Should minimum wage laws apply to illegal immigrants?

and honestly...all that goes back to the 30's and 40's. it's been that way for a very long time now.

 

Well the decisions in US v. Lopez and US v. Morrison both represented the first major efforts by the court to reverse the scope of the commerce clause, so in that respect there have been some recent changes regarding the interpretation of the commerce clause.

In fact, one could make the claim that Morrison decision opened the door to the possibility of things like the Clean Air Act being struck down because it inserted the interpretation that Congressional action must affect things that are "economic in nature" and being that there are questions as to whether an environmental regulation in and of itself is economic, there could be legitimate questions.

But the minimum wage still works under both of those cases, IMO.

 

I think the minimum wage is a joke first of all. How do you survive on $7 an hour? Working a 40 hour week that puts you below the poverty line.

I'm surprised a low-skill labor union never developed.

I think migrant workers must be held to minimum wage laws though. Because they aren't actually living here, the money they earn here has more value then back in Mexico - so if you allowed them to work for say $3 an hour, you'd be taking jobs from Americans and giving them over to Mexicans...which is not a good thing. If you support that then you are essentially in favor of having a group of people who would have second class citizenship in this country with limited rights and living in inhuman conditions.

I am in favor of some sort of migrant worker legislation to prevent illegal immigration...but I would favor allowing more legal immigration into this country. We're going to need more people if we are going to remain competitive on the world stage.

Probably more important the reforming legislation around immigration is reforming education. Our system is so out-of-whack that it may lead to our nation's downfall.

 

i voted no. i am against people being here illegally.

but legal immigrants should be paid the same as everyone else.

 

I haven't read this thread, but (and I have sources to back me up, not going to bother looking htem up again, because I have cited them here before on the BBS, use searc if you want) ... for years and years now, most illegal immigrants use fake documentation which means their employers are forced to pay them minimum wage at the very least.

Otherwise carry on with this argument....over nothing.

 

I agree with Weslinder and NewYorker in regard that I would rather not see a federal min. wage. The US economy is so diverse regionally that IMO a Fed. min. wage is almost meaningless.

In regard to the poll question particularly I think it is moot based upon that totally undocumented workers wouldn't be bound by the min. wage anyway as they are already outside the law and those working with fake documentation their employers would then be obligated to follow the law so I don't see how a yes / no answer could be applied to it.

In general though I think one of the main issues regarding illegal immigration could be addressed by doing away with the min. wage. If it is truly the case that illegal immigrants are undercutting Americans because they will work under the min. wage (leaving out for a moment that this is a very sketchy argument at best and that even American citizens could work illegally under the min. wage if they chose too already) then do away with the min. wage and let the market sort out things. If there are American citizens who are willing to work at the same rate as illegals then they will have as fair of a shot at those jobs, actually a even better shot since they have better English skills.

 

I don't know about that.

 

Saddly I agree...

 

Many run unlicensed businesses and pay less than minimum wage, under the table. Don't play dumb.

 

No kidding - this whole thread makes no sense. You already have to pay all employees minimum wage. The illegal ones that have fake documentation already get that. The illegal ones that are paid in cash are specifically done so for the business to get around the law, minimum wage and otherwise.

Having a law for illegals to make minimum wage would be nonsensical since it's illegal to hire them in the first place. If the government found out you were violating the minimum wage law, they'd also know you're hiring them illegally and make you stop and thus pay them $0.

 

NO, if they dont have to pay taxes or anyhitng, I have no problem with them being payed nothing. They are not citizens, laws need not apply to them

 

I know, because yesterday I was at Wal-Mart and this Mexican dude was buying stuff (mostly beans, fajitas, jalapenos, tortillas, one 19" TV, a DVD player, and tons of $2 India Maria and Cantiflas DVDs) and after the checker told him his total he was like, "Did you discount 8.25% off of that total because I'm an illegal?" and she said, "No, my bad, I thought you were legal."

And a friend of mine, who lives in an apartment complex, says that illegals there get a discount off their monthly rent because they don't have to pay their share of property taxes, so all the other Americans have to pay more than their fair share because illegals are exempt from property taxes.

And did you know that they don't have to pay the $3/gallon for gas we pay for because they use some illegal trick to get the taxes taken out from the pump so they just pay for the gas, which is like a 30 cents per gallon discount or something. Same with all the beer they buy, and tobacco products, and whatever else the government has decided to tax heavily.

And yeah, the millions who work with illegal Social Security numbers can't file tax returns and they'll never see the funds they put into social security, but all the rest of the taxes that they don't pay more than make up for that, IMO.

Almost makes you want to pretend to be an illegal, huh? That's exactly what one of my friends does, he tells everyone he's an illegal from Canada to get all of those tax breaks and all of those great employment opportunities. Maybe you should try that!

 

that's classic, Jumpman

 

Many? How many? do you have stats other than a few anectodotes distilled into conventional wisdom(that has been parroted by such luminaries as trader jorge - prior to being discredited, again)? Because I have seen stats that indicate that this is the exception rather than the rule - and I have seen no statsitics that contradict this.

If you understand anything about the legal regime behind prosecuting those who employ illegal immigrants and plausible deniability this is the result one would expect..

HOnestly, you're the one who's playing dumb. Use the search function.

 

Poll: Should minimum wage laws apply to "illegals"?

C) If you want a job they should.

 

Why is it Unconstituional?

 

Where do I sign up for my illegal citizen discount card?

 

True, but the conservative wealthy and those who identify with their politics want to go back to the glorious days before the income tax, social security, Medicare, unemplyment insureance, worker's comp, minimum wage, the fourty hr week, food safety regulatins and perhaps even the public libraries and schools.

 

Good point. If you could pay them say $2/hr which would exceed the wage of many Mexicans or other third world economies, , you would give even more incentive to US employers to hire more.

So, if you care about the wages or jobs of Americans you should be for not only a minimum wage for the undocumented , but for strict enforcement.

 

As I read through this thread . . If i was not careful
I would conclude that Illegals the same money as everyone
yet
somehow removing them from the system would drive up the price of everything

Please . .. some Economist . . explain it to me. . .like I'm a 4 yr old

Rocket River