My Interesting Idea

[Composed Thinker]

I was reading the second of 3 articles in The New York Times about Japan today (I missed the first one) and came up with what I think is an interesting idea. The article said that Japan needed to attract immigrants, despite its insular nature, so that its population isn't cut in half and so its pension system doesn't crash. That got me thinking. The problem with Social Security is that there will be more people collecting benefits than putting money into the program. It seems that Social Security needs to have a larger base of support than those collecting benefits. In other words, the United States population needs to increase in order to support a growing senior population.

So if someone from Mexico, a young, 24-year-old person, came to the United States legally, he would be making money and putting that money into the economy. But he would also be putting money into Social Security, and because he wouldn't have grandparents or parents collecting benefits, nobody from his family would be taking anything out. Eventually, he'd collect benefits, but it makes sense to assume that he'd get married and have some kids, increasing the population as is needed.

And like I said, he would be legal, as would all immigrants. We could create a large system to track immigrants, which, in theory, might help us keeeping out people we don't want, like terrorists.

I'm sorry if this doesn't flow very well, but I think it's an interesting idea.

[jagguy]

1. I'm not sure that relatives would not benefit

because they would come here too. If you could cherry pick then it could help but those folks who come here generally want the same for their loved ones.

[Composed Thinker]

4. But

If if someone doesn't pay into the system, do they collect?

[jagguy]

15. as dependants, I think so but not sure

.

[SharonAnn]

16. Spouses and children under 18

can collect if a worker dies. That's about it.

[jbm]

2. I don't know enough..

to comment on whether this is a workable idea..but it is interesting,and I like the concept of finding a way to make immigration mutually beneficial. Mostly I just wanted to say hi and welcome to DU. :)

I love reading new and original ideas!

[Composed Thinker]

6. I'm actually pretty happy in some regards

This is kind of off topic, but I'm pretty happy about the way things are some in some regards. My mom doesn't have a doctorate, but she's a shrewd woman. She doesn't know everything--she often asks me who people are and what something is and so on--but she wants to know what's happening. We don't recycle the newspapers in my house if we don't read them that day. She'll often sit down with a big stack when she has free time to catch up, so even if she doesn't know right away, she tries. And even if she doesn't know, I think the fact that she wants to know says so much more.

Well anyway, we were talking recently, and she said how she went back to the hotel while I was at my college orientation (she didn't stay on campus) and started to watch CNN (or some station like that). She then told me about India and France or Germany not sending troops and stuff like that. She seemed to pleased to be able to recall that stuff.

While this does sound kind of weird, I'm glad she felt great in knowing this stuff. The thing is, she thinks she's dumb, and I tell her she's not. I say that she just has to keep an open eye and she'll start to pick stuff up easily.

So that is all.

[jbm]

13. I'll take a ..

curious 'uneducated' person over a well-educated person who has stopped searching anyday. Your mom sounds like a great lady to me!

[Composed Thinker]

14. Well

Well, she's not uneducated (she's a nurse), but she just never took an interst in politics. I'm glad that she gives a damn, though.

[StevenLee]

3. I don't know about social security....

but Japan needs immigrants BAD....too bad they treat them like crap when they get there... :silly:

[FreedomReload]

5. Japan Is Great Toward Immigrants

I would gladly go to Japan if I could afford it. Great culture, great food, great history. Donate me some money and let us see how it goes.

[Composed Thinker]

7. No

The society is very insular and doesn't really like outsiders. That's why the goal of the leaders in Japan, seeking to add hundreds of thousands of immigrants to society, is so hard to achieve.

[JNelson6563]

8. Isn't it true

that an immigrant cannot become a citizen of Japan? Something about keeping the strain pure...? I heard this long ago.

Julie

[StevenLee]

9. You must not be....

Korean or filipino... Japan hated of other asians makes the immigration process flawed in Japan... If you are caucasian... fine... you are seens as something special or different...but if you are Asian (of which most of the immigrant pool comes from) and you go to work in Japan...racism is quite common ....and leads to many leaving Japan... A rich nation like Japan should not have an immigration problem...but many are hesitant to go...
and for your comment about their great history... billions on the other side of the world would not agree that it is so great...

[redeye]

11. Do you speak Japanese?

In Japan few people speak English, so if you want to live there, better learn their language.

[redeye]

10. That's an original way of thinking

The problem with that, I think, is that regardless of whether the Mexican comes or not, the number of jobs available is constant; therefore, if the Mexican comes, he only takes someone else's job (not necessarily bad, but that's another story). Creating jobs is done either by increasing spending, which is an excellent idea given that government spending in the US is abysmally low, or encouraging corporations to invest, which shouldn't be done because they should be investing in Mexico and India and South Africa.

[Composed Thinker]

12. But

But there are always jobs available. Look in the want ad section of a newspaper. And it can be controlled, so once someone comes in, starts making money, and creates the opportunity for more jobs, another person can be allowed to become a member of society.

No, this idea isn't perfect, nor has been examined closely, but I think it has at least some validity.

[rman]

17. "always jobs available"?

that doesn't explain unemployment.
there just is not an unlimited number of jobs.

the main problem with your idea is that you'd have to constantly import new workers. if you don't then it works only temporarily.

[redeye]

18. It's only temporary anyway...

...because at some point, one of the following will happen:

- The USA will become overcrowded
- Mexico and other nations from which there's a lot of emigration to the US are going to develop enough so that the money emigrant workers send them isn't enough to sustain them and they have to emigrate to the USA and live on SS
- There won't be enough population in the world to sustain the situation