They oppose amnesty and more foreign labor importation by just about as big a margin as the rest of us!
We need to make sure that our Members of Congress and state legislatures know about this.
I need you to please send a bunch of faxes to your elected officials immediately to make sure they understand that all the business lobbyists in their offices don’t speak for most business people.
Believe me, every one of these federal and state office-holders has felt the pressure of business lobbyists telling them that more and more foreign workers are necessary to keep business humming — and that they should take it easy on illegal aliens because they are also needed by business.
But this new poll finds that only a small percentage of business owners and executives agree with the lobbyists.
TOP BUSINESS OFFICIALS AGREE WITH US
Given the choice between neutrally worded options, this is how top executives of businesses answered about the best way to deal with the 12 million illegal aliens in the country:
59% said to increase enforcement at the workplace and elsewhere to cause the illegal aliens to go home over time.
30% agreed with business lobbyists that the best solution is to legalize the illegal workers and put them on a path to citizenship.
These are the people who are the president, the vice president, CEO, COO, CPO, CFO and Treasurer of corporations!
They agree with us that the illegal aliens should be pushed from their jobs so that millions of unemployed Americans can have them.
Who knew?
For 30 years, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other national lobbying organizations have made a lot of Americans hate business because they have been the primary reason annual immigration numbers have quadrupled and illegal immigration has grown out of control.
How nice to find out that most business executives are far more patriotic, commuity minded and concerned about the effect of immigration on regular working Americans.
SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AGREE WITH US EVEN MORE
Their answer to the choice was:
67% said to increase enforcement at the workplace and elsewhere to cause the illegal aliens to go home over time.
22% agreed with business lobbyists that the best solution is to legalize the illegal workers and put them on a path to citizenship.
The one national business group that has stood with Americans and represented its own constituents has been the NFIB (National Association of Independent Business).
Unlike most other business lobbying groups, the NFIB will only lobby if an overwhelming majority of its members agree. For years, it has polled its members on immigration and found pretty much what Zogy just found.
Because of that, NFIB has never lobbied for amnesty or more foreign workers. And it has been an endorser of Rep. Heath Shuler’s (D-N.C.) SAVE Act to force all businesses to use E-Verify to keep illegal aliens from getting jobs.
The Zogby poll, though, shows that all Chambers of Commerce (local, state and national) should be working with us to pass SAVE and to reduce overall immigration — if they are representing the majority of their members.
UNION HOUSEHOLDS THINK LIKE BUSINESS EXECUTIVES ON IMMIGRATION — THEY WANT LESS OF IT
Starting a decade ago, national union leaders stopped protecting American workers from the wage depression and job loss of high immigration and began lobbying for amnesties alongside the Chamber of Commerce.
But we have always known that American union households have not agreed with the switch.
Zogby found that likely voters in union households gave this response to the choice about what to do with 12 million illegal aliens:
58% said to increase enforcement at the workplace and elsewhere to cause the illegal aliens to go home over time (compared to 59% for business executives).
28% agreed with business lobbyists that the best solution is to legalize the illegal workers and put them on a path to citizenship (compared to 30% for business executives).
By the way, the poll of ALL likely voters in America found them favoring enforcement over amnesty by 61% to 26%.
Friends, the business and union lobbyists have incredible influence as they walk the halls of your state Capitol and of the U.S. Capitol here in Washington.
It is up to you to help your elected officials understand that those lobbyists don’t have troops behind them . . . but you do.
ROY BECK is Founder & CEO of NumbersUSA