The income inequality factor liberals can't talk about

Washington Examiner ^ | December 8, 2012 | Conn Carroll

[gusopol3]

But let's take a look at that list of high-income-inequality states again. What do California, Arizona and New Mexico all have in common? I'll give you a hint: Texas comes in seventh on the high-income-inequality state list.

That's right: The three states with the highest income inequality also all share a border with Mexico. But what about New York? Or Georgia? Or Illinois (which is the sixth-most-unequal state)? They are all hundreds of miles away from Mexico.

Well, it turns out that all of those states have huge illegal immigrant populations too. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, every one of the top five unequal states also is among the top 10 states with high illegal immigrant populations.

[gusopol3]

Strong article knocking down one of the left's favorite straw men.

[SeminoleCounty]

Article lost me with its Pro-Amnesty Spin (we can’t deport the Illegal Aliens). Seems to be more for pushing higher wages for Illegal Aliens...reading between the lines

[gusopol3]

Obama’s poor economy is solving the problem of continued immigration anyway. I agree the soft-peddling of personal responsibility wasn’t the strong part of the article, but the points about the failure of progressive taxation to fix income inequality as well as the argument about low wage status of illegals are well argued.

[wesagain]

I think I smell a “joint” here. All of these listed states are on the forefront of drug trafficking. Interesting!

[A_perfect_lady]

Oh, I'm all for higher wages for illegals. In fact, I think we need a Mandatory Minimum Wage for illegals, and a group of government-paid lawyers that will help them sue the pants off any company that tries to pay them lower wages under the table.

A few months of that and illegals will be no cheaper than American workers. If you get my drift.

[Stegall Tx]

That’s a good idea. I’ve long believed that we could solve a lot of our illegal immigration problems by making it illegal to become a citizen if you OR ANY IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER were ever caught in the US illegally. Or, rather, if you are caught in the US without a green card, you nor your parents nor your children nor your siblings will ever be eligible for citizenship.

[tbw2]

The startling lack of IQ in the article is the fact that new immigrants are willing to work for far less than the prevailing wage, because it is better than where they came from. Allowing more immigration or keeping the large numbers of poorly paid illegals hurts Americans and legal immigrants at the bottom of the wage scale.
If employers could not tap into a cheaper and fearful illegal immigrant population, wages would rise to levels Americans would be willing to work for.

[GeronL]

Lowerng welfare benefits would help too

[tbw2]

True.