You are here . . .

[flamin lib]

Ever been to the mall and seen the store locator map? It always has an arrow saying, “You are here.” (And they said you’d never go places . . .)

That’s sort of how I feel about immigration. Regardless of how we got here it’s where we are. Eleven million long term illegal immigrants working in the US. Too many to arrest. Deport them and they just come back. They depress wages in construction, food service and hospitality. They may mask terrorists coming into the country. What to do?

Do nothing--wages stay depressed and we have no control of the borders.

Build a fence and hire more Border Patrol officers. Not likely to make a difference and it doesn’t address those already here. Besides it would cost a brazillion dollars to make a fence 100’ high and 100’ deep.

Issue guest worker permits and document them? Not altogether bad, it brings them out of the employee black market and may elevate wages when employers can‘t take advantage of them. It also gives the US a tracking mechanism on who’s here.

Who am I kiddin’? No way these 11 million people can be tracked with today’s infrastructure. On the bright side all those folks who used to work in construction, food service and hospitality have jobs in the new Guest Worker division of Border Patrol.

It makes me feel kinda’ like Moses, wandering in the wilderness with nobody to ask for directions.

[DaveJ]

1. America is addicted to cheap labor

And the government is our Pusher. It's one of those shameful things that the government cannot own up to the fact that they are doing their best to maintain the status quo (poverty) abroad, and the financial chasm here. Any attempt to help provide a comfortable life for everyone is labeled socialism.

[Texaroo]

2. The "new" middle class

I think it's more complex than just an addiction to cheap labor. Cheap immigrant labor has lowered barriers to entrants into small business. Any yahoo with a pick-up can pick up laborers to help pour a foundation, or get a cleaning contract, or open a dry cleaners. It "increases competition," sure, but the small businessman gains disproportionately through cheap labor.

The problem is that with outsourcing and the "global economy," we can't compete because the market is suddenly much larger. We didn't have a China or India to worry about 15-20 years ago. Even the government has started shifting its emphasis towards small business ownership as the tool that creates a middle class.

Let's face it - in a decade or less, it will be impossible for a wage earner to be "middle class." You will have to own your own business, unless you are in the upper echelons of complex corporate jobs or the equivalent.

It's a pretty grim outlook from my view - tons of consumer debt, paying for the cheapest of goods, increasing the demands for cheap labor, leading to more outsourcing.

[Brazenly Liberal]

3. A brazilion?

That reminds me of a funny story I heard. It seems Bush...