Illegal in More Ways than One

[nightflight]

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_2_snd-identity_theft.html

As everyone knows, America is experiencing an epidemic of identity theft. In the last five years alone, complaints to the Federal Trade Commission from U.S. residents who have had their identity stolen have skyrocketed 60 percent, to 258,427 in 2007—one-third of all consumer fraud complaints that the commission receives. What’s less well understood, however, is how illegal immigration is helping to fuel this rash of crime.

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/18_2_snd-identity_theft.html

As everyone knows, America is experiencing an epidemic of identity theft. In the last five years alone, complaints to the Federal Trade Commission from U.S. residents who have had their identity stolen have skyrocketed 60 percent, to 258,427 in 2007—one-third of all consumer fraud complaints that the commission receives. What’s less well understood, however, is how illegal immigration is helping to fuel this rash of crime.

Seems to me if we made a way for Latino/as to become legal guest workers, this problem would go away.

Of course, then we'd hear screams from elements on the Left who would complain that would undermine the wages of American unskilled labor, as well as those on the Right whose thinly-veiled agenda is to keep America white.

In an ideal world, we would stop all illegal immigration, and lower the cost of living in this country so that low-end American workers could afford to live (even if humbly) on minimum wage. We actually have a golden opportunity now to take a major step in that direction by standing aside and letting the housing market crash play out. That would finally put an end to housing being so ludicrously overpriced. If banks and borrowers alike knew there would be no government bailouts, they would actually have to start getting creative and doing things like lowering the principal on mortgages, renting out rooms or second houses to help pay the mortgage, and so on. More rental property on the market would mean lower rents (rent being far and away the largest component of the cost of living of unskilled workers).

 

[pgp_protector]

"Seems to me if we made a way for Latino/as to become legal guest workers, this problem would go away."

Umm we have a way for Latino/as to become legal guest workers, even legal citizens.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

"Seems to me if we made a way for Latino/as to become legal guest workers, this problem would go away."

Umm we have a way for Latino/as to become legal guest workers, even legal citizens.
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis

The problem is one of scale. We don't have a "pipeline" nearly wide enough to permit the gap between supply and demand for unskilled labor in this country to be filled legitimately. Therefore, the laws of market economics dictate that the imbalance will attempt to "correct" itself outside that pipeline (i.e., through illegal immigration).

Note that I'm not necessarily advocating we widen the pipeline. I just think any discussion of illegal immigration must center on the basic economic forces driving it.

My solution would be to reduce illegal immigration through enforcement while stimulating the domestic supply of unskilled labor (i.e., moderately expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, let housing prices fall rather than providing an artificial bottom through mortgage bailouts and subsidies, expand basic healthcare options for the working poor, etc.). Unfortunately, the Left would complain that we were being imperialists for locking out foreign poor people and being callous for not helping homeowners pay their mortgages, and the Right would howl at even the mention of national healthcare for the working poor.

So until TPTB (and the uninformed, dogmatic people who elect them year after year) decide to focus on results rather than ideology, nothing much will change.

 

[morningstar2651]

Did you hear about Lifelock?

 

[ClaireZ]

Did you hear about Lifelock?

Great Article Morningstar!

 

[TheNewWorldMan]

Did you hear about Lifelock?

It just goes to show that claiming something can't be hacked is like waving a red flag in front of a bull.