I agree and its one area that I agree with the Bush Admin. that we should be figuring out a way to legalize the labor force coming in from Mexico. I heard that if illegal immigration was cut off produce and construction costs would skyrocket since almost all of the produce pickers are illegals and so are many of the people in construction.
Naw, they can't legalize immigrant workers. How do you account for health care? They don't have insurance. In 2002, California alone spent $2.2 billion for medical care for uninsured illegal aliens. So the cost of apples are cheap but the cost for an x-ray is $500 because we are paying for the illegals. We pay here or we pay there. But the end-result is the same. I don't know what the answer is to this problem but the politicians clearly think it is easier to just ignore it.
You can allow more legal immigration, but only if you eliminate minimum wage laws at the same time. The only benefit the US gets from illegal immigrant workers is cheap labor. Without that benefit, there is no point in increasing legal immigration.
Stupid Moniker; That's a good point and I certainly think reconsideration of minimum wage laws should be up for discussion. Perhaps we could consider a special visa and wage rate for migrant workers. Where they get legal status to come and work in our agriculture sector but are paid on a lower pay scale than US citizens. That would essentially legalize the existing situation we have.
That's a great and sensible idea but there's no way our cowardly politicians will ever even think of proposing something like that. Here in Cali - it's considered racist to deny illegals drivers licences. Moreover - it's considered racist to even consider issueing differently-marked drivers licenses to illegals.
No one ever talks about it, but the best way to fix illegal immigration from Mexicao is to make Mexico a prosperous nation similar to Canada. Bush is so intend on nation bulding anyway, why not just invade and take over Mexico Iraq style?
Just how high is this unsustainable minimum wage??? Does anyone else find it a little unsettling that the big concession regarding 'illegals' is to make them indentured servants?
Minimum wage is several times higher than what migrant workers are making now. It is how we have affordable produce. If migrant workers start getting $6 an hour, then they will soon be out of a job because they will be replaced by machines. The consumers will suffer because the initial cost of machines will still raise the price of produce, and it will never go back down. The produce will also be of lower quality than when it was harvested by hand. No one is suggesting that we make migrant workers indentured servants. In fact, that would be the one thing eliminated by eliminating minimum wage and allowing increased immigration. Migrants would no longer need to pay Coyotes thousands of dollars that they owe on the back end to smuggle them across the border. They would be making the same wages that they are risking their lives to come over and make now, but they would be documented, would be screened for criminals and terrorists, would not need to fear arrest, and many other benefits.
Amen! Increasing the pool of unskilled labor will naturally drive down wages. "Artificial" means to raise wages (like minimum wage) will only lead to a larger pool of unemplyed labor - or higher prices. Pick your poison.
How do you provide health insurance to these people? Sure we have cheap oranges but we are paying $500 for x-rays right now. Just California hospitals alone paid 2.2 billion in 2004 on illegal immigrant workers and that cost is passed right to you and me. What is your co-pay now as opposed to 5 years ago? How much did you spend on corn last year? So yes, pick your poison. What do you want? Cheap apples or better health care? I'm not opposing your idea just providing some perspective.
I used to live in CA and my understanding is that has to do with making sure that there are safe drivers. The problem with different colored licenses is that illegals wouldn't apply and be tested for licenses if they got a different colored one which would make it easier for the INS to catch them. This is a situation where the greater good of having safe drivers who've been tested for drivers' licenses outweigh catching the illegals since there are so many of them. If the situation were legalized by accomodating most illegals under a guest worker program then that would resolve most of the issues about providing services like drivers licenses.
That's a good question also but at the moment as you've pointed out we're paying for their health care anyway so legalizing the situation by developing a special guest worker visa wouldn't change that situation. It might even help because medical care for illegals is through emergency rooms which is more expensive than basic care. If illegals came here under a guest worker program then CA and other states could openly work with growers to provide lower costs clinics. Also a guest worker program could even bring in nurses and medical techs from Mexico at lower salaries but who come specifically during the growing season to provide basic health care to migrant workers and rural areas.
Interesting but no. To me, it sounds too much like "Seperate but Equal." That didn't work at all. I say legalize the immigrants but as part of the condition of their entry, they must bring with them some sort of health care coverage from Mexico that is transferable to America. Now, how that happens? I don't know. This is a really hard subject.
Not exactly since they still have access to US emergency rooms in case of a situation that couldn't be treated by basic health care.
As long as their Mexican health care reimbursses the hospitals for the services. Right now they go to the emergency room and the hospitals write it off. So Americans are indirectly footing that bill. But I don't see how that could happen.
Won't be as "sexy" a story, it won't get the same coverage since not as many people will watch. Remember? News organizations are in it for the money now, and ratings mean everything, they are part of "showbiz" now. They are not into "reporting" the news anymore, they are into "creating" the news, hopefully a show that everyone would tune in to. It's sort of like the coverage of that Aussie chic.
