[raybbr]

The issue I am pointing out is we would be severly short if we shipped out all the illegal labor the market demands to function in a healthy manner.

I guess we aren't as innovative as people like you would have us believe, then. I am sure we could get along without them. People might have to learn to cut their own grass. Or, invent and build something that might do it for them. I do not ascribe to the notion the we would be helpless without 11 million criminals in our midst.

In general Growth, Innovation, Productivity will all slow or reverse.

I guess you didn't read Krikorian's dissertation on this subject.
"But it's the second part of the response to a tighter labor market that people just don't get. By holding down natural wage growth in labor-intensive industries, immigration serves as a subsidy for low-wage, low-productivity ways of doing business, retarding technological progress and productivity growth." Found here.

I am sure you won't agree with it but that's just because you seem to have a personal stake in this issue.

The simple truth is that these people are not as vital as you would have us believe. In fact, the exact opposite is true. They are a drain on us economically; they are destructive to the American culture; and they are not loyal to America.

[jrawk]

I guess you've convinced me, I guess if the whole country were populated with only the ivory white descendants of the english and german immigrants we would be better off.

Besides the Soviets were unbelieveably harsh on immigration and it turned out well for them. Scandinavia and Switzerland too, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait are probably even better examples, Well then there is North Korea. Yeah you are right, we should move our politics to be more inline with those countries.

I guess I have to be opposed to Free Trade too, and Support Big Labor. Wow, my beliefs are falling like leaves.

We don't have to remove them, just naturalize them!

It was fun, but this discussion is over.

-- lates
-- jrawk

P.S. Mark Krikorian is a journalist, not an Economist. He lists his many appearances on PBS and CNN even before his degrees from Georgetown.