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Importing Poverty: The Cheap Labor Trap
AmericanEconomicAlert.org ^ | September 05, 2005 | William R. Hawkins

Posted on 03/28/2006 12:45:30 AM PST by Exton1

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To: Alberta's Child

I agree with you and I'm glad you articulated what you posted; The idea of allowing unlimited illegal immigration is every bit (or more) the idea of acquiring a new batch of dedicated keep-up-with-the Joneses consumers who will work themselves up through a career-long binge through the Wal Marts, Best Buys, and Gaps of the world. The US economy is, after all, appx. 70% consumer driven. I believe (but cannot prove) the long-forecasted pullback of the American consumer has been largely eliminated by this factor.


21 posted on 03/28/2006 8:04:51 AM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Funny taglines are value plays.)
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To: A. Pole

Low wages only mean less consumption in comparison to high-wage workers. That's not the case here in the U.S., since the comparison is between "low-wage workers" and "nobody" (given our current demographic trends).


22 posted on 03/28/2006 9:04:46 AM PST by Alberta's Child
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To: Exton1

Can you believe this comparison of Mexican and U.S. immigration laws?

http://www.directory.com.mx/immigration

Talk about a racist legal system...



23 posted on 03/28/2006 9:41:35 AM PST by Shuttle Shucker
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To: Exton1

I observe that "imported cheap labor" destroys existing communities. Invariably.

When the jobs that sustain them die the lower middle class disappears. Increasingly professional workers are sharing the lower middle class fate. "Creative destruction" I suppose.


24 posted on 03/28/2006 10:21:36 AM PST by Iris7 (Dare to be pigheaded! Stubborn! "Tolerance" is not a virtue!)
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To: taxed2death
Greedy Quisling business operators get to skim the extra profits by using dirt-cheap illegal alien labor.

We get to pay for their health care, our extra auto insurance to cover their uninsured accidents, their kids swamping our schools, their jailing, etc etc etc etc.

But none of that matters to the greed-consumed Quislings, who would sell their daughters to a Tijuana brothel for a peso a lay.

QUISLING: a synonym for traitor, someone who collaborates with the invaders of his country.

25 posted on 03/28/2006 1:55:27 PM PST by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: A Ruckus of Dogs

Gee, I wasn't aware that house prices were dropping because illegals are pushing Americans out of the construction industry. Why, house prices in California must be going right through the floor !


26 posted on 03/28/2006 4:10:41 PM PST by Sam the Sham (A conservative party tough on illegal immigration could carry California in 2008)
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To: Exton1

ping


27 posted on 03/28/2006 10:26:35 PM PST by XBob (Free-Traitors steal our jobs so they can profit.)
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To: i_dont_chat

If it wasn't for all of these socialist programs immigration wouldn't really matter. Just more opportunity with more people. We would even be a stronger nation over time in world affairs as we would be more populus.

But with our government becoming increasingly focused on wealth redistribution, bringing in more poor people means everyone else will come down.


28 posted on 03/28/2006 11:12:29 PM PST by ran15
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To: Fishrrman
Having said that, I agree with the article completely. We are in a race to the bottom, sold out by politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Having been through the same period that you have I to agree with the article completely and also agree with your statement completely.

The people who think the American worker is better off doesn't remember when a guy with a high school or college education could provide for all the needs of his family, food ,clothing, home, education, insurance, transportation, health care, a savings plan and a retirement plan, on a forty hour a week job while the wife stayed at home with the kids.

Now it takes both with college working with help from the government just to keep their heads above water and it's going to get worse at an ever increasing rate of speed.

The same Republicans that where screaming their heads off in 1994 about the unprecedented spending and growth of the Federal government's $1,000,000,000,000.00 budget have tripled it in twelve years. All the while this is being done, the tax base is being destroyed.

This is either insanity,or a deliberate act to weaken or destroy our ability to remain a soverign independent self sufficent nation.

Our good paying jobs continue to be outsourced and those that are left are being undermined by a flood of imported cheap illegal labor who are here to take more dollars from the country not to be part of it.

It looks to me like the same economic weapon that was used on the Soviet Union to bring it to it's knees is now being used on us by those within our government and the world who want to see the United States as just another town in the Global Community.

Like the Soviet Union they are spending us into mediocracy,destroying the middle class which has always been one of the great strengths in our country or any country's future.

Without a large strong middle class their is only a great gap between those who have wealth and power and those who serve their needs.

I think the days of the U.S. as an independent super power are just about over, brought down by our own anything for a dollar greed based mentality .

But then like you I also think it is too late to stop it and the only thing we can do is as individuals is try to prepare us and our children for the consequences of the fall as best we can.

29 posted on 03/29/2006 12:52:01 AM PST by mississippi red-neck (You will never win the war on terrorism by fighting it in Iraq and funding it in the West Bank.)
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To: A Ruckus of Dogs

It has been estimated that the average illegal costs the US about $55,000 per year.

What is cheap about that?


30 posted on 03/29/2006 1:20:20 AM PST by TheLion
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