Final Word from Monday, August 25, 2008
There's a racially charged joke about what it takes to obtain a green card to live and work in America. "If you're rich, educated and white, forget it. If you're poor, unskilled and dark, come on over!" ČSSD is singing a variation of this in opposing ODS's green-card law. Emboldened by reports of tuberculosis among Mongolians at Foxconn, ČSSD is warning against third-world foreigners who spread disease and create ghettos. It's ironic that it's ČSSD, given that it was its former chair, Vladimír Špidla, who presciently predicted that foreigners would one day make up 10% of the population. ODS is merely continuing this social policy, under the guise of helping manufacturers. ČSSD would do better to point out that bringing in foreigners to do menial jobs will encourage even more Czechs to take advantage of welfare by becoming full-time couch potatoes, but that wouldn't play as well among its electorate.[Czech Republic social democrats TB FDI]
Glossary of difficult words
couch potato - a person who spends a great deal of time watching television and not doing much else;
racially charged - strongly suggesting racism;
Foxconn - a contract manufacturer with operations in the CR;
emboldened by - given the courage or confidence to do something or behave in a certain way;
presciently - having or showing knowledge of events before they take place;
under the guise of - concealing the true nature of something;
menial - (of work) not requiring much skill and lacking prestige;
to play as well - to sell as well, go over as well;
electorate - voters.