Immigration

I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the immigration proposals being floated in congress, since I don't get to vote in congress. But as long as we have a 'safety net' which dictates that the hungry must be fed and the poor must be clothed and children must be educated, immigration will always be a burden. Whether that burden is outweighed by the benefits is up for debate, and that debate will last as long as the situation lasts, regardless of what happens to this legislation. Aside from that whole safety net thing, I think of myself as a proponent of open borders. But the criticisms of guest worker programs have me thinking that it is not a good idea to create an economic underclass. I think it's easy for Republicans to forget that unions are not just organizations that fund their opponents, but they are also (in theory) a vital component ofthe economy. If a group of workers isn't able to negotiate their terms of employment on par with everyone else, that causes discord in the free market economy. It's bad enough that we have a minimum wage in this country which has destroyed many jobs and artificially increased the cost of education. But now people want to undercut that minimum wage by allowing other people to enter the job market more easily. If you put the two together it's the same as putting out a sign that says 'no Americans need apply.'

I watch a lot of CNBC, so I see representatives of the business community talking about how they have jobs that people won't do, and so they shouldn't be faulted for employing illegal aliens. I even heard one of them make the bold claim that 'it's not a wage issue.' If anyone still believes that there are some things that Americans won't do no matter how much you pay them, they obviously missed the whole reality tv thing. The truth is, everyone knows illegal things are cheaper. If a guy gives you a great deal on a brand new stereo out of the back of his van, it was probably stolen. Just like the guy selling half-price Newports outside the grocery store (or maybe that only happens in New York), illegal aliens will accept lower wages not because they like picking vegetables or because of the color of their skin, but because it is illegal for them to be employed. If the government took a hard line on this, you bet the cost of tomatoes would rise. But maintaining the price of tomatoes is not a justification for allowing people to break the law and profit from it.