Posted on 08/05/2018 2:20:24 AM PDT by Kaslin
Although the "progressive left" fetishizes open borders for its own sake, they nevertheless festoon their arguments with economic ornamentation in an attempt to convince fiscally-minded fence-sitters. Usually, their ploy fails.The underlying growth potential of any economy is shaped not only by productivity, or output per worker, but also by the number of workers entering the labor force. . .What makes America great is, therefore, less about productivity than about population, less about Google and Stanford than about babies and immigrants.
But every once in a while a seemingly convincing argument is made. Ruchir Sharma's piece in the New York Times, entitled "To Be Great Again, America Needs Immigrants," is one such piece. Not only does Sharma rely on uncontested data, but his logic seems solid. But looks can be deceiving. Sharma's argument suffers from two main problems: Sharma misunderstands how economies grow, and he conflates gross domestic product (GDP) with prosperity.
Machines, not men
Sharma claims economic growth depends primarily upon extra population, not productivity:
The underlying growth potential of any economy is shaped not only by productivity, or output per worker, but also by the number of workers entering the labor force. . .What makes America great is, therefore, less about productivity than about population, less about Google and Stanford than about babies and immigrants.
This is wrong. Technology, not population, drives long-run economic growth. Consider: economic growth occurs when either more stuff or better stuff is made. For example, America's economy grows when it produces more cars or (all else remaining equal) more luxurious or fuel-efficient cars. This applies to all economic output, whether goods or services.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Cheap illegal labor (avoiding state and federal taxes, healthcare, social security, etc) will not help to make America great again.
I don’t understand why our side doesn’t teach that immigration was halted almost completely from 1924-1965 so that those immigrants who were already here could assimilate.
The point can be further developed that mass immigration makes capital more potent by making labor cheaper and thereby helps the rich get richer. Yet as wages stagnate, the public also tends to favor unions and redistribution via tax and welfare policies justified by class warfare ideologies. Thus, even as the rich benefit from mass immigration, their position becomes less secure as political agitation against them increases.
Because our side is a scattered mush mash of people who have been gaslighted and abused in every way imaginable for decades. We have a lot in common with abused children that can never trust again.
Japan and South Korea have done just fine without massive immigration.
Wonder how they can do so well just concentrating on their own people?
We all know why Sharma wrote his BS.
He’s Indian and he wants to legitimize his countrymen coming to the US, against the will of the Americans.
So let’s just ask him....if more people - especially more Indian people - make a great economy, how come India is still a s**thole?
Bump for later.
Diversity of skin color is not a strength.
JoMa
A quick search online reveals a very long list of articles that start with the assumption that immigration is an economic virtue and then set out to justify it. This one, focusing on Australia, did not:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-19/high-immigration-masks-australian-economic-decline/8193628
Among the issues they raise: suppressed wages and higher prices (particularly for housing), leading to a lower standard of living for the population as a whole.
Immigration is now just a third world sewer pipe. Everyone knows it.
what made America great were aliens who came to this country with a trade or a profession to self sustain and sponsors that were responsible for them.
All immigration should be stopped!
“All immigration should be stopped!”
It should at least be limited to those that are educated and speak English!
And they checked in at the Border.
Like my father did about 100 yrs. ago.
Immigration that occurs at levels beyond the countries ability to assimilate will assuredly not make America great again. It will achieve just the opposite.
The US is the third largest nation in terms of population at 328MM, comprising 4.3% of the world's population. We also have the largest number of immigrants vs other countries, but while our proportion of immigrants is high vs G8 countries it is small vs several other (mostly Gulf-area) countries. Further, of the roughly 750k naturalized citizens in 2016, 14% came from Mexico, 6% from India, 5.5% from the Philippines, 4.8% from PRC, 4.3% from Cuba, 4.2% from the Dominican Republic and 3.3% from Vietnam.
However, almost half of the immigrants and their children (I've got to imagine that includes illegals...while historically we'd admit people near the poverty line if they had a family here there seem to be new controls in place so we don't legally admit people who don't have a job) are in or near poverty vs 31% for natives.Yet, the poverty rate for Indian immigrants (who, from my vantage point, comprise a large number of skilled individuals) is much lower than that for other immigrants and is actually close to that of people born here. Thus, legal immigration isn't a huge part of the picture and even then there is a YUGE element of poverty. It's also worth noting that we had 3.8MM live births last year...America still is procreating.
Despite all of this noise in immigration, the US produces 24% of global GDP and 52% of global stock market capitalization. We punch above our weight economically, despite a poverty-prone immigrant class.
I entered the labor force in the '50s. Back then I heard "Sweat the machine, not the man."
When electric toothbrushes first came out, some foreigner quipped, "Leave it to the Americans. They put a motor on everything."
The type of people that still want to migrate to the US are exactly the type the country does not need. Stop immigration altogether.
Awesomely legitimate question. We have enough curry in the US and need no more. And muzzie Pohkistanis can stay away even more.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.