Originally posted by StTitoI hear this stuff a lot, but no specifics. Aside from migrant workers, what jobs to illegal immigrants have that everyone else refuses to do? And the traveling slavery business isn't "necessary" either. Other farmers manage to find ways to plant and harvest their crops.
Funny I find myself employed in the "bloated bottom-heavy local economy" and I find very little competion from Mexicans or other legal or illegal immigrants. Now I am all infavor for enfocing the laws of the land, I think the laws work in keeping imigration to a manageble level. But trying to kick everyone out is just political posturing. It is not going to h ...[text shortened]... ervices" argument is bunk also. Hell without health care I AM a burden on social services.
I'm no advocate for migrant slavery either. The farm labour laws are not fair. I think the perception of immigrant workers are just that, migrant workers or day labourers, when a vast majority hold steady normal jobs. You just can't pull all these people out of the economy and expect things to be ok. I was being sarcastic about "bottom barrel jobs", like I said I work in the service industry and enjoy the lifestyle.
Originally posted by telerionAre you saying we need to lower the min wage?
Yes, let's pay more to subsidize unproductive workers! Why pay a hard-working Mexican $5/hr when you can pay a lazy American drop out $10/hr?
Why get cheap products when we can pay more for them?
Hell, just give those lazy bums some welfare too.
Kelly
Originally posted by StTitoI'd like to see your point put to the test!
Funny I find myself employed in the "bloated bottom-heavy local economy" and I find very little competion from Mexicans or other legal or illegal immigrants. Now I am all infavor for enfocing the laws of the land, I think the laws work in keeping imigration to a manageble level. But trying to kick everyone out is just political posturing. It is not going to h ...[text shortened]... ervices" argument is bunk also. Hell without health care I AM a burden on social services.
I think your running down American workers is not a reason to allow
people to come here against the laws of the land.
Kelly
Originally posted by KellyJayHmm . . . I'm not sure. Labor economists discuss the minimum wage quite a bit (and unfortunately, at least for this conversation, I'm not a labor economist). It's true that a wage floor will either increase prices, decrease provision/quality of the good/service produced, or both. Fact of the matter is, though, that only a small percentage of workers make minimum wage. Once you take out the 16-year-old kids, there's not many people left. If we're worried about the incomes of these very poor, then we could probably just increase other social transfers to them and be more efficient. Presumably we'd target workers with at least one child since I don't really want to subsidize the single guy that drops out of high school and works at McDonald's for the rest of his life.
Are you saying we need to lower the min wage?
Kelly
In terms of illegal immigration from Mexico, it would surprise me if increases in the minimum wage had more then a tiny effect on the flow of illegal immigrants. Quite a few of them will be making less than minimum wage anyway. Plus, if you're an employer would you rather have an illegal Mexican immigrant or an American whose skills are so low that they actually have to compete against the Mexican*? I mean if the American's English skills alone don't set him apart, then he's gotta be one aweful worker, right?
Of course, lowering the minimum wage is politically infeasible so the idea will always be hypothetical.
* - assuming you would pay them the same wage
Originally posted by StTitoJust so we're on the same page, we are talking about illegal immigration (primarily from Mexico) right?
I'm an American worker. I work side by side with imigrants and non. The only person I'm "running down" is desendants of imigrants making blank statements about imigrants.
Originally posted by telerionI think so. My feelings about illegal immigration (from anyplace) are different from my feelings of legal immigration, while acknowledging that the quota system is unfairly applied.
Just so we're on the same page, we are talking about illegal immigration (primarily from Mexico) right?