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Home Front: Politix
Mayor Bloomberg charges US giving 'shortshrift' to immigration policy
2010-07-03
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the country is "giving shortshrift to immigration" and that economic problems will worsen until America sends out a more welcoming message.

Bloomberg says the U.S. is "pushing people that other countries want away from our shores." He said on ABC's "Good Morning America" that an overly restrictive immigration policy discourages people who can create work with an entrepreneurial spirit.

Bloomberg said, "If I were the president working with Congress, I would give a green card to anybody from around this world who wants to come here, create a business. They keep the green card as long as they employed, let's say, 10 or more workers."

He said a path to citizenship should be found for the roughly 11 million people here illegally.
I'm not sure I follow Hizzoner's reasoning. If we've got 8.5% unemployment and we've got 11 million illegals, couldn't we drop the unemployment rate to something around 5% by dumping the 3% (11m/330m) of the population who're illegal?
Posted by:Fred

#12  It is so true. My relative who is a builder with a crew, has had a very difficult time outcompeting on bids against building crews who use under the table illegal labor. This is a massive problem. Needed: a 24 hour govt agency that take anonymous tip offs of businesses using illegals. Send in the SWAT or a near equivalent, round 'em up, and put em on the next bus to their hellhole of origin.
Posted by: Laura Lynn Hardy   2010-07-03 21:51  

#11  construction jobs - which Americans WILL do - are one of the most "illegal-filled" jobs. Send em home!
Posted by: Frank G   2010-07-03 21:47  

#10  I think few don't deny that the majority are hard-working.


But what part of 'illegal' don't you understand?
Posted by: Pappy   2010-07-03 21:35  

#9  The average household income for illegal immigrants is $45,748 nationally
Are you telling me these damn Messicans are hard working individuals? Using few skills to make their way in a hard world. Damn! That's just wrong!
Posted by: Shipman   2010-07-03 17:28  

#8  Think of the show "Dirty Jobs" with Mike Rowe, it's honest work and I've done a third (Or so) of these same Jobs Machinist, Navy, Auto Mechanic, Foundry, I even made Aircraft Engines once, a facinating work history that others consider "Dirty" and refuse to consider "Honest".

They'd rather find something inside an air conditioned office than turn wrenches.

Well bub, just who do you think makes the air conditioning work?
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2010-07-03 12:03  

#7  average household income for illegal immigrants is $45,748 nationally

ed,
What this means kind of depends on the meaning of the word 'household' - after Katrina it might have meant the six Mexican guys sharing a motel room with no electricity or hot water who were all working all day clearing debris while most of the resident households remained evacuated in motels in Atlanta.

students never get the valuable experience of having to do sucky labor for themselves

Snowy, AMEN, brother!
Posted by: Glenmore   2010-07-03 09:26  

#6  I was told over a decade ago that the going rate for unskilled illegal immigrant labor was some two and a half times the minimum wage. Of course, it had none of the additional legal and financial penalties involved with hiring someone, which have only gone up since Zero took office, along with the unemployment rate. I wonder why?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2010-07-03 09:01  

#5  Srsly. I mean it stands to reason. Might need to quadroople the minimum wage tho.

The $5/hour illegal alien is a myth. WAPO 2007:
The average household income for illegal immigrants is $45,748 nationally. In Maryland, it's $58,061; in Virginia, $61,112. The findings may reflect the greater overall wealth of the two states: The average household income for native residents is $83,964 in Maryland and $79,524 in Virginia, compared with $66,952 nationwide.
Posted by: ed   2010-07-03 08:44  

#4  Charge the businesses that employ the illegals for their health care. And their lack of auto insurance.

But the illegals are only doing the work Americans won't do - for the money offered, as long as they can get comparable amounts through welfare, etc. If you send them home who will pick your lettuce and clean your house - Ethnic Studies grad students?

One of the big problems with the presence of the illegals is that the ethnic studies students never get the valuable experience of having to do sucky labor for themselves between semesters. (Or in high school).
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2010-07-03 08:29  

#3  Sure, put the illegals on the choo-choo south and ready and willing American! workers will come out of the woodwork, ready to go, with a go-get 'm attitude.

Srsly. I mean it stands to reason. Might need to quadroople the minimum wage tho.
Posted by: Shipman   2010-07-03 07:45  

#2  But the illegals are only doing the work Americans won't do - for the money offered, as long as they can get comparable amounts through welfare, etc. If you send them home who will pick your lettuce and clean your house - Ethnic Studies grad students?
Posted by: Glenmore   2010-07-03 03:06  

#1  Except the US there are about 140M US working people and 15M unemployed (9.7%). If only 10M of the 12-20M estimated illegal aliens are employed, those jobs going to legal Americans would chop the unemployment rate to 3.2%. Of course, then several million discouraged workers would reenter the labor pool, maybe raising unemployment to a historically healthy 5%.
Posted by: ed   2010-07-03 01:55  

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