The two "i" words are back in the news, one more prominently than the other. The more prominent is "inflation." The less prominent at the moment is "immigration" (of the illegal variety). The two issues are more closely tied than one would think. None of the three remaining major-party candidates for president has a realistic plan to resolve immigration's contribution to the problem.Inflation moved from minor concern to major concern this week for the Federal Reserve Board. Chairman Ben Bernanke has aggressively cut interest rates by 2.25 percent since September to try to prevent an economic implosion. But he has to balance recession concerns against the possibility that deep interest-rate cuts might also pump up inflation, as the January report on consumer prices showed a surprisingly steep rate of 0.4 percent. Wall Street fears deep cuts in interest rates might serve to trigger inflation while simultaneously failing to spur growth. Then Americans could end up hearing a revival of a word we haven't heard in a few decades: stagflation.How are illegal immigration and inflation tied together? In 2005, Bear, Stearns Senior Managing Director Robert Justich and a team of his economists issued a study on the impact of illegal immigration on U.S. economic indicators. They found that undocumented immigrants account for some 8 percent of American workers, a much higher figure than the government reports. Justich's report explained that the number of people counted in productivity calculations is artificially boosted when there are more people working than are reported to the government. American productivity is based on the amount our economy produces divided by the number of people working. If there are a lot more people working than the government takes into account, this makes productivity look artificially high. It can also help to conceal underlying inflation.My personal belief is that inflation is and has been a lot higher than the government has been reporting, and undocumented workers play a large part in concealing the true inflation rate.How would presidential candidates Barack Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain deal with illegal immigration? In remarkably similar fashion and, at the same time, ineptly. All three want some form of increased border control and a "path to citizenship" (to wit, amnesty) for everyone already here illegally. Their plans sound alarmingly close to the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, which failed miserably in preventing two decades of increased illegal immigration. And so will amnesty in this decade.The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that Obama was in San Antonio saying immigration should not be used as a "political football" and that he supports "border security ... combined with a pathway to citizenship for people who are already in the U.S."Isn't that a political football in and of itself, designed to appeal to open-borders voters? Of course it is.Just as Obama has succeeded in taking race out of the equation in his presidential campaign, whoever becomes president will need to take race out of the immigration equation in order to resolve this festering issue. As the proud granddaughter of a Cuban immigrant, I support a serious crackdown on illegal immigration coupled with a U.S. effort to spur economic growth in countries whence immigrants flee, so they can find decent jobs in their homelands. That is what they truly want and need. If we don't stop purposefully luring illegal immigrants into the United States (by offering them wages they can't make at home and benefits they'd never receive from their own governments) the quality of life for today's immigrants, their children and grandchildren will continue to deteriorate.Any realist recognizes the "political football" crowd will win, our borders will not be secured anytime soon and the United States will not make a serious effort to help undeveloped nations bolster their own economies. But without finding a workable solution to the "immigration" issue, we must also assume the "inflation" issue will dog us for some time to come.(Bonnie Erbe is a TV host and writes this column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail bonnieerbe(at)CompuServe.com.)
How immigration and inflation are linked
Submitted by SHNS on Wed, 02/20/2008 - 14:32
Stop Blaming the Poor Migrants for Ford , ibm, adn whirlpool clo
Why are you not writing about IBM that invested 2 BILLION < WITH A B Dollars in Bangalore India to build their factory there< what will their employees in USA do when its ready in 2010?
What will the 4500 people from whirlpool who were fired because of the factory closing in Boise Idaho do?
What will the 74,000, SEVENTY FOUR THOUSAND people do when FORD Lets them go next year? NONE OF THESE CORPORATIONS EMPLOYED ILLEGALS AS YOU CALL THEM?
I can go on & on, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR OWN ECONOMY NOT THE POOR FARM WORKERS.
STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR OUR WOES AND PLAYING POLITICS ON THEIR BACKS.
Illegal Immigration a HUGE drain on the economy
Faced with a 5 percent national unemployment rate in December 2007, 1 in 6 manufacturing jobs vanishing since President George W. Bush took office, and an unimpeded flow of illegal immigrants into the country, immigration reform activists are calling on Washington to stave off a recession by passing the SAVE Act to secure the U.S. border with Mexico; thus protecting the American worker and taxpayer.
In order to save the U.S. economy we must change the equilibrium by permitting only those legally authorized to hold jobs to actually compete for employment Citizens do not want to keep working harder with fewer results and fewer benefits in order for our government to continuously reward the criminal behavior of illegal aliens successfully cheating the system.
Despite the ‘conventional wisdom’ of pro-illegal immigration activists saying the free flow of illegal immigrants across America's southern border is beneficial to the economy, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) found the cost of illegal immigration outweighs the benefits, thus creating a net fiscal drain on the U.S. economy.
When the costs of illegal immigration are tallied against the benefits, most studies, including the NAS study, show there is, at minimum, an $87 billion fiscal loss. Such a loss is attributed to the following factors: 30 percent of those in federal prisons are illegal immigrants, in Los Angeles 95 percent of all warrants for homicide target illegal aliens, and diseases once all but eliminated from U.S. soil are now reappearing in urban centers.
To immigration reform activists, the largest impact illegal immigration has on the economy centers upon the fact that the U.S. employers hiring such workers eliminate job opportunities for American workers, while increasing the financial obligations of the American taxpayer.
illegal immigration and the presidential hopefulls
All three of our presidential hopefulls are Amnesty people. The pro illegal immigration people will say that it is that way because that is what the American want. That is not true. The politicians in DC want Amnesty people in the White House. Both parties, the DNC and the RNC have already been bought and they owe. That is why they have done nothing to stop illegal immigration and when it become to much they wanted to solve the problem with amnesty. They owe it to big business whether we like it or not. With our politicians in big businesses pocket, we can not count on DC to solve the problem, States must address the issue. The only way to stop it is at the employers door step. No work and they will self deport. Of course we will be fighting special interests and big business, but it must be done. This summer Americans demanded enforce the laws, Mccain heard secure the border first. He is bartering like at a flea market, saying he will secure the border but he wants amnesty. Americans stand up and be heard. Do not rely on DC because you will be sold out. States will have to make laws and enforce them. The only way to stop illegal immigration is at the employers door step, then they will start self deportation. IT is the only way. Americans must stand up for their country because DC won't do it.
STOP Illegal Immigration
I agree...STOP giving them free social Services, Fine these employers who hire them and they WILL self-Deport themselves. They would have no other choice..except crime.
We Americans MUST take our country back from these corrupt politicans who are giving it away to the illegals at OUR expense. it is Wrong what they are doing.
Mexico has the U.S. in their back pocket and these politicans act as if the illegals from Mexico are more important then our own American LEGAL Citizens. We are being walked all over and kicked under the bed.
ALL states need to STOP giving out free social services, medical (unless an emergency) and stop these employers from hiring them or we WILL lose our country..
I'm afraid that Texas has a governor with NO backbone to stand up and do anything to stop the problem.....He just stands up there with his lies about how we really need them here...
IF THEY want to be here...then do it LEGALLY and LEARN OUR ENGLISH LANGUAGE!!!! PERIOD!!!
Illegals are to blame for
Illegals are to blame for HURRICANE KATRINA too!
"IF THEY want to be here...then do it LEGALLY.."
I agree!
So, lets set up the MECHANISMS for them to do just that!
And please; Explain why Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney...and ALL the rest who thought demagoguery of the immigration issue was their ticket to the White House...LOST!
Why did Pat Buchanan lose in previous election eycles?
Let me guess dude;
YOU KNOW NOTHING?
Right?
Immigration
When you represent immigration and inflation, please refrain from talking about upcoming presidential canidates.
Post new comment