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Illegal workers: Boon for U.S. Economy
CNN/Money ^ | May 1, 2006 | Chris Isidore

Posted on 05/01/2006 8:28:35 AM PDT by blueberry12

The U.S. has benefited from illegal immigrants, most economists say, though some low-skilled workers have been hurt.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - In the heated debate over the impact of illegal immigration on the U.S. economy, Andrew Sum is one of those focusing on the negative.

The economist - the director of labor market studies at Northeastern University in Boston - argues that the large supply of immigrants has displaced low-skilled U.S.-born workers, particularly the young and the poor, from jobs.

"About 85.5 of every 100 new workers are new immigrants in this decade," he said. "At no time in the last 60 years have we come close to this. They're really displacing young workers at a very high rate."

But even Sum would concede that the U.S. economy is larger, and growing faster, due to the supply of illegal immigrants, and that most Americans with higher job skills are better off for their presence.

"Without the immigrants, we would have a decline in labor force of 3 to 4 percent," he said. "We couldn't have grown nearly as much as we did in the '90s if we didn't have immigrants. And in the last few years our growth would have been slower. The only thing I've argued is that we've ignored that illegal immigration has put a lot of young adults into economic jeopardy."

Sum's views point out the dichotomy that many economists see when looking at the impact of immigration on the economy.

Few economists will argue with the concept that the economy is stronger for the presence of the low-cost labor force.

(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aliens; boycott; cheaplabor; economicimpact; economy; illegal; immigrantlist; immigrants; inflation; mexico; workers
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To: blueberry12
Read #21.
41 posted on 05/01/2006 9:08:13 AM PDT by blueberry12
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To: blueberry12
Illegals are the lowest paid workers; that has been well advertised. So, how do they send so much money back to Mexico? They live off of bennies provided by the American people.

Commonsense.

42 posted on 05/01/2006 9:08:34 AM PDT by William Terrell (Individuals can exist without government but government can't exist without individuals.)
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To: blueberry12
Read #29
43 posted on 05/01/2006 9:09:00 AM PDT by blueberry12
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To: blueberry12
New Immigrants are fine. They work hard and fill the niche for bottom end labor.

What we have though is an invasion by ILLEGALS demanding more handouts and amnesty for their lawlessness. They chew up more tax resources than they could possibly hope to contrbiute back into the system.

44 posted on 05/01/2006 9:09:32 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (I believe that all government is evil, and that trying to improve it is largely a waste of time.)
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To: blueberry12

"Many folks here live in a dream world. All you think is that illegals are parasites. They are not!"


Illegals COST the tax payers of CA. 10 billion a year.

They are indeed parasites.


45 posted on 05/01/2006 9:09:34 AM PDT by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)
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To: blueberry12
You want a Socialist America? I am afraid you will get what you wish...

Big deal, you want a fascist America, where certain groups get one form of treatment under the law, and others are exempt from it.

You are no more a "capitalist" than Ted Turner.

46 posted on 05/01/2006 9:10:16 AM PDT by papertyger (Our Constitution isn't perfect, but it's better than what we have right now.)
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To: William Terrell
THE FIXED QUANTITY OF WEALTH FALLACY
47 posted on 05/01/2006 9:10:42 AM PDT by blueberry12
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To: blueberry12; frogjerk
At the end of the day some Americans pay upwards of 50% in taxes (State, Federal, City, County, Gas, Energy).

Illegals don't come near this... and yes, they do pack them in per apartment.

I notice that illegals drive nice brand new pick up trucks since they live 20 to an apartment or rental house.

I also notice that when in the Super Market... they load the up their grocery baskets with 20 bags of beans and rice. They also stock up on the torillas.

I know some personally that send back some 40-70% of the wages earned here (CASH JOBS only) - how can any of this be good?

48 posted on 05/01/2006 9:10:45 AM PDT by Idisarthur
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To: blueberry12
That's my point, Americans are being forced out of work or into lower wages, they will someday be on welfare because there will be no jobs and the illegals will have them all.
49 posted on 05/01/2006 9:10:45 AM PDT by TC Builders
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To: taxed2death
"Many folks here live in a dream world. All you think is that illegals are parasites. They are not!"

Illegals COST the tax payers of CA. 10 billion a year.

They are indeed parasites.

NO! YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WRONG!!!!

The socialist system that is in place in California is what costs Californians 10 billion a year.

It is socialism that undermines the state of California, not the productive workers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

50 posted on 05/01/2006 9:12:45 AM PDT by blueberry12
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To: LS

I said specifically do nothing congress, and I do not remember the years of Tip O' Neill and the Democratic congress as glory years and that same crowd that was in power during Reagan was kicked out on the street 6 years after Reagan left office. But if you liked congress during the Reagan years hang in there, such a congress may be right around the corner.


51 posted on 05/01/2006 9:13:03 AM PDT by Biblebelter
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To: blueberry12
If someone doesn't pay property taxes, he will lose his house in no time.

So tell me why our hypothetical landlord depends on illegals rather than legals to preserve his business.

52 posted on 05/01/2006 9:13:24 AM PDT by papertyger (Our Constitution isn't perfect, but it's better than what we have right now.)
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To: blueberry12
The illegals pay for law enforcement.

Where do you think these illegals live? They pay rent, and house owners pay property taxes. And where does that property tax go?

Many folks here live in a dream world. All you think is that illegals are parasites. They are not!

Same goes for most people who evade paying income taxes.

53 posted on 05/01/2006 9:13:55 AM PDT by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn’t do!)
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To: blueberry12
All you think is that illegals are parasites. They are not!

They are criminals.

54 posted on 05/01/2006 9:15:42 AM PDT by vikzilla
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To: blueberry12
Why do you attack the hard workers of America?

Because they are NOT the hard workers of America!

55 posted on 05/01/2006 9:16:04 AM PDT by papertyger (Our Constitution isn't perfect, but it's better than what we have right now.)
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To: blueberry12
Where do you think these illegals live? They pay rent, and house owners pay property taxes. And where does that property tax go?

You must be referring to houses with 20+ illegals paying the same property tax as a family of 4 in the same residence. At the same time, they are lining up for free health care at the local clinic, drawing welfare for anchor babies, filling the schools with newly manufactured "American citizens", dealing drugs, filling the prisons. Illegals are parasites. They cost far more than they contribute.

56 posted on 05/01/2006 9:16:38 AM PDT by Myrddin
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To: blueberry12

"Instead of attacking diligent workers in the USA"



Illegal. Comprende'?


57 posted on 05/01/2006 9:17:46 AM PDT by taxed2death (A few billion here, a few trillion there...we're all friends right?)
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To: Idisarthur

I am not saying that things are good the way they are.

But illegal immigrants are not the cause of the problem.

The problem is that we have a system which allows one person to take benefits from the other. You can live for free just because someone else pays your medical bills. This system is called socialism, and this is what is bad!


58 posted on 05/01/2006 9:18:05 AM PDT by blueberry12
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To: goodnesswins
If they recruited from Flint or Detroit Michigan, if they recruited from the Appalachian regions, if they recruited from Mississippi.....

They would have no problem.

But wait...

It's in the realm of possibility that this Landscape Contractor is taking you for a long ride... you took it hook line and sinker. I know that many Contractors are taking CASH JOBS themselves to compete with the well established veteran yet illegal aliens that have started their own Landscaping businesses here --- and many of them don't pay taxes just like the illegals.

They just mark it down in the books and a Paid Out - temp work.

59 posted on 05/01/2006 9:18:44 AM PDT by Idisarthur
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To: papertyger
So tell me why our hypothetical landlord depends on illegals rather than legals to preserve his business. Perhaps because illegal immigrants work harder. They make more money. They crowd into one building, and they can afford to pay higher rent than others who are not used to living together like sardines.
60 posted on 05/01/2006 9:20:46 AM PDT by blueberry12
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