Billionaires try to convince Americans it’s good to import foreign workers, increase immigration

Bangaor Daily News ^ | May 05, 2014 | Jonette Christian

[amnestynone]

Billionaires buy whatever they want. And not just mansions and Teslas but elections and legislation. The recent Supreme Court decision lifting caps on campaign contributions gives them even more power. The libertarian Koch brothers have already pumped millions into this year’s elections. But Michael Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch and George Soros are no less guilty of buying our political system, and all of them, from libertarian Koch brothers to liberal Soros, are united in one cause: Bring in more foreign workers, increase job competition, and allow “market forces” to drive down wages.

Since 2007, political lobbies spent a whopping $1.5 billion to expand immigration, according to the watchdog Sunlight Foundation. A mind boggling array of Washington power brokers are behind that money: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, American Immigration Lawyers, National Association of Manufacturers, National Restaurant Association and others. A few years ago, former Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, sent me a 12-page list of Washington lobbies working for expanded immigration. Talk about David and Goliath.

But how do you convince Americans that it’s good for us to import millions of new foreign workers? Create a media blitz based on slogans, misinformation, political theater and guilt:

1. Whine about dire labor shortages.

It’s bogus. Thirteen percent of workers are unemployed or involuntarily working part-time. Each year, America produces twice as many science and engineering graduates as jobs, resulting in unemployment rates as high as 11 percent for information system workers. How will adding millions of new workers help them?

2. Feed the press false reports on deportations.

When “comprehensive immigration reform” was introduced last year, our press was filled with stories about tough enforcement and “record deportations.” We know it’s bunk. Deportations from internal enforcement dropped 40 percent under the present administration.

3. Play the race card.

Claim opponents are xenophobes, afraid of “them.” Ignore the fact that multiple government commissions recommended decreased immigration levels, and that after workplace raids, African-Americans often got the jobs previously held by illegal workers.

4. Pull out the violins.

More stories about “divided families.” Illegal immigrants chose to divide their own families when they came here. We don’t separate families.

5. Create multiple political front organizations, such as Bloomberg’s Partnership for the New American Economy, whose membership includes the CEOs of nearly every major corporation.

This well-funded megaphone parrots the mantra that immigration will “make the economy grow.” It’s technically accurate but disguises the real issue: Will immigration increase per-capita

[kearnyirish2]

“Most illegals are Mexican or Central American, they compete for jobs with unskilled American workers (which, incidentally, have the highest unemployment rate).”

They’ve taken a lot of jobs from carpenters, roofers and such in may area; not exactly unskilled workers. I agree legalizing them won’t fix the unemployment (while deporting them would help); the biggest driver for amnesty is that our rulers want these people paying taxes (particularly Social Security, which you don;t get refunded each year with an earned income tax credit to boot). These invaders know the deal, and aren’t interested; any proposal that requires them paying hundreds or thousands of dollars up front isn’t being advanced seriously anyway.

[kabar]

I’m not talking about production; I’m talking about CONSUMPTION.

Consumption? We consume far more of what they produce than what we export to them. The per capita income (nominal) of the US ranges from $50K to $53K depending on whose data you use. For China it is $6K to to $6,800. For India it is $1,500.

Abortions are a drop in the bucket compared to the missing people due to contraception. The middle class isn;t breeding anymore either (in a doomed attempt to remain in “the middle class”).

And why is that so and what do you propose we do about those people who make individual decisions about "breeding?"

FYI: We are going to add 104 million people to our population by 2060. In 1970 our population was 203 million. Today, it is 317 million. We don't have a problem with a declining population. Since 2000, we have added 36 million people, about the population of CA, our most populous state.

Obama’s re-election showed we have many Third World problems as well, including a large population of illiterate people that can’t be assimilated.

We are descending into a Third World country, primarily due to immigration.

[kearnyirish2]

“We consume far more of what they produce than what we export to them.”

How much can we sell to them when India & China combined have a population that is 10X our own? They will manufacture for Americans who want cheap goods, and their own people who now have the money to buy things.

“And why is that so and what do you propose we do about those people who make individual decisions about “breeding?”

They have to know the consequences of not breeding, which right now would best be summed up by contributing more heavily into the pot that subsidizes those foreign children filling our maternity wards and classrooms. Beyond that, nothing needs to be said.

“Since 2000, we have added 36 million people, about the population of CA, our most populous state.”

And yet more white people are now dying than being born; do we have a problem with a declining population? Why do you think we’re importing Third World populations?

“We are descending into a Third World country, primarily due to immigration.”

The illiterate people who can’t be assimilated have had roots in this country for centuries; they are being left in the dust by immigrants seeking the original “American Dream”.

[kabar]

How much can we sell to them when India & China combined have a population that is 10X our own? They will manufacture for Americans who want cheap goods, and their own people who now have the money to buy things.

That is not the case now. China is very dependent upon exports. The vast majority of their own people can't afford the products they are producing. I have been to China and India. Both are still developing countries.

They have to know the consequences of not breeding, which right now would best be summed up by contributing more heavily into the pot that subsidizes those foreign children filling our maternity wards and classrooms. Beyond that, nothing needs to be said.

Maybe we shouldn't be bringing in 1.1 million legal permanent immigrants a year who use our welfare programs to a much greater degree than the native born. Why are we importing poverty?

And yet more white people are now dying than being born; do we have a problem with a declining population? Why do you think we’re importing Third World populations?

While immigrants often arrive young and have somewhat larger families than natives do, the differences are not large enough to fundamentally alter the nation’s age structure. For example, the average age of an immigrant in 2012 was 43 years, while the average age of a native was 37. Also, in 2011 the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in the United States without immigrants would have been 1.9 children per woman. With immigrants, it was 2.0 — an increase of one-tenth of a point. Thus, our fertility would be higher than almost all developed countries (and many developing ones) even without any immigrants at all.

We are importing Third World populations because special interests benefit from their presence. Businesses want an endless supply of cheap labor to depress wages and increase their bottom line. The Democrats want more Democrat voters. The religious groups want more people in the pews. The labor unions want more members. Ethnic groups like La Raza want more political power. The American people don't want more immigration any more than they wanted Obamacare. The ruling class is destroying this country.

FYI: From the CIA World Factbook--The fertility rate in China is 1.55 children born/woman (2014 est.) In the US it is 2.01 children born/woman (2014 est.) The median age in the US is 37.6 years compared to China's 36.7 years.

The illiterate people who can’t be assimilated have had roots in this country for centuries; they are being left in the dust by immigrants seeking the original “American Dream”.

What illiterate people are you referring to? If you think that bringing in huge numbers of uneducated, unskilled immigrants leaves the native born in the dust, you are factually wrong. Immigrants, legal and illegal, are sucking the country dry. Milton Friedman said. "You can't have free immigration simultaneously with the welfare state." We have both.

[zeestephen]

Re: “Immigrant College Grads”

Advocates for mass immigration frequently point out that 36% of Legal Immigrants have a “college education.”

In contrast, just 31% of native born Americans have a 4 year degree.

That comparison is utterly bogus!

Most immigrants went to unaccredited Third World universities.

From there, most graduates went straight into a Third World government job.

Very few American employers will accept their Third World education and work credentials.

[kabar]

Advocates for mass immigration frequently point out that 36% of Legal Immigrants have a “college education.”

They don't point out that 20% of legal immigrants lack even a high school degree. We are importing hundreds of thousands of high school dropouts every year. We are importing poverty.

[ek_hornbeck]

Most of legal immigrants come under HB-1 and are very skilled.

The point I was making is that Democrat and establishment Republican think that the way to solve the problem of illegal immigration is to legalize the illegals (through open borders policy for future immigrants, amnesty for existing ones). The net economic consequences of legalizing these people will be the same as when they were illegal, in fact it will exacerbate the problem by making it easier for them to access social services.

[ek_hornbeck]

We are descending into a Third World country, primarily due to immigration.

...with the blessings of the "leadership" of both political parties.

[ek_hornbeck]

he biggest driver for amnesty is that our rulers want these people paying taxes (particularly Social Security, which you don;t get refunded each year with an earned income tax credit to boot).

It has more to do with pandering for votes than with any economic concerns. What they would pay in Payroll taxes they'd get back several times over in earned income credits and a whole host of social welfare programs.

Moreover, if you have an employer who hires illegals and pays them sub-minimum wage (i.e. no payroll tax) under the table now, that same employer won't change his practices just because the Federal Government made the same workers citizens by decree.

[zeestephen]

Re: “We are importing poverty.”

And, perpetuating it.

I looked at some Census statistics from the Center for Immigration Studies just yesterday.

From memory - around 35% of immigrant mothers who give birth in the USA lack a high school education.

That’s great news for the Democrat Party.

Not so great for the rest of America.

[longtermmemmory]

These “I got mine” insiders are all supporting Hillary Clinton. She said the citizens of the USA should expect less in their lives.

[Ohioan]

There are several factors that lead to the phenomena that is being discussed. First, of all, understand that business & corporate management can be gamed just like other segments of the population. See Tactics by which Corporate America is misled.

With more particularity, with reference to insane immigration policy, see Corporate Managers & "Immigration Reform".

I am not suggesting that there are not morally bad apples in business; but sheer conditioned stupidity is actually the bigger factor. That an individual may have a high level of intelligence in certain directions, does not always equate with common sense or discernment.

William Flax

[zeestephen]

Re: “Most of legal immigrants come under HB-1 and are very skilled.”

Sorry, that’s not correct.

We add about 1.5 million legal residents each year, which is also known as a “Green Card.”

Only about 10% of that number comes from H1-B applicants.

Even worse, most H1-B visa holders REPLACE older (like age 40) American workers, especially in software related businesses.

Wages and salaries in occupations that have the most H1-B workers have been stagnant for the last 10-15 years.

Most H1-B workers are seeking a Green Card.

They are willing to work long hours for a modest paycheck in order to get that Green Card.

American corporations use the H1-B visa to suppress wages, to acquire docile foreign workers, and to create fear in their home grown American work force.

[Fledermaus]

Yeah, that’s a crock. Even after they become “legal” I doubt they’ll have to follow the same rules and laws we do.

[Fledermaus]

Can you source that? I read and hear so different but usually from immigration lovers. Thanks.

[kearnyirish2]

I don’t know the number of votes involved is big enough yet. While you’ll be paying out with welfare etc. for the new citizens, you’ll still get back more from them than we currently get from the permanent underclass they are to replace. As for employers that think they’ll continue with business as usual, now their citizen workers will turn them in and sue them as well.

[zeestephen]

The best source I use for immigration data is the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS.org).

They collate data from several dozen different sources.

They also focus special attention on economic and employment issues.

Most of the data I quote can be verified easily on Google or Wikipedia.

My statement of 1.5 million new Green Cards is misleading.

The number last year was 1.1 million.

Another 400,000 were allowed into the USA as part of family reunification or on refugee status, but almost all of them will end up with Green Cards within 5 years.

There were 135,000 H1-B visas issued in 2012.

If they all get Green Cards - and they won't - the number will be in the 10% range of all Green Cards issued.

CIS has studied the H1-B issue in great depth.

In the computer and software industries, about 75% of H1-B visas go to Asian Indian males who are 25-35 years of age.

I live in the heart of Microsoft country.

Good luck finding a 40 year old white programmer in this town!

CIS has published a number of wage and salary surveys on software engineers.

Since 2000, their pay has barely kept up with inflation, which puts the lie to the alleged “shortage” of technical skills in America.

In summary, I read immigration news and reports every day, and memorize the most important details.

I am (or was) one of the most prolific posters on this subject at Free Republic since the Bush-McCain Amnesty in 2005.

If you need me to track down a specific data source, I will do that for you.

But, most of time, I am just writing for a general audience, and I quote salient facts from memory.

[staytrue]

“In real terms, American wages have been declining since 1969. Immigration has played a major role in the decline.”

Not really. What happened was WWII destroyed the rest of the developed world leaving the Americas mostly unscathed.

Argentina and the US had similar standards of living at the time.

Gradually, the advantage of not having a war fought inside your borders has been gradually wearing off.

This is the reason for the decline of US wages is the rest of the world is rebuiding and the US is declining naturally, the same as Argentina.

[kabar]

I was referring to a decline in US wages domestically, not compared to the rest of the world.

Trends: Reduced Earnings for Men in America

[SoConPubbie]

No, that’s not “market forces”, that’s Criminal Behavior.