Businesses need immigrant workers but extremists 'are stirring the pots of hatred'

Salt Lake Tribune ^ | 02/10/2008 07:06:28 AM MST | Tom Harvey

[elpadre]

“The US population has increased by 21 million since 2000. We have the highest rate of annual population growth. We will add another 166 million in the next 53 years.”

How much is that due to the Mexican invasion, legal and otherwise??

[DoughtyOne]

I agree with that.

[etcb]

Political, business, and academic leaders are constantly reminding us of the law of supply and demand. As commodities become scarce, whether they be oil, corn, sugar, wheat or almost anything we use, the price is increased to bring demand into balance with supply. With the exception of the few times when price controls have been tried, this has worked quite well. Labor is the one exception.

While there is considerable criticism of the disruptive effect of minimum wage laws there is a growing acceptance of the idea of a maximum wage cap for many unskilled or less desirable occupations. This maximum wage cap is enforced not by a new maximum wage law but by failure to enforce existing immigration and labor laws. Many business people act as if they are entitled to an unlimited supply of unskilled labor free of price competition.

If the law of supply and demand were allowed to work, the wages of meat packing workers, landscapers, dishwashers, and all other labor would be valued the same way as that of doctors, lawyers or corporate presidents. If artificial manipulation were taken our to the equation, we might see innovation reintroduced.

Please pardon the rant.

[kabar]

105 million. Projecting the Impact of Immigration On the U.S. Population, 2007 to 2060

[elpadre]

WOW!! - thanks