Kind of makes it hard to argue that mass immigration doesn't lower wages when you then turn around and argue that you wish to increase immigration for the sole purpose of...decreasing wages!
That is what you call leaping to false conclusions. The formulas are all wrong. How much of an income gap is there between someone who makes 15k a year vs. 35k a year. Now compare those incomes to someone who is making 150-200k per year. Is there a larger gap between 35k and 150k or a larger gap between 15k and 35k?
Greenspan is not concerned about the gap amongst low wage incomes, he is concerned about the difference between the low income and the high income. The gap between the two is substantially more than the differences in low wage incomes.
Or Al, may I call you Al? We could stop mass and illegal immigration, have consistent enforcement of our immigration laws across the board, or as the Center For Immigration Studies calls it an "attrition strategy" and allow the blue collar wages in this country to return to where they ought to be.
Well that would be great if immigrants were only working average blue collar worker jobs. But they are also doing the jobs that equate to poverty level salaries. Those are not average blue collar jobs.
A final thought, one of the arguments of the "Cobhamites" is that through "free Trade" we are trying to bring world wages up to the US level. Isn't Al stating very clearly here that the goal is to drive US wages down to crappy world levels? Which has been one of the arguments against these lunatic "Free Trade" agreements?
I guess you could look at it that way if you ignore the fact that America is facing a huge problem in middle income earnings. Wal-Mart and places like Wal-Mart are destroying the middle class. There is a war on the middle class and it's got little to do with the illegal immigrants. PULL YOUR HEAD OUT.
First of all, a policy designed to decrease the wages of anyone doesn't benefit anyone. Ridiculous.
Second, although wages are depressed by immigration, the effect is miniscule.
What's Greenspan drinking?
Give me a break.
What's Greenspan drinking?
I dunno, but he's sipping something. I would like to know more about what he considers to be "top earners" in the US? Most "high skilled" immigrants I have seen are mostly programmers and some engineers. Does anyone else have any feed back on that?
My opinion is unless youre making over 300k, you're not a top earner. Most programmers I know are in the 70-115k income level. If youre single and not a homeowner your paying 55k in taxes a year. That is a fricking joke. In some parts of the country, you can barely afford to live and create a retirement on that income. WHO are the top earners Greenspan?
By "high skilled" workers he is talking about those who make anywhere from $40k (starting for programmers in parts of the country) to $110k or so for older skilled workers who have been in good careers.
He's not talking about higher earners because most of those people earn their aditional money through investments, so they are technically investors, not high skilled workers.
This is a direct attack on our best and brightest. The doctors and nurses, the technology workers and the others who have probably rung up considerable student loans in order to attain their "high skill".
This is a travesty of justice, not only for the young entering the workforce - who will still face the high cost of living and housing - but for older workers who have advanced in their careers and incomes and will be replaced by some cheaper foreign worker.
It's stupid no matter how you look at it and smacks of socialism not capitalism. "Let's drive the wages down so everyone is equal and nobody is pissed off!" Sounds like communism to me.
Anyone who thinks this is a smart idea has been fooled into thinking that being poorer is good and removing any incentive to spend time to advance is a good thing for the future of this country.
Well said!
You guys have no idea what socialism is.
Commenting by HaloScan
