Thread: Illegal immigrants do displace U.S. workers

Illegal immigrants do displace U.S. workers

January 8, 2009

It was interesting to read two of the letters in response to Rep. Steve King's Dec. 12 Iowa View about the negative impact hiring illegal immigrants has on employment prospects for American citizens and legal immigrants. Both writers claimed there was little, if any impact on the unemployment rate for American citizens.

One noted that "study after study by the Pew Hispanic Center" and others showed that it was "U.S. labor demands" that were "driving legal residents out of jobs that are not providing living wages."

I suggest that this writer look at the 2006 Pew Hispanic Center research report "The Size and Characteristics of the Unauthorized Migrant Population in the U.S." A section of this report examined the 2005 labor-force characteristics of the estimated 7.2 million illegal immigrants then working in the United States.

According to this report, in the U.S. work force, illegal immigrants made up 36 percent of the insulation workers, 29 percent of the miscellaneous agricultural workers, 29 percent of roofers and 28 percent of those involved in dry walling, among the numerous occupations listed.

It is not "U.S. labor demands" that are driving legal workers out of jobs; rather, it is the unscrupulous employers who are taking the opportunity to pay illegal immigrants lower wages than are acceptable to legal workers in the United States.

How can anyone claim it is insignificant that more than 7 million legal workers have been displaced by illegal immigrants?

- Stephen M. Kirby, Indianola
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/articl ... 38/Opinion

How can anyone claim it is insignificant that more than 7 million legal workers have been displaced by illegal immigrants?

No one does claim that its insignificant, the problem is that no ones voice is being heard or reported on!!

It is not "U.S. labor demands" that are driving legal workers out of jobs; rather, it is the unscrupulous employers who are taking the opportunity to pay illegal immigrants lower wages than are acceptable to legal workers in the United States




You know, this is something I've really given a lot of thought to as of late what with the ever increasing unemployment rate, etc.

And I know I'll probably get jumped all over for it, as I have before, but.....in all honesty......there are times that I have to wonder how much responsibility Americans share in their displacement from the workforce by illegal aliens.

I mean, just what exactly IS considered an "acceptable wage" by Americans and just when do we reach the point where that definition makes us unsustainable?

Is it a reasonable for someone fresh out of college to expect to walk right into a salary of $60,000 plus per year at entry level? Or the clerk at the jewelry counter to expect wages the same as the actual jeweler? Should the guy pushing the broom around the factory floor be paid $20/hr instead of the $12/hr he's making? When did it become okay for the busboy or the guy flipping burgers at McDonald's to expect the same salary as a Head Chef and then get in a snit and refuse to work those jobs when they didn't get it?

Even if the answers to those questions are Yes......what happened to not ALLOWING ourselves to be displaced? It may not be the ideal salary, but doesn't it stand to reason that if you want to keep jobs, YOU fill those jobs instead of abandoning them to be filled by others and then worry about the wage and other issues later?

That's what our forebears did, isn't it? But we didn't and, quite frankly, that's exactly what greedy, profit driven employers expected us to do making it extremely easy for them to displace us.

Well, to some degree aren't we, as a population, just as guilty of being just as greedy and dissatisfied with what WE had as the employers we want tarred and feathered?

I don't know, but sometimes you just have to wonder how much of this we helped bring on ourselves

Azwreath, I think American culture has changed and brought a lot of these things to pass. Many decades ago when American pioneers had to leave their farmstead and go to the General Store, who knows how many miles away, they had to be organized. The people who ran those stores had to be well organized and keep careful records, too. Even in our earlier urban culture consumers were dependent upon organization and in using skilled tradespeople to meet their consumer needs.

Now, many Americans rely upon the convenience store, fast food joints, automatic car washes---jobs which can be filled by low skilled--consequently illegal--- help. Some people say that they miss seeing the American kids working behind the counter at McDonald's, but why should they work in such a dead end job for long?

No, a lot of our predicament is due to cultural trends---and until those are reversed there will be a demand for the cheap labor to come from somewhere.

Originally Posted by azwreath

It is not "U.S. labor demands" that are driving legal workers out of jobs; rather, it is the unscrupulous employers who are taking the opportunity to pay illegal immigrants lower wages than are acceptable to legal workers in the United States




You know, this is something I've really given a lot of thought to as of late what with the ever increasing unemployment rate, etc.

And I know I'll probably get jumped all over for it, as I have before, but.....in all honesty......there are times that I have to wonder how much responsibility Americans share in their displacement from the workforce by illegal aliens.

I mean, just what exactly IS considered an "acceptable wage" by Americans and just when do we reach the point where that definition makes us unsustainable?

Is it a reasonable for someone fresh out of college to expect to walk right into a salary of $60,000 plus per year at entry level? Or the clerk at the jewelry counter to expect wages the same as the actual jeweler? Should the guy pushing the broom around the factory floor be paid $20/hr instead of the $12/hr he's making? When did it become okay for the busboy or the guy flipping burgers at McDonald's to expect the same salary as a Head Chef and then get in a snit and refuse to work those jobs when they didn't get it?

Even if the answers to those questions are Yes......what happened to not ALLOWING ourselves to be displaced? It may not be the ideal salary, but doesn't it stand to reason that if you want to keep jobs, YOU fill those jobs instead of abandoning them to be filled by others and then worry about the wage and other issues later?

That's what our forebears did, isn't it? But we didn't and, quite frankly, that's exactly what greedy, profit driven employers expected us to do making it extremely easy for them to displace us.

Well, to some degree aren't we, as a population, just as guilty of being just as greedy and dissatisfied with what WE had as the employers we want tarred and feathered?

I don't know, but sometimes you just have to wonder how much of this we helped bring on ourselves

OK. I am going to jump all over your gd azz right now. You asked for it.

Firstl....what is the average cost of a house these days? How is a person suppose to shelter their family on like nine bucks and hour? Did I mention that kids eat food also? The American worker was pushed out of jobs because they cant afford to feed and shelter their families on jobs dominated by illegals. This is because illegals work so cheap. Let me ask you something. Do you want your kids to live in a three bedroom house with three families living there? Do you? That is the only way to compete with the wages that illegals accept. We would have to take our standard of living all the way down to a third world country to compete. If you get paid like them then you have to live like them. Maybe you would like to see your little kids crammed with ten people in one room. Sound good to you? Ever heard of TB?

Americans were pushed out of jobs. That is because Americans dont want to see their children living in third world conditions. Or maybe that is OK with you, but I can tell you it is not OK for the rest of us.

Ya....lets just all lower our standard of living so we can get paid nothing for working our asses off. We can all live in substandard conditions....why not? Americans lost those jobs because they REFUSED to subject their families to life in the third world ghetto conditions.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LIVE LIKE THAT....GO AHEAD.....GO GET YOUR JOB THAT PAYS NOTHING AT ALL. YOU CAN WORK WITHOUT BREAKS AND WITHOUT OVERTIME PAY.

Do give me that chit "jobs americans wont do" I dont buy that. You sound like you are ready to just give in....ya oh well if you cant beat em...join em eh? Not me. I wont rest till every last illegal is OUT OF MY COUNTRY.

I put the responsibility squarely on the leadership of this country. "Greed is good" blossomed in the 60s and 70s by major money men and did trickle down to the small business level. A roofing contractor I talked to a few years ago would only hire Mexicans because they worked harder and he really wasn't worried about their paperwork, as he usually paid them cash under the table, didn't take out taxes except to put in his own pocket and had no problem not paying workman's comp since these guys were subcontractors and the responsibility was theirs, not his. I did not explode, but just kept asking innocent questions.
While there used to be jobs Americans won't do, but with this economy there are fewer and fewer of those as that family that who lost their home and the family is currently living in their car will do anything to put food on the table for any price. It is our culture we live with family members, not second cousins fifteen times removed in a heap in cramped quarters. With GWB's removal of businesses being required to search for American workers before hiring a foreigner. With every executive order he frantically issues in these last days in office, he is driving another nail into the coffin of the peons, AKA, the American worker.

Originally Posted by vortex

I put the responsibility squarely on the leadership of this country. "Greed is good" blossomed in the 60s and 70s by major money men and did trickle down to the small business level. A roofing contractor I talked to a few years ago would only hire Mexicans because they worked harder and he really wasn't worried about their paperwork, as he usually paid them cash under the table, didn't take out taxes except to put in his own pocket and had no problem not paying workman's comp since these guys were subcontractors and the responsibility was theirs, not his. I did not explode, but just kept asking innocent questions.
While there used to be jobs Americans won't do, but with this economy there are fewer and fewer of those as that family that who lost their home and the family is currently living in their car will do anything to put food on the table for any price. It is our culture we live with family members, not second cousins fifteen times removed in a heap in cramped quarters. With GWB's removal of businesses being required to search for American workers before hiring a foreigner. With every executive order he frantically issues in these last days in office, he is driving another nail into the coffin of the peons, AKA, the American worker.

I just want to say that I did not mean to put down living with family members. But of course the living quarters have to be sufficient. I only meant that living with entire families in one tiny bedroom and two other families in the same tiny house....is not healthy. Living with family members can be a great experience. But there is a limit where it becomes sub standard living....and unhealthy living. We once had a good thing going in this country. I dont think we should revert to third world standards just to compete with illegals for jobs. I think illegals should not be allowed to enter the country.

Originally Posted by azwreath

I mean, just what exactly IS considered an "acceptable wage" by Americans and just when do we reach the point where that definition makes us unsustainable?

..Should the guy pushing the broom around the factory floor be paid $20/hr instead of the $12/hr he's making? When did it become okay for the busboy or the guy flipping burgers at McDonald's to expect the same salary as a Head Chef and then get in a snit and refuse to work those jobs when they didn't get it?

Even if the answers to those questions are Yes......what happened to not ALLOWING ourselves to be displaced? It may not be the ideal salary, but doesn't it stand to reason that if you want to keep jobs, YOU fill those jobs instead of abandoning them to be filled by others and then worry about the wage and other issues later?

Azwreath, you have to remember that most of the frustration is coming from not only the fact that ILLEGAL ALIENS are displacing legal workers, but the WAGES have been STAGNATING for the last 30 YEARS while the COST OF LIVING has been skyrocketing.

Originally Posted by Rockfish

Originally Posted by azwreath

I mean, just what exactly IS considered an "acceptable wage" by Americans and just when do we reach the point where that definition makes us unsustainable?

..Should the guy pushing the broom around the factory floor be paid $20/hr instead of the $12/hr he's making? When did it become okay for the busboy or the guy flipping burgers at McDonald's to expect the same salary as a Head Chef and then get in a snit and refuse to work those jobs when they didn't get it?

Even if the answers to those questions are Yes......what happened to not ALLOWING ourselves to be displaced? It may not be the ideal salary, but doesn't it stand to reason that if you want to keep jobs, YOU fill those jobs instead of abandoning them to be filled by others and then worry about the wage and other issues later?

Azwreath, you have to remember that most of the frustration is coming from not only the fact that ILLEGAL ALIENS are displacing legal workers, but the WAGES have been STAGNATING for the last 30 YEARS while the COST OF LIVING has been skyrocketing.

your all over it Rockfish

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