Thread: MYTH: Americans won't do the work that illegals do

From Free Republic:

TRUTH: Prior to 1965 when the disastrous Immigration Bill was passed, there was very little immigration. In fact, between 1925 and 1965, there was even a period of net emigration out of the United States. During this time, our grass was getting cut, our meat was being packed, our children were being watched and our houses were being cleaned. The idea that somehow we suddenly can't run a country without an unlimited supply of foreigners is absurd.

Those in favor of foreign labor are corporations who are addicted to cheap labor. They are the ones who are benefiting. But their benefit comes at the American tax payer's expense when you consider that the American tax payer is virtually subsidizing the labor costs of the greedy corporations by supplying the illegal foreign workers and their families with welfare, free education, free medical, WICs, housing assistance, etc. -- something the corporations won't do.

Americans won't allow themselves to be exploited like illegals do, but they WILL do the work that illegals do for fair compensation and benefits. If Americans did the work that illegals do at higher pay, would that benefit the consumer? You bet it would in the long run. But many Americans who do not care about America's future are consumers who favor the idea of exploiting illegal workers because it keeps commodity and service prices down in the short term.

love that article. It eludes to the economic principle of consumer surplus vs. producer surplus. You see when markets work the way they should (following supply and demand) the consumers get a higher surplus or benefit (lower price/higher quality). But when things go the way the producers want (price collusion, oligopoly, duopoly, monopoly, or ability to control any form of supply and demand) it generates a higher producers surplus.

There is never a situation when either side gets nothing, but the producers are greedy and want more (naturally they are in business to generate revenue, the more revenue the better for them). Consider businesses the "rebelious" children of american society, give them an inch and they'll take a mile. However, give them discipline and they will straighten up and folow the rules laid down and enforced. One of our major problems is that the law is not even closed to enforced.

Back to economics. When producers lobby for and get the illegal labor they want we are giving them another inch if you will. Also we are giving thm the ability to control the supply of the labor market, a market which they all must vie for to produce output. Increasing this supply can ONLY have an adverse affect on wages in the unskilled labor market and eventually in the labor market as a whole (for example one illegal worker sends 6 kids to school. after 18 years 4 out of 6 are educated and will use this education to get a "skilled" labor job, thus taking it from a deserving legal citizen who was born of legal citizens.) Most businesses and advocate groups only look at the present and not the damage 18 years down the road.

Excellent post dragon. I have been amazed that unions do not oppose illegals, but they are just looking for more due-paying members, I guess.

But what about those who favor free markets? Illegals are like a tarrif charged to US consumers.