Cripple The Economy II

Source: Captain's Quarters


Captain Ed @ Captain's Quarters has a piece up today talking about the illegal alien/meatpacking raids. He ends with this...

The government has let private industry off the hook for their use of illegal immigrants for too long, and it's good to see that change. However, we had better be prepared for the economic damage this could cause. With unemployment running around 4.4%, Swift will probably not get enough workers to replace the ones they lost today in the near future. The problem will multiply with every company that gets raided, and the next ones might have stockholders, and those stockholders will include retirement investors ... people like you and me.

Here's how I responded to this argument a while ago in a piece called "Cripple The Economy?"

Ok, the CW suggests that if all illegal aliens were removed from the economy, the economy would crumble and we'd be living in stone huts, wearing antelope skins and eating bugs. *snip*

Is there a serious argument here? If so I've yet to hear it. I tend to hear a lot of blather, which all seems to boil down to "don' toucha me slaves." It is my position that the only thing affected in any given business by hiring illegals is the profit margin, in other words, while yes, the businesses would make less money, they wouldn't go out of business, and ultimately they would become more efficient, increasing their profit margin. *snip*

I've asked this before but, what the hell? Are we to seriously believe that American business cannot survive without illegals? If so, doesn't that seem to indicate that no matter what sort of feckless bill Washington excretes businesses will still want illegal employees?

Doesn't it also make you wonder, if that's true, if America is even a viable country anymore if our very economic existence is completely dependent on foreign criminals?

I do not believe for one second that the economy would even be seriously affected if we were able to expel every invader tomorrow. Prove me wrong.

Take a moment and look at the sign in the picture above again. What will the next "demand" be? That is the dimension of this debate that 'squishes' on this subject do their level best to ignore. But it is a reality, and a reality that will bite us in the butt if we don't use some common sense.

I've said it before but I think it bears repeating: will our economy take a hit during the transition from a 'slave' driven economy to an employee/middle class driven economy, sure. But in my opinion it is a hit worth taking, with the extra added bonus that every time in the past when we've moved from an immoral model to a better model (ending slavery, child labor) the economy always ultimately rebounded and increased.

I believe that's referred to as plus -- plus!

Technorati Tags: immigration raids, colorado, greeley, ice, economy