They’re thinking about it
(Washington Times) An effort is underway to push the Republican Party to rethink its close ties to business groups on immigration, with conservatives arguing that the way to fight immigration-reform proposals is to focus on how they would force Americans into a tougher competition for jobs.
Bolstered by recent polling that suggests voters are worried about the competition, some conservatives have argued the Republican Party should adopt a populist-style pro-worker message heading into the 2014 election, taking advantage of a renewed focus on immigration amid the surge of illegal immigrant children jumping the border.
“Jobs is the primary motivator for awakening action on immigration,†said Kellyanne Conway, founder of the Polling Company, as she presented her survey data last month at the Heritage Foundation. “Hispanics [and] even liberals pipe up [on the issue]. Independents, those making less than $40,000 a year and 85 percent of blue-collar workers agree with this. They believe that protecting American jobs is an incredibly important point of this immigration equation to them, even if it’s left out of the national conversation.â€
It’s an issue that’s long divided the GOP, with then-President George W. Bush igniting a near civil war within his party over his push for immigration bills in 2006 and 2007. It reared its head again last year when a group of Senate Republicans joined with all the chamber’s Democrats to pass a bill, though it went nowhere in the House. (snip)
Usually immigration is framed as an issue of border security or a matter of morality, and in those areas it has been trending toward the legalization side. Ms. Conway’s polling, however, suggests voters could be made to see it as a jobs issue.
One of the best ways to increase wages is to reduce the labor pool. If companies want the best workers when the labor pool is small, they increase wages and benefits. Adding millions, if not tens of millions, of new and mostly unskilled workers will further keep wages low.
The question is, will the GOP do it? Entirely too many are all for amnesty, er, a pathway to citizenship. Many simply want to make the illegals “permanent residents”. Many say they are against illegal immigration but are really for it.
Republican leaders support the hiring of illegal immigrants because it keeps labor costs lower for business owners (the true Republican constituency). At the same time Republican leaders encourage their followers’ disdain for illegal immigrants as an election strategy. It’s similar to Republican leaders con job on abortion. They’re against abortion enough to garner votes but not enough to do anything about it.
As a nation we restrict the number of physicians that can come here from foreign countries because it will reduce doctor’s wages, but we encourage roofers, gardeners, farm workers, food service, slaughterhouse workers and hotel maids to come here.
Our Fed keeps inflation low to protect investors at the expense of overall employment.
Our drug and medical device patent system rewards executives, investors, doctors and lawyers at the expense of patients. (And encourages cheating by drug companies because of the vast stakes).
“Strong” dollar policies hurt US manufacturing (and domestic employment) and encourages moving manufacturing overseas.
From 1960 to the present labor union participation has dropped from 30% to 11% of the workforce – partly because some manufacturing has moved overseas (see above) but mostly by government supported “union busting” by corporations. Less than 7% of private sector workers belong to a union.
We bailed out the Wall Street banks, showering them with over a trillion dollars in direct funds and no cost loans after their housing scheme collapsed, but left millions of middle class homeowners (not to mention taxpayers) shouldering the burden.
Our Fed tax policies are shifting more and more burden to the working classes (payroll taxes) and local taxes (which are usually regressive “flat” taxes which disproportionately harm the poor). Now in DC, reducing SS and Medicare payouts are all the rage, while maintaining low top marginal income tax rates and low rates on unearned income. You and I pay more so that John Kerry, Alec Baldwin, Mitt Romney and Rush Limbaugh can pay less.
So, yes, policies and regulations have significantly harmed the working classes, but they’re not the policies and regulations you think. It’s not a Republican vs Democrat problem either. Both parties support the wealthy at the expense of the working classes. The Democrats try to backfill by supporting “welfare” programs to rebalance the scales a bit. Republicans believe in “trickle down” economics and “free” markets, but only with markets rigged with their thumb on the scale in favor of the wealthy.
Jeff,
Do you ever pause and say, “do I really know what I am talking about”? Try reversing just about everything you have said and you will be closer to the truth. Lets take the cost of medical care and doctors take home pay. First, the price of your doctor is only about 20% give or take what the overall bill is. The majority of hospital cost is the hospital. Now, does flooding the market in doctors reduce the amount charged? No. The amount charged is set by the government and insurance. Bring in more doctors means paying out more in health care dollars. Why? Because doctors are going to make a six figure salary, period. They will construct the playing field to do so. If you had taken a decent economic course, you would have learned this and how the free market does not work due to what is called economic profit, that is not monetary profit. Now, the whole issue with our depression started with Barney Frank and only Barney Frank. Why do you think he went deep? The money put into the system was to compensate for his mistakes.