THE REAL THIRD RAIL!
I know I have too many favorite columnists/pundits, but it is not my fault there are so many! Thomas Sowell writes a column on illegal immigration here. A must read if you really want to understand the core of the problem.
Here are three central paragraphs, the logic of which is not disputable in my mind:
Here are three central paragraphs, the logic of which is not disputable in my mind:
- "Virtually every job in the country is work that Americans will not do, if the pay is below a certain level. And the pay will not rise to that level so long as illegal immigrants --"undocumented workers"-- are available to work for less.
- Even those who write editorials about how we need Mexicans to do work that Americans will not do would not be willing to write editorials for a fraction of what they are being paid. If Mexican editorial writers were coming across the border illegally and taking their jobs, maybe the issue would become clearer.
- You cannot discuss jobs without discussing pay, if you are serious. And, if you are serious, you need to discuss all the welfare state benefits available to Americabns who won't work."
Let's get serious! Could it be our welfare state benefits are the problem, allowing a segment of our society to not work, so the demand for illegal aliens stays with us?
If you have never read Thomas Sowell, get one of his short and very readable books on various economic and societal problems. He has tremendous insight and a way of expressing it that is quite understandable.
posted by Jim | 8:17 AM
2 Comments:
As I read Sowell's article, he makes an argument that I can't refute. He implies that if somehow we were able to keep all illegal immigrants out, then wages would rise and Americans would take these jobs. Sounds great, but part of the issue is that people take risks to come over from Mexico because they can make more money here than at home, even though the wages are considered low by Americans. And as he indicates, many Americans like that arrangement, since it provides low cost labor.
We could get rid of welfare programs, which would make unemployed Americans more desperate (hopefully to work), and I guess we could apply that money to (trying to) close down the borders. But if wages rise, that would seem to make it even more enticing for illegal immigrants. So the next question is whether those actions would lead to a generally better situation than we've got now.
Glass half empty, glass half full syndrome! That is our communication problem!
I read Sowell just the oppisite of you. He is saying if we were not so generous with welfare (meaning all types, including very generous unemployment and disability) and if we quit playing with pay rates in the market (he did not mention this, but I will) known as minimum wage, the market would adjust wage rates and Americans would tend to take the jobs and they would not be available for illegals.
You must believe in the market and take short term difficulties to pursue this, and this is the lefts problem: no short term problems or pain allowed (I feel your pain!).
I do not think getting rid of welfare would make "...Americans more desperate...", but would make them look for work and allow the market to do its job.
We wouldn't have to close down the borders, the market would!
But we can probably agree to disagree on this - as on so many things. I would suggest reading the column again from "Virtually every job..." to the end and see if my conclustion makes sense.
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