Thread: A war on California's economy

San Francisco Chronicle EDITORIAL

Warning: Pro-Business Shill Says:
A war on state's economy
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 5RJAF9.DTL
Sunday, August 19, 2007

NOT SATISFIED with its full-scale attack on Iraq, the Bush administration is now launching an inexplicable, unwarranted and unworkable attack on California's economy and its social fabric.

It is doing so by declaring war against employers who hire illegal immigrants - and against these immigrants themselves.

No state will be hurt more than California, which is home to at least one-quarter of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States. California's $32 billion agricultural industry is dependent on them. They also make up a significant percentage of the construction, restaurant, hotel and other sectors of the California workforce.

Within weeks, the Dept. of Homeland Security, in concert with the Social Security Administration, is planning to send out waves of "no match" letters to employers. If an employee's Social Security information does not match those on file with the federal government, the employer will be required to fire the worker within 90 days, if the discrepancy can't be resolved. If the worker isn't fired, the employer will be subject to a $2,200 fine per worker, and stiffer penalties later on.

For years, President Bush has made the argument that immigration "enforcement" must be accompanied by "comprehensive reform" of the entire system, including some form of legalization of undocumented immigrants.

Now that "comprehensive reform" of immigration laws crashed and burned in Congress this spring, however, Bush has embraced an "enforcement only" strategy.

Ideally, there would be no illegal immigrants in the United States. The way to enter the country, and to stay here, should be with a legal visa.

But our immigration policies have not kept pace with the needs of the U.S. economy. With a 4.6 percent national unemployment rate, it is becoming increasingly clear there are insufficient native-born workers to meet employers' needs in many sectors of the economy.

As even former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan argued, the inflow of foreign workers, both legal and illegal, has been a major factor in sustaining the growth and productivity of the U.S. economy.

But the Bush administration has adopted a vindictive approach that ignores the realities of the United States and California economy. The state's 35,000 agricultural employers hire more than 800,000 people to work on farms each year. Half or more are likely to be undocumented.

The administration has cynically said that it plans to reform existing temporary-worker programs such as the H2-A Agricultural Seasonal Worker Program and the H-2B program for non-agricultural workers to make it easier to legally hire foreign workers.

But reform of these programs will not happen any time soon - certainly not within the next 90 days. "They are as much of a hornet's nest from a regulatory point of view as any aspect of immigration law," Demetrious Papademetriou, president of the Migration Policy Institute, and one of the most astute analysts of the immigration landscape, told us.

The administration's enforcement "surge" is also likely to take a toll on families and communities. Statistics show that many illegal immigrants are part of families made up of legal immigrants and U.S. citizens. Many families will be broken apart by the policies the administration plans to imminently enforce.

Polls by the Public Policy Institute of California show that 60 percent of Californians believe that illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for legal work permits. Yet, the Bush administration is plunging ahead with its misguided policies without consulting with California's elected officials, or its business leaders.

It's possible that the destructive enforcement policies it has announced are part of complicated chess-like strategy to get employers so riled up that they will force Congress to pass immigration reform by the end of the year. But the chances of that happening are, at best, remote.

"Since the gambit will most likely fail, the administration will find itself between a rock and a hard place," Papademetriou said. "These policies will damage important sectors of the economy. But if the administration backs off on it its promises, that will allow its detractors to say what they have been saying all along - that this administration was not serious about enforcement in the first place."

Another possible motive is that the Bush administration is trying to embarrass the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill for Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform - even though it's mostly Republicans who oppose those reforms.

Our nation's immigration policies cannot be allowed to be used as a tool to advance anyone's political interests. Reform must focus on strong border enforcement and an orderly immigration process and it must begin now.

Hasn't Mexico already won the war in CA???

The housing market is collapsing under the weight of millions of unqualified hispanics who grabbed a piece of the American dream and then just walked away leaving us holding the bag. The final nail in the coffin is about to happen with universal healthcare for the millions of illegals in CA. The schools are failing. The budget deficit is 4x greater than before Gray Davis was recalled. Taxes are going thru the roof!

What's left of CA???? We have already imploded!!!

Comments are being left after this spin article:

stokeybob wrote:
I'm getting a kick out of this article because I'm NOT an economist. I can sort of see how a myopic economist may be able to see an increase in profits by snuffing the descendants of the founders of this country (Zero Population Growth, Family Planning, Safe Sex). That makes room for the criminals in business's illegal labor. Not only can many of the illegal invaders be paid off in token wages but that also leaves the honest workers stiffed with the invaders taxes, medical and social services. It's a pure genius way of eliminating any competition. They wont be able to compete on that playing field. Every day more and more will go under. The part that confuses me is I can see examples of some of the illegal aliens previous work. And... How will all of the crime that surrounds illegal immigration be helping you out when the honest people are forced to join in, in the lawlessness?

Posted 8/19/2007 7:31:21 AM
Recommend (1)Report Abusewhozzat wrote:
I wonder if all the people who complain about outsourcing American jobs overseas, which allows employers to pay employees less, can see that "insourcing" jobs here to illegal immigarnts is essentially the same thing?

Posted 8/19/2007 8:23:30 AM
Recommend (3)Report Abuseoctavian wrote:
Let me see if I understand this editorial: The Chronicle is upset because the Bush administration plans to do what it is sworn to do - enforce the law. Perhaps, the Bush administration should consult with California leaders would be wise, but such a step is not necessary.

Posted 8/19/2007 9:25:18 AM
Recommend (1)Report Abusejh1 wrote:
I am amazed that the editorial, like the NY Times, Washington Post are mad because the Bush admin is going to enforce the law. How can they not enforce the law? I believe all federal funds should be cut off to sanctuary cities who refuse to obey the laws. I also believe we should make it easier for immigrants to be here legally as they do in the long run help the economy. People and governments should not be able to pick and choose what laws they want to obey. If this happens you get anarchy and as a country you will not survive.

Posted 8/19/2007 9:43:48 AM
Recommend (1)Report Abuseslake wrote:
When the American people are fed up with the influx of illegal immigration and the burden they create, irresponsible wirters, like you, are quick to blame the Republican party. If I recall correctly, Republicans and Democrats had issues with the immigration reform bill that was presented in Congress. However, you fail to mention that. Irresponsible companies that use illegal workers are only lining their pockets. These workers are paid substandard wages, given no benefits and are not assimilated into our society. They are given farm subsidies and burden the American people with their healthcare needs and education. The cost of new construction, eating out and produce has only risen in the past. These worker re being paid wages that equal those in the early 90s. Employers have ignored no match letters in the past and now their time is up. Stop feeling sorry for employers who have made millions while exploiting cheap labor.

Posted 8/19/2007 11:07:47 AM
Recommend (1)Report Abusewise111 wrote:
I'm a progressive, but illegal immigration is not something which will cause our economy to bust. The problem is employers who don't want to pay Americans fair wages. I've heard alot of pro-immigration people say that they would have to hire lazy black workers, blablabla. Well, when you're only paying a black worker $7 an hour in a place like the bay area, of course they're going to laugh at you. Another thing that makes me angry is the media's handling of the subject. Much of the media has taken to the side of the immigrants, with sob stories and the like. Just check out yahoo or any other internet news source. They're not presenting the problem in a fair manner, with alot of the editorials concluding with speeches from a spokesman for La Raza or some other partisan group. Another myth is that immigrants only take the cheap labor. A total lie. If you were to go to any private clinic right now, you would see alot of immigrants getting physicals. This isn't because they're making only$7

Posted 8/19/2007 11:27:26 AM
Recommend (0)Report Abusewise111 wrote:
Another lie is that there haven't been enough illegal workers to sustain the economy with an unemployment rate of 4.3% of the nation. Is this possibly because employers dont want entry level jobs being taken by Americans? One thing people don't realize outside of this state is how Americans are barely getting by in other states like Michigan, Ohio, etc. With the few manufacturing jobs that the U.S still has left in the country being taken by foreigners, These areas will likely continue to remain below poverty. The real reason why employers don't want to hire Americans isn't because no Americans will take the job, but because with an American workforce employers will have to abide by employment practices such as overtime, higher wages, time off, etc. I am not alone in my thoughts either. While many in the Bay Area may be pro-immigration, the rest of the country is not. Even though I may hate Bush, he is still doing something about the problem instead of increasing it.

Posted 8/19/2007 11:35:17 AM

Bush's so-called enforcement meaures (e.g., "no match" letters), have already proven to be useless. So the San Fran Chron should take a deep breath and stop whining.

Originally Posted by AmericanMe

Hasn't Mexico already won the war in CA???

The housing market is collapsing under the weight of millions of unqualified hispanics who grabbed a piece of the American dream and then just walked away leaving us holding the bag. The final nail in the coffin is about to happen with universal healthcare for the millions of illegals in CA. The schools are failing. The budget deficit is 4x greater than before Gray Davis was recalled. Taxes are going thru the roof!

What's left of CA???? We have already imploded!!!

Hahahhah, AmericanMe, you are too funny. Yes, MX already won the war in CA, that's why I sold my home last year (just in the nick of time!) and moved to another state. Really, that is the ONLY REASON. In the past 21 years I was in CA (SoCal in particular), I witnessed it turn into your new state, Mexifornia. Get out while you can, buddy!

Originally Posted by Ex_OC

Originally Posted by AmericanMe

Hasn't Mexico already won the war in CA???

The housing market is collapsing under the weight of millions of unqualified hispanics who grabbed a piece of the American dream and then just walked away leaving us holding the bag. The final nail in the coffin is about to happen with universal healthcare for the millions of illegals in CA. The schools are failing. The budget deficit is 4x greater than before Gray Davis was recalled. Taxes are going thru the roof!

What's left of CA???? We have already imploded!!!

Hahahhah, AmericanMe, you are too funny. Yes, MX already won the war in CA, that's why I sold my home last year (just in the nick of time!) and moved to another state. Really, that is the ONLY REASON. In the past 21 years I was in CA (SoCal in particular), I witnessed it turn into your new state, Mexifornia. Get out while you can, buddy!

Welcome to ALIPAC OC!

I too left Southern California and moved to another state. I feel like I escaped just in the nick of time.