In my Spanish Class, we have started to talk about illegal immigration, so I decided to write about my views now.
I believe that preventing the movement of people across borders is wrong. What are borders, but lines on a map? What right do we have to prevent people from coming to America, other than being born here?
My plan would be to stop policing the borders of the U.S., and allow anyone to enter. Not only would this save money on guards, but it could allow us to tax the illegal workers already in the U.S.
An obvious criticism of allowing immigration would be the increased likelihood of terrorism. People would fear that terrorists might infiltrate our country and attack. That may once have been the case, but terrorists now are more and more normal citizens of the countries in which they attack. As The Economist put it, between 2004 and 2008 "fully 84% of culprits had a western upbringing but only 28% had links to foreign militants".
This policy could be complemented with a removal of the minimum wage. The influx of workers would increase competition for work, and lower the cost of labor within the United States, allowing us to be more competitive with emerging economies, such as China. As a resident of Wichita, I've seen companies threated to export jobs to other countries, for their lower wages, and this would prevent that from happening. It could even spur new job creation, because companies' profits would be higher.
Minimum wage is bad because it artificially inflates the price of labor. It makes it so that people who are not worth paying it are unemployed, people like teenagers. The real minimum wage is 0, because that is what you are paid if you're not working.
I'm sure I missed some obvious problems with this, so comment on what you think.
What about population problems and job losses due to cheaper laborers from Mexico
ReplyDeleteLol, hate to inform you but that is kinda what the dream act is. But your right, wait im going to find my speech on this.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. has a far lower population density than most parts of Europe, East Asia and Japan. All that would happen is a lowering of the price of labor, not losses of jobs. In fact, as I pointed out, it would actually help save jobs from outsourcing. And no Sharad, its not like the Dream Act. That's only for specific well-skilled people or people in the army, wheras mine would be for everyone.
ReplyDeleteWell if immigrants came over and worked for cheaper, then what do you expect would happen to our jobs? We would either have to work for nearly nothing or we would just flat out lose them.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with your argument Tyler is it uses exclusive language. You think in an US vs THEM mind set. They would become us because they become U.S. citizens. Your arguement could be applied to "We can't have any more babies, they will take our job in 20 years!". What would actaully occur is that their would be more business with more positions that need to be filled. Citizens naturally start or expand business, by keeping a permanent lower class it actaully just fucks teenages and other unskilled american works. If we allow mexicans to start their own business their will be more doctars, and patients for those doctors to treat. That same doctar logic applies across the board. It not like their are a set number of jobs in each country and we need to keep them in their country. Moral of the story is that the number or jobs available is a function of the number of business and expansion of those business. If I could pay my workers as much as folks in china, than I would have probably already have started my own business.
ReplyDeleteBut when you pay that little to workers, its almost slave labor, then the workers won't make enough to feed/manage the upkeep of their families
ReplyDeleteThey're already getting paid barely enough to survive in Mexico, and you're saying that we're better than them and deserve better jobs. The unions would be able to fight against bad working conditions anyway. Also, more skill intensive jobs wouldn't be replaced and the wages wouldn't be lowered as much because not as many Mexicans have the education that Americans do.
ReplyDeleteColin I spoke with my father on the issue of minimal wage and it was quite inciteful. The minimal wage is set to establish the lowest possible cost of living. Inflation is caused by it, but inflation is a natural, harmless element of economics.
ReplyDeleteIf you decrease minimal wage it allows for the same abuses that occured in early 1900's. Capitalism has a major inhuman flaw, as demonstrated. Without minimal wage it also business to fuck up the skilled workers. If I get payed $1 an hour for a job at Mcdonalds, and $1 an hour for working as trained machinist, well I have no incentive to get my techincal degree. Innovation is the most important economic advantage that USA has had. We need to offer incentives for such innovation.
The global skilled worker price is rising. More and more chinese workers are become middle class and demanding legitamate wages. Give it time and the global inflation will catch up to us. Every other part of the unskilled working world is experiencing the 1900's. This doesn't mean we go back in time to be competative. This means we should/will develop innovation skills that allow us to remain competative at other angles. Our economy had a massive boast during the internet boom, far more than any other country. To solve american economy issues, we need to direct our efforts toward creating another "internet boom" that might lie in alternative energy, or in GMs research. If we intentional cause the deflation of our dollar than research and advancements are injured, as we are working to live at the same price as the entire world.
Recently countries accused the chinese of deflating their currency in order to monoplize the unskilled working world. This pissed all the other countries off. I'm sure you heard about this.
Lasting, it is impossible to reverse inflation, because it screws with far to many other economic values. What happens to price of property? What happens to price of a degree? What do we do with government programs like unemployment, health care, and welfare. What do with do with all these socialist essetinals? every country needs a certain degree of government programs. Total capitalism is inhumane and unpopular. How do you explain to the poor man that the reason he got fired is OK be in the end capitalism will always balance other any problems, even if that includes killing of the unskilled because of logistical blocks in employment. We need these government programs to prevent riots. In eygpt's recent protests, one thing that was demanded was subsidised food and government employment. sounds like the demands of an emergeing middleclass economy, much like our own during the depression.
That's a good point. Deflation would be one horrendous effect from removing minimal wage, especially looking at Japan, but I'm not sure to what degree it would occur. Only about 5% of people are actually paid minimum wage, so it seems more likely that the current rate of inflation would slow down rather than deflation set it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it seems like skilled workers are able far more effectively to strike to improve wages, or quit their job and look for work elsewhere, so that wouldn't be a problem. Besides, if no one wanted to be a "trained mechanist", the supply of them would drop, and therefore the price of hiring one would rise, creating an incentive to become one.
China wasn't deflating its currency, it was artificially keeping it low compared to the dollar. Many countries are attempting to devalue their currencies to increase export competitiveness.
If we stop guarding the border, we will have a stampede of illegals come, similar to the Oklahoma Land Rush. But even though this would save money, what happened to the idea of gaining citizenship? I do agree, however, that most Mexicans will do jobs that most unemployed Americans would laugh at. Drug cartels would cease to be a Mexican problem; it would be ours. These problems heavily outweigh the cost it takes to somewhat protect the border. I do have a problem with people who are selfish with American benefits, like freedom of speech and religion. We are a nation of IMMIGRANTS, but legal ones.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, perhaps it would be more prudent to just let more become citizens instead.
ReplyDeleteThat is a good idea. I think we should be more caring, while still protecting our country and dignity.
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