"Many have misdirected their anger toward illegal immigrants or the businesses that hire them. Instead, this outrage should be aimed where it truly belongs -- with the state. Rather than insist on further interventions with a national ID card or E-verify, conservatives should demand a reduction in the government's role. Alexis de Tocqueville made a keen observation when he said "Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom." It is time for Americans to realize more of the same -- that is, more slavery -- cannot possibly bring about more prosperity."
Immigration and Misplaced Blame
Friday, November 04, 2011
by Joel Poindexter
Conservatives love to champion the free market. They often are quick to defend businesses from increased regulation and taxation, and generally oppose intervention in the market place. However, in the case of undocumented workers, these free-marketeers suddenly become ardent supporters of central economic planning.
In this case they condemn those who hire "illegals," call for shutting down their businesses, imposing heavy fines, and other draconian measures. This exchange at a recent GOP debate demonstrates the prevailing attitude among those on the right regarding the issue.
The first contention is that illegal immigrants are breaking the law. They argue that we can't have people circumventing the system because it undermines the rule of law. But laws are legitimate only when they protect the natural rights of others. Anything else is simply malum prohibitum, a state contrivance that is grounded solely in exerting control over nonviolent behavior. In a free society, individual property owners would decide who was allowed in and who was not.
The second argument that conservatives present against so-called illegal immigrants concerns unemployment. The perennial claim is that if they weren't "taking our jobs" then hard-working Americans could go back to work. This is wrong for two reasons. The first, and most important, is that a job cannot be stolen. The employer owns the position, and only he or she may decide who will fill it. The second problem with this view is that it fails to explain unemployed skilled workers; most "illegal" immigrants contribute unskilled labor.
The only significant impact that immigrants have on the labor market is to increase the supply of labor, which tends to put downward pressure on wages. Everything else equal, the only way an immigrant will be hired over a native worker is if he is willing to accept lower wages. In order to maximize profits, business owners look to pay the lowest wage possible without affecting marginal productivity. If an immigrant is willing to work for less, and he is productive enough, it only makes sense to choose the lower-cost labor. Billions of people the world over make this same decision on a daily basis while shopping for goods and services -- it's called bargain hunting.
When owner and employee enter into an agreement, they are simply engaging in voluntary exchange. This is how the market would function absent state coercion. It is merely humans acting on two of the most basic desires: economic survival and improving one's condition. Neither has violated the natural rights of any other person, so no real crime has been committed, and they haven't caused unemployment.
Government intervention in the labor market leads to unemployment, and this includes restrictions on who may be allowed to work in the United States. "Getting tough" on illegal immigration would undoubtedly make us all worse off. The unemployment rate would rise, real wages would fall due to a decrease in productivity, and an overall lowering of living standards would be realized. We're already witnessing the effects of legislation targeting illegal immigrants. It was recently reported that, thanks to a law passed in April, Georgia farmers had to leave $75 million of produce to rot in their fields because of labor shortages. Firms that laid off undocumented workers for fear of losing their businesses could hire documented workers but would not likely be able to replace everyone. Otherwise it stands to reason that they would have done so in the first place, and stayed within the boundaries of the law.
It's unclear what the exact ratio would be, but assuming that in some industries three illegal immigrants can be hired in place of two legal citizens, when the former are laid off to accommodate the latter, we see that previously there were two unemployed workers, but now there are three. Where the firm once had the productive capacity of three laborers, it now has that of two. Forcing companies to fire employees on the basis of their immigration status hardly seems an effective way to lower unemployment rates or increase real wealth.
Perhaps the only reasonable claim that conservatives make is that they've been paying into the system their whole lives, and it's unjust for immigrants to come here illegally and collect welfare. But this is not an issue of immigration policy; it is a problem of government welfare policy. In a free society, individuals would pay directly for the things they needed, and the problem of free riding would disappear.
One effect of displacing immigrant workers already in the country is that an increase in actual crimes is likely to occur, as Stefano R. Mugnaini explains. These individuals are not likely to repatriate immediately, given the costs. Many are likely to turn to the underground market, resorting to actual crime (malum in se) in order to survive. Again, we see that further intervention is likely only to cause more problems.
Many have misdirected their anger toward illegal immigrants or the businesses that hire them. Instead, this outrage should be aimed where it truly belongs -- with the state. Rather than insist on further interventions with a national ID card or E-verify, conservatives should demand a reduction in the government's role. Alexis de Tocqueville made a keen observation when he said "Americans are so enamored of equality that they would rather be equal in slavery than unequal in freedom." It is time for Americans to realize more of the same -- that is, more slavery -- cannot possibly bring about more prosperity.
It's clear the current problems can be directly traced to the state's interference in the market. If employer and employee were left free to negotiate contracts without government intervention, everyone would truly have an equal opportunity at business, and the highest quality at the best price would surely result. This economic freedom is at the heart of a free society, and only when the market is divorced from the state will its full potential be realized.
Joel Poindexter is a student at Johnson County Community College working toward a degree in economics. He lives near Kansas City with his wife and daughter.
http://mises.org/daily/5785/Immigration-and-Misplaced-Blame
Friday, November 4, 2011
Re: Former Marine's injury spurs vets to join Occupy movement
Studio: "But that's the Republitard police state introduced by Bush
Jr. in action."
Jr. in action."
It may be that the Republicans introduced it but the Dems under Obama
are actually using it and doing with impunity in Democratic
strongholds such as NYC, California and Mass.
On Nov 3, 8:29 am, studio <tl...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> On Nov 3, 10:02 am, GregfromBoston <greg.vinc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Meanwhile, in Boston, the Coast Guard has told its members to stay the
> > F away.
>
> They can't tell Coast Guard veterans to stay away.
>
> > Isn't Oakland pretty when its on fire?
>
> It's not on fire.
> Can't you sound more fearful of peaceful demonstrators?
>
> > What cops need to figure out is that these non-lethal weapons aren't.
>
> But that's the Republitard police state introduced by Bush Jr. in
> action.
>
> Wall Street gave NYC cops a $4 million "donation" to help them.
> Some people say it was a bribe...
> look for more donations in the future.
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He Chews Gum *and* Talks at the G20!
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Careful with that Weird, Koran-doting Uncle
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1111/west110411.php3?printer_friendly
Nov 4, 2011 / 7 Mar-Cheshvan 5772
Careful with that weird, Quran-doting uncle
By Diana West
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | Uncle Sam is getting a little weird -- make that a lot weird. Having dumped hundreds of billions of dollars into a sinkhole called Afghanistan populated by misogynistic, pederastic, tribalistic and religiously supremacist primitives to no avail, he has hit on a new plan for winning those ever-elusive Afghan "hearts and minds."
Uncle Sam has decided that the answer lies in the latrine with the U.S. Marine Corps. No kidding. When nature calls, Uncle Sam has decided he wants every U.S. Marine equipped with a map and compass, or some other way of knowing direction. This is to ensure that no U.S. Marine in Afghanistan urinates in the direction of Mecca ever again.
Now, there's a winning strategy.
It's still OK, of course, to spread baksheesh (payola) indiscriminately, chase jihadis into twisting mountain gorges, clear any road laced with improvised explosives -- blow up, even, and bleed all over the place. Just make sure your sense of direction is sharp when it really counts.
Take spitting. According to an article in the North County Times, the word is: Ix-nay on itting-spay toward ecca-May, guys. If there's a pinch between teeth and gum while you're hiding out in a cold valley, figure out where Mecca is (2,000 miles away) before letting anything out of your mouth. Oh, and when it's time to catch some shut-eye "when sharing a base with Afghan army troops" -- if you can sleep, given the frightening odds an Afghan National Army soldier might turn his gun on you -- don't, whatever you do, let your combat boots point toward you-know-where.
That would be "culturally insensitive" and, therefore, it seems, worse than anything Afghani (or Pakistani) jihadist butchers might do (beheadings, rape) because they, as Muslims, are automatically "culturally sensitive." Apparently to compensate, senior Pentagon brass created something called the USMC Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning to teach Marines to exist in the Islamically approved fashion.
When Marines learn not to excrete in the direction of Mecca -- home of the black cube known as the Kaaba -- and not to sleep with their boots toward Mecca, what are they really learning? They are learning to become intensely sensitized to the whereabouts of Mecca; how to be guided by that magnetic north for Muslims as a matter of the most personal habits and hygiene, all in accordance with Shariah (Islamic law). They are learning to act like Muslims. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em?
Such "culture learning" blends seamlessly with an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) guidance to all troops in Afghanistan to revere the Quran and its teachings. That's the unmistakable message of COIN Advisory #20100924-001, which I found on the ISAF website.
"Never talk badly about the Quran or its contents," says the guidance, a no-nonsense formulation of Islamic prohibitions against any criticism of Islam. Touching it is out, too. "It is considered culturally insensitive for any non-Muslim to touch a copy of the Quran," ISAF explains. Why that is indeed the Islamic case, ISAF doesn't explain. Presumably, it might upset troops to learn that this injunction exists because Muslims consider non-Muslim "najis," or unclean, and thus unfit to touch their religious book. Before searching people, ISAF advises, "ask them if they have a Quran or religious item present. If so, ask them to remove it or put it in a suitable place before conducting the search."
Think the Navy SEALS who zapped Osama bin Laden asked him to put his Quran in a "suitable place" first? We can only hope.
Of course, there's more: "Additionally," ISAF continues, "verbal disrespect for Islam and/or the Quran is considered as inappropriate as physical desecration of the Quran. Insulting the Quran is an act of blasphemy."
The way Islam treats women stinks = verbal disrespect for Islam. The verses of the Quran that call for jihad against infidels are heinous = insulting the Quran. But ISAF, veritable mouthpiece of the coming caliphate, deems such talk "inappropriate" and outright "blasphemy." This might win the generals an extra cushion at the foot of the caliph's throne. But, as the Marines are learning in their Culture Learning classes, they'll have to drink all their chai and finish their goat, first.
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Fwd: [W-H] Dems dream ticket for 2012 [1 Attachment]
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