The point is LEGAL immigrants doing these jobs. Now, we have legal and illegal folks doing those jobs. For the sake of discussion, they all leave. Now what happens to the economy and those jobs?
Serious answers only, please. Flames aren't necessary when I'm merely looking for answers, I'm neither agreeing with nor disagreeing with Cheney's words. I've just seen this argument repeatedly and neither side ever answers the most basic questions.
First of all, I will presume that "they all leave" refers only to the illegals, and not the legal immigrants (it's unclear from your wording).
Second, what happens to the economy and the jobs done by illegals is that once the illegals are deported en masse as they should be right this moment then we can see if legal immigration levels need to be raised.
Problems solved.
Cheney wasn't talking about the ones that are legal. He was talking about legalizing the illegal ones here.
hannity asked him about using the military to patrol our border.
Cheney said that our military was not properly trained to patrol our border and that it was not part of their mission...
THE MILITARY IS NOT TRAINED TO REPEL FOREIGN INVASIONS???
What the hell IS it trained for, if not that as a bare minimum!?!
I love Dick Cheney... but our border policy is clearly wrong and it is NOT playing well with the american people.
We can have marines die to shut down the Iraq border with Syria, and Iran... but they are incapable of repelling an invasion of illegals, thousands of them, on our own borders?
Somebody's head is screwed on too crooked if they cannot see the utter stupidity in that 'not trained to patrol or secure our borders' quote, unquote, from Dick.
We are in trouble in our own hemisphere... with invading illegal criminals...
We damned well better be able to defend our borders HERE at least as well as we do over there for the muslims who to a great extent do not trust or even hate us.
Bush and Cheney have sold us out to illegal immigration.
Maybe if we passed the patriot act, it would cut down on the illegal invasion from the south...
What are the jobs illegals are doing that Americans do not want to do, according to the politicians? I take it they meant the menial jobs such as janitors, laborers, and such. Move them out en masse. Tell those on welfare, here are jobs. Take the jobs or else.
The economy would get better.
1. The job availability would be there for kids (who used to do these jobs) -- IIRC teenage unemployment in the inner city is 20-25%
2. There would be a general rise in wages, which would seem inflationary EXCEPT:
3. There would be an almost instant windfall to the tune of soemthing like 8 BILLION a single year in California ALONE. Taxes would have to be cut (we need to keep Arnold around) and the net difference would be put in our pockets.
Lower taxes tend to keep inflation down (in a strange way).
The businesses involved would hire American citizens or legal immigrants or become more efficient so as not to need those people. The notion that there are "jobs Americans won't do", so we have to legitimize illegal immigrants is bullshit.
I would bet that the net effect of illegals on the overall economy is actually negative (cost in extra taxes to pay for "social services, loss of "multiplier effect dollars" on the BILLIONS of dollars that they send back to the home country instead of those dollars remaining in the USA and recycling in the local economy, and so forth). The specific business that hires the illegals might actually save a bit on wages, but the total economy suffers a loss.
Questions and answers are based on the facts and there are two distinct sets of facts.
One set of facts is available at websites such as VDare, Free Republic, etc.
A second set of facts is available at sites such as Heritage, Pew Hispanic, Americas Policy, and governmental agencies such as the depts of Labor or Justice and Fed Reserve Bank.
It all depends on which set of facts that you use. Or, more importantly, which set of facts are used by those that create policy and legislation.
In the short term it would cause a lot of havoc. In the long term, the basics of economics would apply. The next most cost effective solution would become the most cost effective. For example, when labor is cheaper than automation, the labor solution will be the one used. Remove cheap labor and automation becomes cost effective.
The problem with illegal aliens is that they are a fools bargain. They are cheaper in direct cost (i.e. labor) but place a large indirect cost through social programs, crime, education etc. As long as the indirect costs are in place, the cheap labor is the most cost effective solution available. Remove the indirect costs, and alternative solutions would become cost effective.
The arguments over illegal immigration and the labor pool are skewed because significant factors are always left out and only the obvious costs are included. Economics is a complete system and all costs, whether obvious or hidden must be included to realistically evaluate the effects of a change.
In addition, we have almost another generation of young people and their families on welfare who should be made to work for what they get.
If we had the will, the work would get done by legal citizens and legal immigrants.
Just my opinion.