Except when an element of the work force is here illegally- free market cannot work as it should. Legal citizens cannot compete with illegals for jobs. Illegal workers create a false low in the labor market. The dirty secret is that illegals cannot live on the low wages either which is why they overwhelm our social services and medical care. The benefits of hiring illegal workers are low wages, little or no benefits, and they will tolerate unsafe or otherwise inferior working conditions. The employer saves money hiring illegals but the taxpayers must pay the difference by paying for social services and medical care for the illegal workers. This puts an odd skew on free market that cannot be good.
Another issue that is seldom touched on- not all businesses are willing to hire illegals. In every industry that hires large numbers of illegals- agriculture, construction- you name it there are businesses that follow the laws and hire only legal workers. Those businesses must compete with businesses that do hire illegals and it is an unfair competition. Many businesses have been put out of business because they cannot compete with those that hire illegals. If we willingly allow some businesses to violate laws in order to show a higher profit- that is not what free market is all about either.
Hiring illegals should never be part of free market- there should be no illegal labor in the work force.
“Except when an element of the work force is here illegally”
Well, that’s your issue, then: not that employers are “exploiting” workers, but that they’re taking advantage of illegality. Eating the fruit of lawbreaking, if you will.
“The dirty secret is that illegals cannot live on the low wages either which is why they overwhelm our social services and medical care.”
Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly. Free benes is certainly a big incentive, but it’s not a necessary requirement for survival. Not everyone has to live according to the American standard of success (or poverty, for that matter). They’re more than willing to put up with what we consider low wages. Low, heck, it’s obviously better than what they otherwise get at home. Plus, the reason it’s a stereotype that Mexicans ride eight to a car and live 20 to an apartment derives from the fact that they economize in order to support themselves and families back over the border.
Oh, there’s also the fact that they pay no payroll taxes. Or any taxes, really, besides sales taxes.