EckerNet.Com

Surpassing all expectations, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants and their supporters marched in LA, to protest the possibility that the Federal government might do it\’s job by enforcing immigration laws. Ironically, this crowd probably did more harm than good to their cause. For one, it helps visualize the enormity of the problem. This crowd is a fraction of the current population of illegal immigrants in our country today. All of them by definition criminals. And the reportedly equal numbers of Mexican flags to US flags* (despite organizers encouraging participants to bring US flags) should demonstrate the loyalties of these illegals.

And let us right away dispel this frequent George Bush talking-point that we \”need\” illegal immigrants to do the jobs that \”Americans won\’t do\”. It\’s pure bullshit, plain and simple. And regardless of what rationale he uses, Bush is talking out his ass and looking the complete fool every time he uses it.

It\’s a myth that the U.S. economy \”needs\” more poor immigrants. The illegal immigrants already here represent only about 4.9 percent of the labor force, the Pew Hispanic Center reports. In no major occupation are they a majority. They\’re 36 percent of insulation workers, 28 percent of drywall installers and 20 percent of cooks. They\’re drawn here by wage differences, not labor \”shortages.\”

As many economists will tell you, there is really no such thing as a \”shortage\”. Simply lack of goods to meet the demand at the present price. In a free market system, in that situation price goes up, demand comes down. Ideally price stops when supply meets demand. What does this mean for workers?

But what would happen if new illegal immigration stopped and wasn\’t replaced by guest workers? Well, some employers would raise wages to attract U.S. workers. Facing greater labor costs, some industries would — like the tomato growers in the 1960s — find ways to minimize those costs. As to the rest, what\’s wrong with higher wages for the poorest workers? From 1994 to 2004, the wages of high school dropouts rose only 2.3 percent (after inflation) compared with 11.9 percent for college graduates. President Bush says his guest worker program would \”match willing foreign workers with willing American employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs.\” But at some higher wage, there would be willing Americans.

There is no actual \”need\” for such workers. They simply keep wages artificially low at the expense of workers who are here legally. And might I add that those legal workers who most affected by illegal immigration are those least able to pay. And might I add that unemployment for those workers is already high, especially when compared to the rest of America. I wonder what these legal Americans think every time they hear that they \”won\’t do\” the jobs that illegal immigrants will. And to tell these illegal immigrants that that will be magically granted legal status is to reward them for their disdain of our laws. It is amnesty, no matter how many times Bush tries to deny it, nor what spin he puts on it.

\”America is a nation of immigrants, and we\’re also a nation of laws, and our immigration laws are in need of reform,\” Bush said.

No, our immigration laws are in need of enforcment (that\’s your job by the way!). Six months ago you sent that hopeless failure Chertoff out proclaiming that all illegal immigrants would get kicked out. Has any of this happened?? No, on this issue you\’ve never been sincere and I have no reason to believe that you right now. This is simply bad politics at it\’s worst.

Look I think even the most ravenous opponent of illegal immigration will symphathize with the plight of some of these people. In a fair world, the governments of their home countries would not be run by corrupt despots. However, as you\’ll all remember learning while growing up \”Life isn\’t fair\”. So let\’s all be adults about this and realize that while these people may deserve something better than what they have, nowhere is it the United State\’s responsibility to provide the them the location for that life, nor is my responsibility to pay for it.

And just like many rightfully oppose redistribution of wealth, those same people can logically oppose illegal immigration as redistribution of poverty as outlining in a phenomenal article by Robert J. Samuelson

Guest workers would mainly legalize today\’s vast inflows of illegal immigrants, with the same consequence: We\’d be importing poverty. This isn\’t because these immigrants aren\’t hardworking; many are. Nor is it because they don\’t assimilate; many do. But they generally don\’t go home, assimilation is slow and the ranks of the poor are constantly replenished. Since 1980 the number of Hispanics with incomes below the government\’s poverty line (about $19,300 in 2004 for a family of four) has risen 162 percent. Over the same period, the number of non-Hispanic whites in poverty rose 3 percent and the number of blacks, 9.5 percent. What we have now — and would with guest workers — is a conscious policy of creating poverty in the United States while relieving it in Mexico. By and large, this is a bad bargain for the United States. It stresses local schools, hospitals and housing; it feeds social tensions (witness the Minutemen). To be sure, some Americans get cheap housecleaning or landscaping services. But if more mowed their own lawns or did their own laundry, it wouldn\’t be a tragedy.

So rather than begin the debate by conceding defeat and declaring the need to grant amnesty to all illegal immigrants, how about we first actually try to protect our borders and stop the flood of illegals crossing it. How about we actually try to first accomodate the native unskilled workers we already have.

* Regarding the number of US vs Mexican flags, the photographs that accompany most articles about the march are rather telling in the bias of media on this issue. Close-up shots of the crowd almost ALWAYS contain only US flags. However, careful examination of wide-angle and aerial photos show that there were just as many Mexican flags as US flags at the rally. The media just decided not to make that too obvious…you know because it might look bad.