and then, too, and they give freely of their time as well. We’re never too busy for each other. We laugh, we commiserate, we enjoy each other. Here’s the strange part, and maybe why they are really friends: weeks or even months can pass between calls or emails, yet as soon as we make contact again, it’s like no time has elapsed at all. 

We don’t always agree politically, culturally, or whatever, but we remain friends. Our friendship transcends our differences.   

Think about that. Especially now when politics has divided so many people who always considered others as “friends” can no longer even speak to one another.

Over politics, of all things.

So were they ever really friends? Perhaps not.