Importing Poverty: The Cheap Labor Trap

AmericanEconomicAlert.org ^ | Monday, September 05, 2005 | William R. Hawkins

[mlc9852]

Get a better education - get a better job. Start your own business. Stop whining.

[Willie Green]

William Hawkins ping!!!

[Willie Green]

Please take time to read the article before posting an uninformed response.

[mlc9852]

I read it.

[Lizavetta]

Poverty isn't defined in this article, and "poverty" wages in one part of the country wouldn't be in another.

[Rodney King]

This was particularly true in the blue collar category where immigrants accounted for nearly 700% of the new jobs

I assume he means 70%. Anyway, for those of you watching "Rome" on HBO, the last episode had an interesting line by the bad-ass legionnaire when he said that he would march with Caesar on Rome because the Roman's were all unemployed as the slaves are doing all of the labor.

[BlackbirdSST]

Get a better education - get a better job. Start your own business. Stop whining.

Amongst the most stupid remarks I've ever heard on FReeRepublic. Good going. Blackbird.

[austinite]

Article makes total sense however, I predict the Free traders/open border crowd will have a field day trying to rebutt.

There is no illegal immigration problem, nothing to see here. Move on.

[Willie Green]

I read it.

My apologies.
I couldn't detect any subtantive content in your response to indicate that you did.
It's entirely my fault.

[1rudeboy]

I predict the Free traders/open border crowd will have a field day trying to rebutt.

Just out of curiousity, can you name one member here who is part of the "free trade/open borders" crowd and ping him or her to this thread? I have yet to meet one.

[Willie Green]

This thread is a candidate for your illegal immigration ping list.

[1rudeboy]

At the beginning:
Indeed, the Census Bureau also reported that "2004 marked the second consecutive year in which real median household income showed no change."

At the end:
But to keep on that path, the flood of unskilled and impoverished aliens needs to be halted before they further drag down American living standards.

If median income shows no change, then that means that for every "poor" alien, another "rich" one (alien or otherwise) was added to the calculation.

[Shermy]

But there are those in the business community who seem to think the American achievement has been overdone. In their view, we need more poverty, not less. Open borders and a new "guest workers" program to legalize millions of illegal aliens is what groups like the Chamber of Commerce desire, in effect creating a proletariat.

In effect that's what they are doing, but most aren't thinking why, and the effects on America. They want to increase profits. One cost to be reduced is labor. What labor that can't be practically outsourced overseas, illegals will be insourced.

It's a short term profit strategy, not looking to long term macro economic issues, which, btw, they don'tcare about. Bush is all for this, still there are some who express shock when they wonder why Bush doesn't see this. He does see this, and he's for it.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Another logic free article from Willie Hawkins.

[Willie Green]

If median income shows no change, then that means that for every "poor" alien, another "rich" one (alien or otherwise) was added to the calculation.

Yes, as population at the extremes expand, it is the Middle Class that is squeezed and eroded.

[HiJinx]

This thread is a candidate for your illegal immigration ping list.

I agree.

[1rudeboy]

What's wrong with people moving up and out of the Middle Class?

[Willie Green]

What's wrong with people moving up and out of the Middle Class?

Nothing wrong with it, except that those opportunities are greatly diminishing.
The greater possiblity is that they'll move down and out as their occupations are downsized and outsourced.

[1rudeboy]

No, Willie. Simply typing that "those opportunities are greatly diminishing" does not make it so. You meant to type "I believe that those opportunities will greatly diminish someday," which is precisely what Mr. Hawkins argues above.