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If that was the case in real-world situations, post-war Japan would not have flourished as it did, and China would not currently be eating our lunch.

That's a perfectly valid point, but you must remember that a nation with a strong export economy almost by definition must be a nation with a lower standard of living than the countries where its customers are located. Since the United States currently has the highest standard of living in the world, we are not likely to gain a trade surplus anytime soon.

Since the United States currently has the highest standard of living in the world, we are not likely to gain a trade surplus anytime soon.

If Bush goes through with this, for better or for worse, the US standard of living will drop.

Think about it, there are plenty of jobs that pay a few bucks above minimum wage, that many people use to put themselves through college or get a foot in the door in the workforce, or they use to buffer their main job or their retirement.

If all of the current illegals are legalized, or more people are allowed to legally immigrate from Mexico, all of the sudden, you have a large number of people for whom the US minimum wage is a godsend when they are allowed to legally apply for work all over the place. For an employer, it's great, you get people who are more than happy to work minimum and they can be easily replaced by somebody else happy to work minimum. For somebody entering the workforce straight out of high school, or trying to put themselves or a spouse through college, all of the sudden they are facing minimum wages and are competing with somebody from another country.

This is the equivalent of sending $6-$9 jobs overseas, only they are staying right here.

If that was the case in real-world situations, post-war Japan would not have flourished as it did, and China would not currently be eating our lunch.

That's a perfectly valid point, but you must remember that a nation with a strong export economy almost by definition must be a nation with a lower standard of living than the countries where its customers are located. Since the United States currently has the highest standard of living in the world, we are not likely to gain a trade surplus anytime soon.

Wrong. Japan is a much more expensive place to live than the US, and if you speak with any Japanese, and suggest that their standard of living is lower than ours, you're going to find yourself speaking with a very offended, very indignant Japanese.

Japan remains an export economy, by the way.