Forgoing jobs for a reason

Immigration issues are complex, and I do not have a plan for solving them. But I do have a response to the letter of Sept. 4 regarding the jobs we can’t get Americans to do. The writer suggests that, if Americans were hungry enough, and if we removed the safety nets that allow them not to work, they would be willing to do those very jobs.

The writer needs to be reminded that those jobs are filled by maids, nannies, restaurant dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and field workers. The jobs are under the table and do not provide minimum wage or the benefits that include workers’ compensation for on-the-job injuries and unemployment insurance, to which safety nets the American workers contribute through their wages.

Yes, I agree that America was built on hard work, but I disagree that America rewards sloth. The America that I know has believed for decades that its workers should receive a fair reward for their hard work. Yes, immigrants are willing to do jobs that Americans are not willing to do – not willing for very valid reasons.

Charlotte Thacker

Spokane