Comments on Thomas Ponderables: If You Support Amnesty, Then Support It

I wrote George Voinovich, I guess of was one of th...

2007-07-04T16:25:00.000-04:00

I wrote George Voinovich, I guess of was one of those who intimidated him, that if he was going to vote and act like a Democrat, then I might as well vote for the real thing next time....

I tell people two words in response to the argumen...

2007-07-03T21:17:00.000-04:00

I tell people two words in response to the argument that Americans won't do certain jobs: Fear Factor (the television show). I can't think of anything that more clearly demonstrates that Americans will do anything, no matter how difficult or disgusting, if the money is right.

For jobs that are inherently non-exportable (construction, hospitality, cleaning), the law of supply and demand would set wages higher to attract American workers and the cost to consumers would be corrected to reflect the actual value of the service. For jobs that are exportable, such as in agriculture, the increase in labor cost would finally force innovation on an industry that is still picking vegetables the way that our ancient ancestors did thousands of years ago. There is no reason to think that farming has reached the limit of labor saving innovations, but there has been no incentive to pursue them because of the availability of cheap labor.

You have some very good points, some of which are ...

2007-07-03T00:58:00.000-04:00

You have some very good points, some of which are valid, such as the fact that illegal immigrants get ahead of the ones who have to wait to enter legally. But the whole situation is about economics. If I were a poor Mexican, I'd come here too. And ask any farm owner, hotel manager, construction executive, etc., and they'll tell you that almost all Americans will not take those jobs (MSNBC had a good series on the issue). That's certainly the case here in Washington, especially the eastern part of the state.

BTW, have you read Pat Buchanan's State of Emergency? I don't agree with his overall premise (secure border, deport immigrants), but it's a very good book nontheless. He talks a lot about how corporations benefit the most from illegal immigrants. That's true, but because Americans don't want those jobs, and globalization if in full swing and there is no way to stop it, the only way for America to be successfull is to have a good education system. America can never again be an industrial (i.e., manufacturing) power, but can still be an economic powerhouse in other sectors.