Opiods, The American Work Ethic And Illegal Immigrants

     In response to an article about the high level of opioid use in the United States that is keeping up to 20 per cent of men out of the labor force, a contractor made a comment that if not for hard working illegal immigrants, the United States would be in trouble. He added that illegal immigrants that are criminals should be deported, but not honest, hard working people.
      Ronald Reagan gave a pathway to legitimacy for illegal immigrants that were hardworking and honest. People nowadays want to demonize and punish this population. One thing that continues to change for the worse is a decline in a strong work ethic. Drug addiction, from both prescription and street drugs, also continues to be an enormous problem.  A strong work ethic is common in the population of illegal immigrants - the people willing to do the hard jobs that few Americans are willing or able to do. Meanwhile, the drug habits of Americans destabilizes neighborhoods, communities, and entire countries. American drug habits have made criminals, gangs and terrorists rich and powerful. And there is no end in sight. It is just easier, and apparently politically palatable, to simply go after hard working, honest illegal immigrants.