Bravo, Mr. Brooks. Bringing in legal immigrants creates more jobs and more overall economic activity, increasing the size of the pot for everyone. Yes, republican policies are exactly that, a death wish.
35
Brooks writes: "I wish they had a little more faith in freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity." The "they" he refers to are Cotton and Perdue, two Republican senators, who personify the ideology-over-reality thinking that has strangled their party and now they threaten to strangle the country. Any chance we can deport them and hire hmmm, immigrants? They get the job done!
48
You sight one example of a community that is prime for immigration. I assume that you mean legal immigration. If that is the case then legislating and enforcing immigration laws at the state level makes sense right? So states should elect congressional representatives to promote their immigration agenda and direct their local law enforcement to uphold the law right? Is that what is happening? Or is a previous federal administration, or the current federal administration directing states to circumvent the laws in place? It seems to me that should not be happening. Right?
20
How did such poorly educated people get elected to office? Let's make is simple: population growth = economic growth. Given current birth rates in the US, constricting the flow of immigration into the US will result in lower or no growth. Pathetic.
43
You have to understand the Trump strategy: We recruit top talent from India, China and Europe to drive innovation. Then we convert the inner city ghetto population to do the mindless work that Americans don't want to do. We do that by ending welfare and drug abuse -- and imprisoning everyone else who doesn't want to work. Seniors and the disabled will get enough from government programs to scrape by. It's Rich Americans First, third world poverty for everyone else.
67
Effective communication often calls for tailoring your message to a specific audience. David Perdue provided the brilliant message in 2014 that only his election to the Senate would prevent the invasion of Ebola infected ISIS terrorists massing along the Mexican border. Today he is called Senator Perdue R GA.
There has never been a shortage of fools and charlatans populating the halls of Congress. It is hyperbolic to think the fate of the nation rests on immigration one way or another. America elects the government it deserves, and the only real harm being done by immigrants is manifested in the fever dream intellectual weeds planted in so many empty minds by the likes of Donald Trump, David Perdue and Tom Cotton of boogeymen ruining the Republic with crime and freeloading. That delicious cake of abject stupidity is leavened by an infotainment industry more interested in selling ads than reporting how the cultivation of fear and loathing affects the body politic.
Even with the Trump immigration sweep there remains tens of thousands of safe havens harboring illegals across the land. Their workplaces. Illegal isn't always illegal in Trump's utopia: those inconveniences only apply to people who can't afford better.
There has never been a shortage of fools and charlatans populating the halls of Congress. It is hyperbolic to think the fate of the nation rests on immigration one way or another. America elects the government it deserves, and the only real harm being done by immigrants is manifested in the fever dream intellectual weeds planted in so many empty minds by the likes of Donald Trump, David Perdue and Tom Cotton of boogeymen ruining the Republic with crime and freeloading. That delicious cake of abject stupidity is leavened by an infotainment industry more interested in selling ads than reporting how the cultivation of fear and loathing affects the body politic.
Even with the Trump immigration sweep there remains tens of thousands of safe havens harboring illegals across the land. Their workplaces. Illegal isn't always illegal in Trump's utopia: those inconveniences only apply to people who can't afford better.
66
It's the brown skin they worry about.
103
Obviously, if immigrants could, they would avoid Arkansas and Georgia and most other red states - which is why these red states are doing worse economically and they need tax "redistribution" from Blue states. Good work Republican schnorers.
139
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Exactly. The Trump Party is tribal and for whites only.
Not sure why you can't figure out why so many Republicans support it. The Republican Party, with its strength in benighted rural areas, has been pushing a racist agenda for years. Is it really surprising that the anti-immigration bill you wrote about is sponsored by senators from Arkansas and Georgia?
Exactly. The Trump Party is tribal and for whites only.
Not sure why you can't figure out why so many Republicans support it. The Republican Party, with its strength in benighted rural areas, has been pushing a racist agenda for years. Is it really surprising that the anti-immigration bill you wrote about is sponsored by senators from Arkansas and Georgia?
191
We have a new socio-economic class structure of Owners, Operators and Outsiders.
The Owners are the One Percenters.
The Operators are the technological class (10-15%) who design, build and operate the algorithms and systems that the owners need to remain owners. Owners can no longer sustain themselves.
There is no entrance into the Owner class—so far even Trump is not a full-fledged member but, he has very creatively turned some Owners into Operators by giving them positions in his Administration—where he can actually “fire them.”
Finally, the remaining 85% are the Outsiders. Outsiders are the marginally employed, the unemployed, undocumented hyphenated Americans, all minorities, most women and the angry middle-aged white men (their wives and children).
The only evolution that is possible is that from Outsider to Operator but those chances are being seriously curtailed by the rising costs of higher education and now the possibility that even K-12 may be seriously eroded. The out-pricing of higher education and the suppression of K thru 12 means that the possibility of transition from Outsider to Operator is rapidly closing.
The forced removal of hyphenated Americans and the restriction of immigrants is necessary to create some barely life-sustaining job openings to keep the Outsiders alive for future training as Operators.
The only curve that even comes close is The Witch of Agnesi.
The Owners are the One Percenters.
The Operators are the technological class (10-15%) who design, build and operate the algorithms and systems that the owners need to remain owners. Owners can no longer sustain themselves.
There is no entrance into the Owner class—so far even Trump is not a full-fledged member but, he has very creatively turned some Owners into Operators by giving them positions in his Administration—where he can actually “fire them.”
Finally, the remaining 85% are the Outsiders. Outsiders are the marginally employed, the unemployed, undocumented hyphenated Americans, all minorities, most women and the angry middle-aged white men (their wives and children).
The only evolution that is possible is that from Outsider to Operator but those chances are being seriously curtailed by the rising costs of higher education and now the possibility that even K-12 may be seriously eroded. The out-pricing of higher education and the suppression of K thru 12 means that the possibility of transition from Outsider to Operator is rapidly closing.
The forced removal of hyphenated Americans and the restriction of immigrants is necessary to create some barely life-sustaining job openings to keep the Outsiders alive for future training as Operators.
The only curve that even comes close is The Witch of Agnesi.
1
The answer to your question is pretty simple - ignorance. Nobody with a reasonable mind could argue that Trump is educated (despite his fantasy story of graduating from Wharton - implying the B-School, not the undergraduate program he transferred into after his second year at a typical college). However, his ideological backstop of Bannon-Miller are educated. They are just hateful and bigoted.
The folks I worry about are the people 50-55 years of age with a HS diploma who entered the workforce without the foresight to see the world becoming a complex interrelated construct. Simply saying - "reeducate them" is pretty fanciful because it is just not that easy. The majority long ago decided that a higher education was not their route to success and are now devastated to find the knowledge based economy coupled with robotics has decimated the number of jobs available to them. I don't have that answer.
On the other hand, those youth still in secondary education have no excuse. No, they don't all have to go on to college or above but they need to figure out how they will survive in the economy now facing them. using immigrants as a punching bag only delays the inevitability of having to figure out the right formula for them. In the meantime, hatred and violence against immigrants continues to grow with Trump happily tweeting away.
The folks I worry about are the people 50-55 years of age with a HS diploma who entered the workforce without the foresight to see the world becoming a complex interrelated construct. Simply saying - "reeducate them" is pretty fanciful because it is just not that easy. The majority long ago decided that a higher education was not their route to success and are now devastated to find the knowledge based economy coupled with robotics has decimated the number of jobs available to them. I don't have that answer.
On the other hand, those youth still in secondary education have no excuse. No, they don't all have to go on to college or above but they need to figure out how they will survive in the economy now facing them. using immigrants as a punching bag only delays the inevitability of having to figure out the right formula for them. In the meantime, hatred and violence against immigrants continues to grow with Trump happily tweeting away.
17
Osama Bin Laden's plan worked perfectly, as designed. The 20 hijackers were just Phase I, a heinous act which was much more than a deadly fireworks show. The ultimate goal was not the destruction of two physical towers, but the destruction of America's real towers: Ethnic Diversity, Political Freedom and Economic Mobility based on a durable melting pot society. We had a shining success story for all the world to see.
Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell/Tom Cotton and company unwittingly picked up the ball and Phase II, the real destruction of America's towers, has begun in earnest.
Donald Trump, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell/Tom Cotton and company unwittingly picked up the ball and Phase II, the real destruction of America's towers, has begun in earnest.
19
Cotton's rationale of the "surge in low-skilled immigration has hurt blue-collar wages...” is a canard.
It is not low skilled immigrants that hold back native born Americans. It is the fact those same 'low skilled' newcomers are doing something the natives are not: Learning Marketable Skills.
We face a stark skills deficit in our nation. Those who rely on a pitiful (and dubious) High School Diploma as a key to prosperity are as likely to find that key works as well as it did for the old gas-lamp lighters or spittoon makers.
A report published by the NYT by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, noted that the skill level of the American labor force is fallen dangerously behind in comparison to our peers around the world.
Assessing reading, math and problem-solving skills, 160,000 people age 16 to 65 in 22 advanced nations, plus Russia and Cyprus. 22% of Japanese adults scored in the top two of six rungs on the literacy test. Fewer than 12% of Americans did.
12.5% of Americans scored below average of other nations in the assessment for numeracy.
The employment growth since the recession has little to do with immigration.
It is a skills deficit.
Folks, you sit on your backside, refuse to LEARN, and then want to complain?
Wake up and smell what you're shoveling. Cotton and his ilk are all to happy to smile and nod (and take your votes); they know that YOU are the problem of your own underemployment.
It is not low skilled immigrants that hold back native born Americans. It is the fact those same 'low skilled' newcomers are doing something the natives are not: Learning Marketable Skills.
We face a stark skills deficit in our nation. Those who rely on a pitiful (and dubious) High School Diploma as a key to prosperity are as likely to find that key works as well as it did for the old gas-lamp lighters or spittoon makers.
A report published by the NYT by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, noted that the skill level of the American labor force is fallen dangerously behind in comparison to our peers around the world.
Assessing reading, math and problem-solving skills, 160,000 people age 16 to 65 in 22 advanced nations, plus Russia and Cyprus. 22% of Japanese adults scored in the top two of six rungs on the literacy test. Fewer than 12% of Americans did.
12.5% of Americans scored below average of other nations in the assessment for numeracy.
The employment growth since the recession has little to do with immigration.
It is a skills deficit.
Folks, you sit on your backside, refuse to LEARN, and then want to complain?
Wake up and smell what you're shoveling. Cotton and his ilk are all to happy to smile and nod (and take your votes); they know that YOU are the problem of your own underemployment.
19
Thank you David Brooks,
What took you so long?
Edmund Burke the classic 18th century liberal should have informed you about the injustice of being born the wrong colour, wrong religion. wrong nationality or wrong gender. How did you go so very wrong? Was it the magic of William F. Buckley's reptilian tongue or was it the appeal of gilded enclaves like Sharon Connecticut where lower beings such as ourselves were not allowed that set you off on such an antihuman course?
What took you so long?
Edmund Burke the classic 18th century liberal should have informed you about the injustice of being born the wrong colour, wrong religion. wrong nationality or wrong gender. How did you go so very wrong? Was it the magic of William F. Buckley's reptilian tongue or was it the appeal of gilded enclaves like Sharon Connecticut where lower beings such as ourselves were not allowed that set you off on such an antihuman course?
13
Well said, Mr. Brooks. The notion that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from natural born Americans represents a cruelty to the capacity of the human mind. The millions of undocumented workers that exist in America are part of our economy. They pay rent, buy cars, fill cars with gas, pay utility bills, buy food and clothing, buy insurance, and so on. They don't threaten our job pool, they provide us with cheap labor. So does China, and the entire Pacific Rim. The Republican Party is standing on very thin ice, and I think many of them are started to notice. Conservative ideology has become nutty cosmic nonsense. People like Cotton and Perdue invent fantasy scenarios. Trump demonizes whatever strikes him on a given day. This will not end in greatness. It will fail, and Americans will suffer.
16
David - It pains me to say this, but this isn't your best work. Any economic theory that requires perpetual growth of physical inputs (labor, for example, or taxpayers, or natural resources) is logically incoherent. A population that grows forever in a finite physical system is something that cannot be. If you are not advocating perpetual physical growth, then tell us when and how it stops.
The population of the U.S. was approaching 300 million (which seemed like a lot) 11 years ago when I wrote this: http://amorpha.blogspot.com/2006/05/america-over-populated.html
Now it is 319 million. It will be over 400 million by the middle of the century. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_the_United_States) As Garrett Hardin tried to tell us, exponential growth is inexorable. A 20th century annual growth rate of just 1.3% was sufficient to quadruple the U.S. population. How many more quadruplings do you advocate?
Your piece is uncharacteristically silly throughout. If "market" forces in an economy the size of the U.S. can't bring the demand and supply of construction workers into balance without outside inputs, then economic theory is a sham, and all human understanding is forlorn.
The population of the U.S. was approaching 300 million (which seemed like a lot) 11 years ago when I wrote this: http://amorpha.blogspot.com/2006/05/america-over-populated.html
Now it is 319 million. It will be over 400 million by the middle of the century. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demography_of_the_United_States) As Garrett Hardin tried to tell us, exponential growth is inexorable. A 20th century annual growth rate of just 1.3% was sufficient to quadruple the U.S. population. How many more quadruplings do you advocate?
Your piece is uncharacteristically silly throughout. If "market" forces in an economy the size of the U.S. can't bring the demand and supply of construction workers into balance without outside inputs, then economic theory is a sham, and all human understanding is forlorn.
21
This is plain degeneration of the American Conservatism. The protectionism to save few dirty jobs as a national policy for the future? This is plain crazy! Their ideological platforms, from the economy, social issues, educatiation and environment is now clear lunacy and needs to be fought against with all we have. The country is losing it's greatness fast with this stock of unhinged right wing government.
14
David - have you actually spent any time in Houston? Yes - housing may be more affordable and they have no land use regulations. But the net result is chaos, with commercial and office buildings mixed with residences, and essentially no transportation planning, so the freeways are continually clogged. It is also a bad place for a huge city - ridiculously hot and humid in the summer, and subject to hurricanes and storms with no drainage of flood waters. Completely unsustainable.
21
"I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America" - uhhhh David news flash the answer is "because they're SUPER racist"
21
Sen Tom Cotton's Op-Ed in this paper provides the rationalization for his motives to limit immigration. The Senator claims he is attempting to give workers improved opportunities to earn better wages, but it is the GOP controlled Congress that created the conditions to frustrate worker organization and limit wage growth.
Since 1986, weak laws and enforcement have resulted in an undocumented immigrant population of about 11 million. The vast majority of immigrants are employed, but because they lack work authorization and fear employer retaliation and deportation, they cannot effectively complain when they are paid below the minimum wage or when their employer subjects them to unsafe conditions at the workplace.
Congress has tipped the scales into the hands of employers who now knowingly hire undocumented workers precisely because workers are more obedient for fear of reprisals. Employers face misdemeanor penatlies, workers using false documentation face felony charges. This game is rigged.
Fear keeps unauthorized workers docile and diminishes the bargaining power of Americans who work alongside them. That’s partly why so many employers like to hire unauthorized workers. Unsurprisingly, data show that immigrant workers suffer from wage and hour violations at higher rates than American workers.
Increasing fines and legal penalties for job creators hiring undocumented workers should tip the scales back, as would ending the GOP's war on organized labor.
Since 1986, weak laws and enforcement have resulted in an undocumented immigrant population of about 11 million. The vast majority of immigrants are employed, but because they lack work authorization and fear employer retaliation and deportation, they cannot effectively complain when they are paid below the minimum wage or when their employer subjects them to unsafe conditions at the workplace.
Congress has tipped the scales into the hands of employers who now knowingly hire undocumented workers precisely because workers are more obedient for fear of reprisals. Employers face misdemeanor penatlies, workers using false documentation face felony charges. This game is rigged.
Fear keeps unauthorized workers docile and diminishes the bargaining power of Americans who work alongside them. That’s partly why so many employers like to hire unauthorized workers. Unsurprisingly, data show that immigrant workers suffer from wage and hour violations at higher rates than American workers.
Increasing fines and legal penalties for job creators hiring undocumented workers should tip the scales back, as would ending the GOP's war on organized labor.
30
What Mr. Brooks chooses not to acknowledge is that his party took power with the votes of those who are incapable, due to fear, prejudice, lack of skills/education, and - sadly - in many cases due to outright sloth, of benefitting from the growth of dynamism he rightly attributes to immigration.
13
Cotton and Perdue understand perfectly well all the benefits of immigration. Their motivation isn't economic. It's racial. They are more concerned with preserving America's white identity than with restoring its economic health. Brooks knows this. Too bad he doesn't have the guts to just come out and say it.
28
Yep. And free trade agreements among nations do not, in and of themselves, cause U.S. companies to move production offshore.
So we have the immigration myth and the free trade myth as two pillars of a sales pitch that got Trump elected.
Unfortunately a very high percentage of the population are "single factor" thinkers. To win these people over every problem needs to be explained as being caused by one single (and simple) thing. Factory closed = NAFTA. Can't get a job = Too much immigration(a Mexican took it).
The immigration and free trade agreement arguments could and should be shredded and thrown in the garbage in a debate of the facts. But elections are about winning people over and Trumps "single simple factor" arguments carried the day. But as Brooks says here, the immigration myth, as it applies to the economy, would drive some very bad policy decisions.
So we have the immigration myth and the free trade myth as two pillars of a sales pitch that got Trump elected.
Unfortunately a very high percentage of the population are "single factor" thinkers. To win these people over every problem needs to be explained as being caused by one single (and simple) thing. Factory closed = NAFTA. Can't get a job = Too much immigration(a Mexican took it).
The immigration and free trade agreement arguments could and should be shredded and thrown in the garbage in a debate of the facts. But elections are about winning people over and Trumps "single simple factor" arguments carried the day. But as Brooks says here, the immigration myth, as it applies to the economy, would drive some very bad policy decisions.
10
It's true there are economic contractions and expansions. America' economy has been stagnant after a contraction for over eight years. An unprecedented event in modern history.
Wages have been depressed as a result. Demand for labor has been low for nine years. Typically as the demand for labor increases so should wages. However, the labor market is saturated with workers who have been willing to work for far less than Americans. These illegal immigrants share housing, transportation, food and other living expenses allowing them to live for much less. They then send money to Mexico to their families. American citizens are not willing to live that way. Therefore wages remain depressed and American citizens and ultimately taxpayers suffer for it.
Mr. Brooks obviously has a liberal agenda.
Wages have been depressed as a result. Demand for labor has been low for nine years. Typically as the demand for labor increases so should wages. However, the labor market is saturated with workers who have been willing to work for far less than Americans. These illegal immigrants share housing, transportation, food and other living expenses allowing them to live for much less. They then send money to Mexico to their families. American citizens are not willing to live that way. Therefore wages remain depressed and American citizens and ultimately taxpayers suffer for it.
Mr. Brooks obviously has a liberal agenda.
15
Mr. Brooks, do you really believe blue collar workers or any other unemployed people are going to put-on a hat and work 10 hour/day working for farmers taking care of America’s crops, the food we eat? Well, that’s never happened and it won’t.
For years, white American women have used the services of Hispanic immigrants especially in the South, as their servants. Undocumented women cook, clean house and even become nannies since they’re very good with children. This all day care gives the “Missy” the opportunity to spend quality time with her friends. Most politicians at one point or another have used the services of illegal immigrants in their household because it’s cheaper. Even President Trump hired undocumented Polish workers to help build the Trump Tower located on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue where he lives.
Undoubtedly, America’s economic status of millions of US Citizens would be jeopardized by this proposed exodus; small businesses would the economically impacted. Considering that 1/3 of the US-born children are still in the United States after their parents have been deported, the financial burden for raising these children would cost about $118 billion. Is it worth it?
You can’t get rid of Hispanics who entered this country legally and have been living here for generations; birth has been the primary driving force behind the Hispanic population.
For years, white American women have used the services of Hispanic immigrants especially in the South, as their servants. Undocumented women cook, clean house and even become nannies since they’re very good with children. This all day care gives the “Missy” the opportunity to spend quality time with her friends. Most politicians at one point or another have used the services of illegal immigrants in their household because it’s cheaper. Even President Trump hired undocumented Polish workers to help build the Trump Tower located on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue where he lives.
Undoubtedly, America’s economic status of millions of US Citizens would be jeopardized by this proposed exodus; small businesses would the economically impacted. Considering that 1/3 of the US-born children are still in the United States after their parents have been deported, the financial burden for raising these children would cost about $118 billion. Is it worth it?
You can’t get rid of Hispanics who entered this country legally and have been living here for generations; birth has been the primary driving force behind the Hispanic population.
17
Often, in the NYT's comment section, the top comments denigrate white Americans; especially those who are not college educated. The way I look at it, those white Americans are the proverbial canary in the coal mine. They have seen their livelihoods vanish with little or no opportunity to join our 21st century economy. Neither party speaks to them so many went for Trump.
What happens in the near future when automation and AI start eliminating jobs from truck driver to radiologist? Are we all going to be retrained to refine and maintain these new software programs?
The coming destruction of jobs isn't going to be an uneducated white male problem? It will cut across the entire swath of American, along with the rest of the world, and none of our leaders have a clue what to do.
What happens in the near future when automation and AI start eliminating jobs from truck driver to radiologist? Are we all going to be retrained to refine and maintain these new software programs?
The coming destruction of jobs isn't going to be an uneducated white male problem? It will cut across the entire swath of American, along with the rest of the world, and none of our leaders have a clue what to do.
61
They take jobs "native" Americans don't want because they can go on welfare and/or enter the underground economy. The statement by Brooks that these "natives" are freed (OMG - slavery lives!) to take "more pleasant" jobs begs the question of why they don't just do so if these jobs are available. If they want "steadier work even at a lower salary," what had stopped them earlier?
The notion that immigration of low skilled or unskilled labor has not compressed wages seems peculiar, as the legislated minimum wage creates a bottom below which wages cannot fall. The immigration policies that have allowed for a great influx of un- and low-skilled immigrants merely has enabled employers to create and maintain sweat shop conditions for millions of workers, each of whom can be easily replaced by other desperate immigrants. The US has created late 19th century labor conditions in the current era. Congratulations.
The article is strangely silent on the question of wages for lower income workers, perhaps recognizing that immigration has allowed employers to maintain their labor forces at a wage that leads to poverty. [By the way, Mr. Brooks, would you pay an extra 10 cents for your latte if the barrista had a living wage?]
The notion that immigration of low skilled or unskilled labor has not compressed wages seems peculiar, as the legislated minimum wage creates a bottom below which wages cannot fall. The immigration policies that have allowed for a great influx of un- and low-skilled immigrants merely has enabled employers to create and maintain sweat shop conditions for millions of workers, each of whom can be easily replaced by other desperate immigrants. The US has created late 19th century labor conditions in the current era. Congratulations.
The article is strangely silent on the question of wages for lower income workers, perhaps recognizing that immigration has allowed employers to maintain their labor forces at a wage that leads to poverty. [By the way, Mr. Brooks, would you pay an extra 10 cents for your latte if the barrista had a living wage?]
27
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston." I think you can, you are smart Mr. Brooks. The answer lies in your question. This current crop of Republicans is not about jobs,or "freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity." The answer lies in your question. They want it white and they want it Christian of their own variety; what they want is they want it their way. It is not about other people or compassion or taking care of our own. Those are just the frames they use. Keep up your voice. Appreciated.
54
Here in New Bedford, MA...our Hispanic tenants work in the building trades, hanging sheet rock. One works in a fish packing plant, though she is Puerto Rican. Central Americans had found a livelihood here, I see them walking home from work, quietly raising families. If some of them had to leave, we concluded wages would go up and housing costs would go down, which would be good for other people with limited means, but this article says otherwise.
Thinking about it, I'm not sure who would fill their place, except other immigrants. I doubt young 'white' couples with limited means will move here from Boston to hang sheet rock even though housing costs are significantly less. Better find your labor while it's fresh.
Thinking about it, I'm not sure who would fill their place, except other immigrants. I doubt young 'white' couples with limited means will move here from Boston to hang sheet rock even though housing costs are significantly less. Better find your labor while it's fresh.
6
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston." As a 38-year-old homeowner on Long Island, I ask this question often as I look at my local area, which often seems to have the same demographic predilection. I can only conclude it is endemic to the (white) baby boom generation--the "me" generation--to want everything their way until they literally die, everyone else be damned. This is a group that has never known how to step aside, compromise, or share. This is a group that has acted like they were the first (and last) people to ever be young, to ever accumulate wealth, and now to be aging. They have left destruction in their wake at every point, as they take for themselves and what suits them at the moment. "If it feels good, do it" once applied to sex drugs and rock and roll, but later to financial graft and political demagoguery, and now to nationalism and pulling up the ladder. The I truly hope we can survive them long enough.
5
"[Cotton's argument seems plausible] until you actually get out in the real world."
Let us give Senator Cotton some credit, Mr. Brooks. You deem his position worthy of being put to the test of real-world experience. Most current Republican positions are, in statement or in print, so obviously based on naive economic ideology, false premises, or are so internally inconsistent that they can be dismissed on logical grounds. They do not require any experiential tests to justify their rejection.
VOODOO ECONOMICS IN, GARBAGE OUT!
Let us give Senator Cotton some credit, Mr. Brooks. You deem his position worthy of being put to the test of real-world experience. Most current Republican positions are, in statement or in print, so obviously based on naive economic ideology, false premises, or are so internally inconsistent that they can be dismissed on logical grounds. They do not require any experiential tests to justify their rejection.
VOODOO ECONOMICS IN, GARBAGE OUT!
8
" static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s."
I've never met those kind of liberals anywhere.
The twisted ideology of modern republicans has repudiated conservativism and is bringing the Nation to the brink of bankruptcy, yet Brooks needs to blame 70's liberals for the mess.
And to boot, he's prowling around inside the heads of blue collar workers. I grew up in home building construction and those jobs are still pretty attractive to a lot of people. If the morons in congress would begin the infrastructure work the Nation needs those jobs would be huge.
What is going to happen when the republicans finish their assault on sane, rational immigration policies is a Nationwide scarcity of people to pick the crops that feed US and that many states export to places like Mexico.
I've never met those kind of liberals anywhere.
The twisted ideology of modern republicans has repudiated conservativism and is bringing the Nation to the brink of bankruptcy, yet Brooks needs to blame 70's liberals for the mess.
And to boot, he's prowling around inside the heads of blue collar workers. I grew up in home building construction and those jobs are still pretty attractive to a lot of people. If the morons in congress would begin the infrastructure work the Nation needs those jobs would be huge.
What is going to happen when the republicans finish their assault on sane, rational immigration policies is a Nationwide scarcity of people to pick the crops that feed US and that many states export to places like Mexico.
15
David Brooks, like Jennifer Rubin at WakPo, have shown themselves to be honest, decent, real conservatives. They are not dazzled by "winning," they actually have and retain bedrock beliefs and aren't about to swoon over would-be magicians who -- as we pretty much know -- are in bed with one of our most dangerous foreign adversaries.
Thanks Mr. Brooks. I don't always agree with your attempts at lofty, long-view analyses and analogies, but you have a conscience. A rare thing today.
Thanks Mr. Brooks. I don't always agree with your attempts at lofty, long-view analyses and analogies, but you have a conscience. A rare thing today.
11
Immigrants do not drive wages down. This is the continuing Republican propaganda to create more hate.
To have a job, you must have an EMPLOYER. Big Ag, the prissy rich like the Trumps, Wall Streeters, etc., do not do their own dirty work. They make no profit if they have to pay any worker a fair wage. Ditto WalMart.
Why don't folks from Georgia/Arkansas go to California and work 12 hours a day picking tomatoes and grapes, or hauling crates of citrus. YOUR EMPLOYER - Big Ag - will not allow you a 10-minute break, a glass of water, or a bathroom. Note they never hire "real" Americans who expect minimum wage. California farmers are beside themselves over Trump's plan. Who will do the work?
In the history of any country, good, decent people will go where the work is. They look for it. They didn't sit at home on their fannies and whine about someone else "taking their jobs."
Worth noting, almost 40% of Georgia's state income is the federal government. Let's cut off their federal welfare so they can go find work.
To have a job, you must have an EMPLOYER. Big Ag, the prissy rich like the Trumps, Wall Streeters, etc., do not do their own dirty work. They make no profit if they have to pay any worker a fair wage. Ditto WalMart.
Why don't folks from Georgia/Arkansas go to California and work 12 hours a day picking tomatoes and grapes, or hauling crates of citrus. YOUR EMPLOYER - Big Ag - will not allow you a 10-minute break, a glass of water, or a bathroom. Note they never hire "real" Americans who expect minimum wage. California farmers are beside themselves over Trump's plan. Who will do the work?
In the history of any country, good, decent people will go where the work is. They look for it. They didn't sit at home on their fannies and whine about someone else "taking their jobs."
Worth noting, almost 40% of Georgia's state income is the federal government. Let's cut off their federal welfare so they can go find work.
27
Let's face it. The Republican Party has become the party of simple solutions for complex problems., the party of lying about how good things are gonna be and hoping no one asks too many questions later. Black is really white and bad is really good. I have little doubt that Sam Brownback will soon declare his grand experiment in Kansas to be a raging success.
22
The trouble with DJT's vision of a healthier America is that he has chosen to put the job-killer label on immigrants -- and of course ignore the fact that the GOP would not come to the table the last 8 years to work with the Dems on Immigration Reform. The very foundation of America when it is safest, richest and greatest is when its diversity highlights all the nuances of democracy. To "rebuild", we can't use only one ingredient. Ever see a strong foundation that used only limestone or rocks or sand or water? Nope. If Trump is supposed to be such a great builder, he should probably be aware of that his EO on immigrants and the strong-arm deportation plan are very simply a way to feed the GOP power sharks that are hungry for a "white" America. For 8 years there was that subliminal racism that that tried to suck the air out of Obama's administration. Now the GOP has their hungry leader who will feed his ego with the livelihood and of most Americans. It truly is an unholy alliance.
15
Brooks opines,"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
It is called racism, Mr. Brooks. republicans have spent so much time and effort denying that racism exists that they now can pretend with a straight face that no republican could be guilty of racism.
Then Mr. Brooks goes full goose looney when he says, "Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s."
No. Mr. Brooks. Cotton is YOURS. No liberal or Democrat is that dense or cruel. Quit trying to make false equivalences. It is boring and pathetic to pretend that we Dems are anything like your cronies Cotton, Gowdy or Joe (you LIE!) Wilson.
It is called racism, Mr. Brooks. republicans have spent so much time and effort denying that racism exists that they now can pretend with a straight face that no republican could be guilty of racism.
Then Mr. Brooks goes full goose looney when he says, "Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s."
No. Mr. Brooks. Cotton is YOURS. No liberal or Democrat is that dense or cruel. Quit trying to make false equivalences. It is boring and pathetic to pretend that we Dems are anything like your cronies Cotton, Gowdy or Joe (you LIE!) Wilson.
32
"The large immigrant population has paradoxically given the city a very strong, very patriotic and cohesive culture, built around being welcoming to newcomers and embracing the future."
Mr. Brooks, the only error in the above sentence is your use of the adverb "paradoxically." Throughout our history, immigrants have always strengthened America's patriotic culture. This was true when the languages being spoken in the homes were Italian and German and it is true now that the languages are Spanish and Mandarin. If it is a paradox that this should be true, then it is a marvelous paradox that continues to weave new threads into the fabric of America. We should embrace it with hope, not turn our backs to it in fear.
Mr. Brooks, the only error in the above sentence is your use of the adverb "paradoxically." Throughout our history, immigrants have always strengthened America's patriotic culture. This was true when the languages being spoken in the homes were Italian and German and it is true now that the languages are Spanish and Mandarin. If it is a paradox that this should be true, then it is a marvelous paradox that continues to weave new threads into the fabric of America. We should embrace it with hope, not turn our backs to it in fear.
19
So glad you (unlike many other NYT columnists) are able and willing to distinguish legal immigration from illegal immigration. I am a Republican Trump supporter and am 100% against illegal immigration and 100% for deportation. However, I am also 100% against cutting legal immigration. We should use legal immigration to fill the gaps we have in our labor force, whether it is menial labor or highly skilled labor.
9
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston." Really, Mr. Brooks? Now why that might be? Racism is the ground theme of the modern Republican Party. It is so baked into the Party's post-1968 ethos and outlook that it hardly needs to be referenced or invoked. After winning the nomination, Ronald Reagan began his presidential campaign with a speech about "states rights" in Neshoba County, Mississippi, site of the lynchings of three black civil rights leaders, scene of the confrontation during the 1966 "Meredith March" that Dr. Martin Luther King described as the most fearful moment of his life. That was not a historical accident. Racism doesn't explain everything about American society. There is a powerful countervailing force in our society and our culture. But it does explain a lot, and before you ask faux-naif questions about the Republican motivations, you really should consider the obvious.
5
Please look up what “zero sum” means. When you do, you will see it applies more to the materialistic Republican mentality than it does to liberal mentality. You see, it’s the philosophy of dog-eat-dog, winner take all, I must win therefore you must lose capitalism. That would be your reality, going back to Ronald Reagan and your pal/mentor William F. Buckley, Jr.
We liberals would just like you to give a little back in the form of a decent living wage.
We liberals would just like you to give a little back in the form of a decent living wage.
8
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
"UNTIL I THINK ABOUT IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
There. FTFY. Now it sounds believable. You're welcome.
"UNTIL I THINK ABOUT IT FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
There. FTFY. Now it sounds believable. You're welcome.
5
Thanks for this article
I start to enjoy Mr. Brooks' articles more and more.
I start to enjoy Mr. Brooks' articles more and more.
5
A rational immigration policy would admit immigrants in accordance to our national needs, their skills, shared values, and their ultimate ability to contribute to the nation. We have always benefited from the energy and drive of immigrants, but it is wise to be selective and consider their skills and education.
This policy should recognize the stark reality of global economics and our position in that frame work. Living wages can no longer be made by illiterates. Low skill jobs have evaporated. The huge influx of unskilled immigrants has ( and will continue ) to create a “race to the bottom” on the wage scale. Employers love them because they can avoid offer benefits. As a result, their lives rely upon the subsidies of our frayed social safety net.
Illiterate, low skill workers typically cannot command a wage sufficient to pay income taxes. Further, they (and their employers) prefer a cash based economy, thereby hiding their income from taxation. Their apparent poverty assures that they qualify for benefits.
It is in disputable that most illegal immigrants are honest and hardworking. However it requires magical thinking to think that they do not take many jobs ( and the associated benefits ) from existing citizens. It is a myth that there are 12 million jobs that citizens “ didn’t want to take.” As a simple example, ask anyone in the construction trades.
This policy should recognize the stark reality of global economics and our position in that frame work. Living wages can no longer be made by illiterates. Low skill jobs have evaporated. The huge influx of unskilled immigrants has ( and will continue ) to create a “race to the bottom” on the wage scale. Employers love them because they can avoid offer benefits. As a result, their lives rely upon the subsidies of our frayed social safety net.
Illiterate, low skill workers typically cannot command a wage sufficient to pay income taxes. Further, they (and their employers) prefer a cash based economy, thereby hiding their income from taxation. Their apparent poverty assures that they qualify for benefits.
It is in disputable that most illegal immigrants are honest and hardworking. However it requires magical thinking to think that they do not take many jobs ( and the associated benefits ) from existing citizens. It is a myth that there are 12 million jobs that citizens “ didn’t want to take.” As a simple example, ask anyone in the construction trades.
9
Not so fast about Houston. Yes, housing is cheap, compared to many places. Cheap land at its perimeter has kept prices down, but at the cost of hideous sprawl. Lack of zoning is great for developers, but not so great when a 20-storey condo high-rise goes up in the middle of your neighborhood, or a used-car lot appears next door. Shady old neighborhoods are turning into treeless townhouse ghettos. Traffic is reaching gridlock levels all day long, and, thanks to conservatives, there is next to no effective public transportation. True, Houston is immigrant-friendly, if you subtract the odd hate crime and Klan activity. There is a wide variety of great immigrant-run ethnic restaurants, but it takes 45 minutes to get to them.
The mayor's plan to deal with the pension fund deficit might work, but the state legislature has to approve it. (Lord knows why.) The Republicans in charge there are doing all they can to stifle it.
The mayor's plan to deal with the pension fund deficit might work, but the state legislature has to approve it. (Lord knows why.) The Republicans in charge there are doing all they can to stifle it.
19
Brooks writes: "An exhaustive U.S. study by the National Academy of Sciences found that immigration didn’t drive down most wages, but it had a “very small” and temporary effect on native-born workers without a high school degree."
Wrong. The NAS study showed that mass immigration is causing a huge transfer of wealth to take place, half a trillion dollars annually from low wage American workers in competition with immigrants to business owners (because the oversupply of cheap labor enables cutting the workers' wages).
It also showed a wealth transfer of 294 billion, annually, from taxpayers to immigrants. http://cis.org/NAS-Study-Workers-and-Taxpayers-Lose-Businesses-Benefit
When she ran a commission on immigration reform under Clinton, the late Barbara Jordan suggested the same reduction in immigration numbers, along with strict enforcement of immigration laws. She was right, then, and Tom Cotton is right, now.
Wrong. The NAS study showed that mass immigration is causing a huge transfer of wealth to take place, half a trillion dollars annually from low wage American workers in competition with immigrants to business owners (because the oversupply of cheap labor enables cutting the workers' wages).
It also showed a wealth transfer of 294 billion, annually, from taxpayers to immigrants. http://cis.org/NAS-Study-Workers-and-Taxpayers-Lose-Businesses-Benefit
When she ran a commission on immigration reform under Clinton, the late Barbara Jordan suggested the same reduction in immigration numbers, along with strict enforcement of immigration laws. She was right, then, and Tom Cotton is right, now.
59
It's quite a stretch to call Cotton and Perdue "Liberals" in any modern sense. That aside, they are absolutely correct that low-skill immigration has hurt low-skill american workers. Mr. Brooks assumption that those american workers can move on to "more complicated" jobs is a fantasy. What if they are illiterate or can't do basic math? What if they are a single parent with three kids? There are few remedial education or job training programs to help such people transition to better jobs. Why? Mainly because Cotton and Perdue's republican party doesn't believe in investing tax dollars in improving the lives of poor people. In their world view, government is only there to serve the rich.
115
I am currently living in Houston for my Medical Residency Mr. Brooks. Though the diversity is great, you do not want to live here. It goes beyond just light zoning requirements and poor city planning, there are too many people. One stretch of I-10 I believe has 32 lanes, really conceptualize that. Traveling to the airport can take 30 minutes or 2 hours.
If you want a consistent growth rate in the American population, really think about the stresses that has on our quality of life and our environment. America can not handle another doubling of its population as it did in the past 50 years.
If you want a consistent growth rate in the American population, really think about the stresses that has on our quality of life and our environment. America can not handle another doubling of its population as it did in the past 50 years.
73
First, are we talking about legal immigrants in this column or about self-selecting illegal immigrants. Even if we cut the numbers of the former, what about the latter for whom there is no "quota". As to the latter, we have - among other issues - a moral issue: how long will we be exploiters and they be exploited. We can be shouting slogans about "diversity" and "we are a nation of immigrants", but that's pure propaganda and sentimentality when you don't pay the guy who mows your lawn what you'd pay an American.
7
Any ten year-old will tell you what they want to do when they grow up, what job they want. True leaders would harness that energy and problem solve a launching pad that ties education to jobs to a strong society not leaving millions behind. Plenty of room for the immigrant work ethic. Just political self-dealing and stupidity holding us back.
8
If Republicans succeed in deporting the Hispanic workers who come to clean the office building I work in at 5 every day, do they really think the former coal miners and factory workers they profess to care so much about are going move here and take those jobs? What about the immigrant laborers that work on virtually all of Wisconsin's big dairy farms? When they're sent home is some white working class guy from Indiana going to show up at the milking parlor, ready to get to work? The answer is of course not. And the answer to your question why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a diverse one is equally simple. Because it's white, and they know where their votes come from.
222
Regardless of Trump administration policies, immigration to the U.S. could become unattractive in the next 25 years. Why come to this country when your job will probably be taking care of an old person. Not exactly an occupation that provides opportunity for advancement.
Projections for percentage of U.S. Population aged 75 and over:
2017 6.6
2020 6.9
2030 9.5
2040 11.7
In raw amounts, the numbers are staggering:
2017 21.6 Million
2020 23.2 Million
2030 34.2 Million
2040 44.3 Million
The size of the labor force cannot possibly keep up with the demands brought on by this tidal wave of older people.
Projections for percentage of U.S. Population aged 75 and over:
2017 6.6
2020 6.9
2030 9.5
2040 11.7
In raw amounts, the numbers are staggering:
2017 21.6 Million
2020 23.2 Million
2030 34.2 Million
2040 44.3 Million
The size of the labor force cannot possibly keep up with the demands brought on by this tidal wave of older people.
7
This country needs 100 million Asian and 100 million Latin American immigrants. Otherwise, we face demographic collapse.
3
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work. Adjusting for inflation, wages are roughly where they were, at about $27 an hour on average in a place like Colorado."
So construction employers have decided they have the power and right to repeal the law of supply and demand. I love it when Republicans blithely blow past the issue of low wages and move on to some administrative, or, in this column, unicorn-driven 'solution.' Remember George W. Bush and his mantra about immigrants? "These people are taking jobs that Americans don't want." Drive the wage up to $100 per hour and Americans will like them just fine.
The issue is that immigration has hit the 15 percent threshold that apparently gives America pause -- the other time it was that high is the 1920s, then the Ku Klux Klan and offshoots of the Know-Nothings were ascendant. And why did it get that high? Because employers want a docile workforce willing to work for a fraction of native workers' pay, immigrants who don't know what overtime is and can be fired without cause or legal hassles, who don't sue for negligence. And let's be clear, the last thing these employers want is a solution to illegal immigration.
In Austin, fully 50 percent of construction workers are illegal immigrants. This is obscene. And Mr. Brooks makes clear employers will settle for less business rather than pay a better wage. This is the "establishment" the Trumpistas abhor, those who would steal from their own fellow Americans. Shame.
So construction employers have decided they have the power and right to repeal the law of supply and demand. I love it when Republicans blithely blow past the issue of low wages and move on to some administrative, or, in this column, unicorn-driven 'solution.' Remember George W. Bush and his mantra about immigrants? "These people are taking jobs that Americans don't want." Drive the wage up to $100 per hour and Americans will like them just fine.
The issue is that immigration has hit the 15 percent threshold that apparently gives America pause -- the other time it was that high is the 1920s, then the Ku Klux Klan and offshoots of the Know-Nothings were ascendant. And why did it get that high? Because employers want a docile workforce willing to work for a fraction of native workers' pay, immigrants who don't know what overtime is and can be fired without cause or legal hassles, who don't sue for negligence. And let's be clear, the last thing these employers want is a solution to illegal immigration.
In Austin, fully 50 percent of construction workers are illegal immigrants. This is obscene. And Mr. Brooks makes clear employers will settle for less business rather than pay a better wage. This is the "establishment" the Trumpistas abhor, those who would steal from their own fellow Americans. Shame.
13
So, according to Mr Brooks, in a dynamic America no builders will take advantage of the fact that workers in short demand can be lured by higher wages and thus pressure those who refuse to raise wages by hiring away their crews? That seems rather counter to accepted economic principles of supply and demand and is why his thesis is fatally flawed.
If an excess of manual labor can depress wages does he really believe a shortage won't raise them? More nonsense from the bubble.
If an excess of manual labor can depress wages does he really believe a shortage won't raise them? More nonsense from the bubble.
10
I like your analogy showing the mistaken assumption that employment in the US is like a lake, rather than a river within a dynamic ecosystem. It is telling. Your column resonates with recent conversations about the inestimable value to US families when loving and consistent caregiving is provided to their disabled or elderly family members. Some cultures value caregiving highly and immigrants from these countries are among those who provide this type of demanding care. What will be the cost to an aging society from restricting the availability of a pool of people willing and able to do this work?
5
Good for Brooks for calling out the GOP flat earth people on this issue.
There are jobs--but often the complaining white Trump voters don't want to go to where the jobs are. When they say, "the jobs are gone," they mean that there is no factory anymore in their little rural town that pays $30/hour or more for a person with no education. They do not want to move to where the jobs are, or move closer to where the jobs are. Fox News has convinced them that the cities are full of dark people who will kill them and that our cities are horrible dystopias; they cower in fear, guns ready, whenever they even have to drive through.
In America there is no entitlement to have a high-paying job in your home town, but they have not gotten the memo.
The GOP has risen pandering to the resentments of this crowd and now they seem unable to break out and try using some leadership to encourage these folks into the jobs that are actually there. In states dominated by the GOP (like mine), this is even more striking than at the national level. They will return us to the dark ages, unless we fight back.
There are jobs--but often the complaining white Trump voters don't want to go to where the jobs are. When they say, "the jobs are gone," they mean that there is no factory anymore in their little rural town that pays $30/hour or more for a person with no education. They do not want to move to where the jobs are, or move closer to where the jobs are. Fox News has convinced them that the cities are full of dark people who will kill them and that our cities are horrible dystopias; they cower in fear, guns ready, whenever they even have to drive through.
In America there is no entitlement to have a high-paying job in your home town, but they have not gotten the memo.
The GOP has risen pandering to the resentments of this crowd and now they seem unable to break out and try using some leadership to encourage these folks into the jobs that are actually there. In states dominated by the GOP (like mine), this is even more striking than at the national level. They will return us to the dark ages, unless we fight back.
7
I must admit, I'm beginning to wonder who's next? After the Republicans have gotten rid of all the immigrants and foreigners, who's next?
It's all very unsettling the way America has chosen to define itself, and now with these two Republican senators from the South -- with their graphics and fish supply theory, it shows just how extreme this current wave of nationalist xenophobia has become.
Too bad they forget the REAL answer to a very "unconvenient truth" is economic problems of the United States is caused not only by it's crippling tax system, the continual trend toward automation, and the dissolution of Worker's Trade Unions -- but by the continual concentration of wealth at the top.
And a few thousand jobs at Carrier or Boeing isn't going to change that.
It's all very unsettling the way America has chosen to define itself, and now with these two Republican senators from the South -- with their graphics and fish supply theory, it shows just how extreme this current wave of nationalist xenophobia has become.
Too bad they forget the REAL answer to a very "unconvenient truth" is economic problems of the United States is caused not only by it's crippling tax system, the continual trend toward automation, and the dissolution of Worker's Trade Unions -- but by the continual concentration of wealth at the top.
And a few thousand jobs at Carrier or Boeing isn't going to change that.
9
The usual mindless republican 'solution' is to cut immigration. I'm beginning to believe that to be a republican politician, you have to pass an ignorance test: that is, prove you know no facts about much of how anything works. Then, on top of that, you have to pass the stupidity test: That is, even when there is clear evidence as to how something works and benefits humanity, the environment, etc., you have to prove you are stupid enough to disbelieve or deny the evidence. And, of course, there is the final test: The cupidity test...you have to prove you'll do what the filthy rich who give you those bribes called 'campaign funds' want, no matter how harmful, unethical, or purely self-serving what they want is. Then, of course, if you're the average republican voter, you have merely to pass the religiosity, racism, bigotry, and dimwit test--i.e., you have to show you're in at least one of those categories.
8
I am stuck on the section that says the construction industry is short on workers but is not raising its wages. Why not? Especially since, as you say, this is difficult work. I know many young people who take jobs in retail or fast food because the cost of getting certified in the trades is high for not much pay back in your early years.
This lack of increased wages in the construction sector sounds suspiciously like the line I hear in the tech industry when they say they can't find US citizens, so they need more H-1B visas. Isn't the obvious solution to raise wages? Of course, then if they hire citizens, then they can't jerk their foreign employees around, threatening to not renew their visas if they don't do exactly what they say.
This lack of increased wages in the construction sector sounds suspiciously like the line I hear in the tech industry when they say they can't find US citizens, so they need more H-1B visas. Isn't the obvious solution to raise wages? Of course, then if they hire citizens, then they can't jerk their foreign employees around, threatening to not renew their visas if they don't do exactly what they say.
10
As I read - surprised by the reasonable argument being made - I waited for the inevitable - the David Brooks classic. It didn't come until the last paragraph - the standard dig at liberals - the standard "both sides do it" nonsense.
Sorry Brooks - not buying. This disaster we are seeing now is a disaster of Republican wrongheadedness and mean spiritedness. In no way the fault of Democrats.
And you own it.
Sorry Brooks - not buying. This disaster we are seeing now is a disaster of Republican wrongheadedness and mean spiritedness. In no way the fault of Democrats.
And you own it.
4
This is one important issue and Mr. Brooks describes reality very well. What is wrong with conservatives like Cotton and Perdue? Who are they going to for the economics and potential outcomes of their proposals? It appears they rely on long time Republican mantras that have no basis in real world research. Like cutting taxes will lead to increased revenue or the Laffer "curve ball".
3
Is it any coincidence that 'perdue' means 'lost' in French?
5
Some of these comments are definitely not based in reality, but from a smug attitude that needs to evolve.
A few years ago at Christmas time I was in a line at the local post office. There were three postal clerks and the line was long. As I live in a well-off area, I think most of those in the line were white collar workers. One older man, who seemed to consider himself the superior of us all, began complaining loudly to no-one in particular about the lazy and inefficient clerks.
To this day I regret not taking him in in a discussion of what the rest of us could clearly see: hard working, efficient postal clerks who were handling the Christmas rush as well as they could and maintaining reasonably pleasant demeanor in the face of a man who thought he was being clever at the expense of people who could not correct him without risking their livelihood.
There are plenty of Americans who need jobs. The exceptions are the ones you see on TV - with drug it alcohol problems, risky lives and the majority are not like that. Americans will move to get better jobs and better lives. There are exceptions and we don't need to ignore them, but it is galling to see the comments about how Americans wouldn't do this particular job or that other particular job.
I'm a grown up now and I would not now do the entry level jobs I had as a student, but I did have them and that opportunity is being lost for our children - you can't contradict that.
A few years ago at Christmas time I was in a line at the local post office. There were three postal clerks and the line was long. As I live in a well-off area, I think most of those in the line were white collar workers. One older man, who seemed to consider himself the superior of us all, began complaining loudly to no-one in particular about the lazy and inefficient clerks.
To this day I regret not taking him in in a discussion of what the rest of us could clearly see: hard working, efficient postal clerks who were handling the Christmas rush as well as they could and maintaining reasonably pleasant demeanor in the face of a man who thought he was being clever at the expense of people who could not correct him without risking their livelihood.
There are plenty of Americans who need jobs. The exceptions are the ones you see on TV - with drug it alcohol problems, risky lives and the majority are not like that. Americans will move to get better jobs and better lives. There are exceptions and we don't need to ignore them, but it is galling to see the comments about how Americans wouldn't do this particular job or that other particular job.
I'm a grown up now and I would not now do the entry level jobs I had as a student, but I did have them and that opportunity is being lost for our children - you can't contradict that.
10
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Come on David, you are being ironic, right?
Come on David, you are being ironic, right?
3
Cotton and Perdue want the US to adopt Japan's immigration plan that is designed to protect its culture. It is a plan for economic decline, but Bannon approves this approach because he wants to protect our "settler" (read rural, poorly educated, white) culture. This explains why Trump likes the poorly educated.
1
The GOP is full of ignorance. They like it that way. They strive for ignorance by believing in alternate facts. By questioning science. By limiting the studies that would prove or disprove a theory. And that is a major problem because they now control our gov't. and their representatives are the Pied Piper leading us all over a cliff.
2
I'm troubling by the persisted belief that we must have continued growth. Let's imagine an analogy of camping on a tiny island on which there is but one tree. You cut off pieces of the tree to build a fire to keep warm. Soon the tree is consumed and your campsite is a barren place. (I did this 50 years ago.) Like it or not, our country also has limited resources, just like that island. The U.S. population has doubled since 1951. How long can one sustain growth by pouring more people into a country? They too will age and then we will have an even larger older population in need of support by those of working age. I would rather we come to grips with this now, before we have cut down all the trees, extracted all the iron ore, oil, and minerals, ruined farmland with urban sprawl, tainted our lakes fish with mercury, and decimated our wildlife populations. I'd prefer to pass on a clean and verdant environment to the next generation, instead of one overwhelmed with people. Let's put the brakes on immigration from all countries.
8
Fascinating, really. Now, we must ask: how can a labor shortage exist when demand for that labor is evidently so high? Why hasn't the construction industry simply paid more in wages to draw in the labor it needs? The answer lies in the overall economic picture. It's not enough to blame a culture which doesn't give much status to laborers. It's because of interventionism. The market failure is a SIGNAL. It's saying the wage rates are already too high. If you double them and hire the workers, construction will not be profitable because there's simply a finite productivity possible from any given laborer, even skilled ones. If it WAS profitable, well we wouldn't be talking, would we? Now, if you drop wages i.e., to $1/hour, by the time you get over the illegality of paying under minimum wage and employing undocumented aliens, which is illegal, this will only help so much. These workers are less skilled, are migratory, must avoid the law, have less reliable transportation, etc. If this WAS profitable, again, we wouldn't be talking. Hence, these idled resources, companies, and industry are idled precisely because the economy and prices are in such disequilibrium that the profitability of the projects cannot be known.
2
My parents were in a car accident shortly after Christmas and both have been in and out of hospitals and rehab hospitals since then. Almost every doctor, nurse and nursing assistant they have encountered have been from foreign countries. I read a statistic that 30% of the doctors in Texas are immigrants. Our population is retiring and getting old. If we want people to care for us instead of robots, we have to have immigration. Texas runs on immigrant labor.
We need hard working immigrants more than we need angry resentful working class conservatives. Deep down, the angry resentful conservatives know this, and they are lashing out by bringing in 'burn the place down' Bannon/Trump. Trump has appealed to the nativist whites who have lost their well paying, unionized jobs when corporate America (amply represented in Trump's Cabinet) crushed their union, closed their factory (to pay higher dividends, taxed lower due to Republican efforts) stole their pension, and polluted their rivers. The Trump supporters, seeing no way up in this economy, wish to bring us down to their level of misery. No thanks.
3
Mr. Brooks can't help himself.
"Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s."
It's become self-parody. Mr. Brooks will say anything, no matter how ridiculous, except what's obvious. What's happening today has nothing to do with liberals or the 1970s. What's happening today, as two of the most prominent and respected Republican intellectuals have repeatedly pointed out, is the rise of a Republican Party converted into a radical insurgency intent on a fascist one-party state. How did Mr. Brooks manage to miss Orenstein and Mann for the past 10 years? There's an easy answer. If he runs into them he turns and runs the other way, looking for an evil Democrat who is worse than an evil Republican. That's what Mr. Brooks has been doing and that's what he's doing today. Good God, Mr. Brooks, can't you smell the fire? You're fiddling while democracy burns to the ground. Enough already. It's reprehensible.
"Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s."
It's become self-parody. Mr. Brooks will say anything, no matter how ridiculous, except what's obvious. What's happening today has nothing to do with liberals or the 1970s. What's happening today, as two of the most prominent and respected Republican intellectuals have repeatedly pointed out, is the rise of a Republican Party converted into a radical insurgency intent on a fascist one-party state. How did Mr. Brooks manage to miss Orenstein and Mann for the past 10 years? There's an easy answer. If he runs into them he turns and runs the other way, looking for an evil Democrat who is worse than an evil Republican. That's what Mr. Brooks has been doing and that's what he's doing today. Good God, Mr. Brooks, can't you smell the fire? You're fiddling while democracy burns to the ground. Enough already. It's reprehensible.
5
Ground Control to Major Dave: the Republicans are the economic fabulist party. Remember Trickle Down? Remember Tax Cuts for the Rich? Now we have Stream Polluters for Jobs, Fracking for Economic Freedom, and probably a whole bunch of other bumper sticker policies - Leninists for National Security comes to mind. Sorry, man: vile, depraved, and barking mad - the lot of them.
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Because the Republicans don't care about good governance, or making the country better. They only care about maintaining power, and the easiest way for them to do that is to create fear of an "other" (immigrants, foreigners). Right now it feels as if the only thing that can save us from a xenophobic police state with a shrinking economy are resonable and persuasive Republicans who can stand up to and–dare I dream–convince their fellow party members to abandon this dangerous US vs. THEM world view. Keep writing' Dave!
Because the Republicans don't care about good governance, or making the country better. They only care about maintaining power, and the easiest way for them to do that is to create fear of an "other" (immigrants, foreigners). Right now it feels as if the only thing that can save us from a xenophobic police state with a shrinking economy are resonable and persuasive Republicans who can stand up to and–dare I dream–convince their fellow party members to abandon this dangerous US vs. THEM world view. Keep writing' Dave!
1
Though the policies are regressive and the economic carnage devastating, Republicans still appear to control a narrative in the right wing echo chamber that allows them to enjoy sufficient support to do crazy things. I'm of the opinion that more progressive thinking needs a better brand that cuts through the foolishness that is passing for policy in Washington.
We cannot improve our Debt outlook by frivolous and unwarranted military spending, crony infrastructure projects and a protectionist wall, when the real issue of the nation go begging. Republicans win because they claim to have substance; however, it is their form that is winning - certainly not that they have any winning approaches to offer the American people.
We cannot improve our Debt outlook by frivolous and unwarranted military spending, crony infrastructure projects and a protectionist wall, when the real issue of the nation go begging. Republicans win because they claim to have substance; however, it is their form that is winning - certainly not that they have any winning approaches to offer the American people.
2
I disagree with the Republican proposal for different reasons, and I don't agree with the argument and examples given here because I'm not a fan of the boom economy. The contractor cited as growing his business at 10% percent per year is not my ideal for productive citizens. That's the millionaire track; rather, I'm a supporter of thousandaires, and more of them.
4
David's role is not to produce broad and deep analysis of complex issues, and he doesn't. In this case he presents the example of a few pockets of labor shortage in construction and then generalizes to a global model of a river compared to a lake.
Of course, this argument is only a suggestion, but it is also a distraction from the real labor problem, which is the drying up of human jobs due to robotics, automation, and expert systems. Even in the construction industry, putting aside demand issues, jobs are shrinking due to new machinery, new materials, prefab sections, etc.
Before we can attack the impact of this rapidly worsening job situation upon sensible immigration, we have to at least understand this impending massive layoff. So far the only remedy proposed is a more skilled workforce, but it is entirely evident that even many highly skilled workers cannot find work. The private sector is rapidly becoming employer of far too few people to maintain a middle class.
Of course, this argument is only a suggestion, but it is also a distraction from the real labor problem, which is the drying up of human jobs due to robotics, automation, and expert systems. Even in the construction industry, putting aside demand issues, jobs are shrinking due to new machinery, new materials, prefab sections, etc.
Before we can attack the impact of this rapidly worsening job situation upon sensible immigration, we have to at least understand this impending massive layoff. So far the only remedy proposed is a more skilled workforce, but it is entirely evident that even many highly skilled workers cannot find work. The private sector is rapidly becoming employer of far too few people to maintain a middle class.
5
One solution might be to reduce the work week to 35 hours, requiring corporations to pay overtime for work beyond as a stimulus for hiring. In the 1800s the average work week was over 60 hours.
4
If they really want wages to go up they should consider raising the minimum wage to a wage reflective of the cost of living, like it used to be. A $15 an hour minimum wage would go a long way to making things more affordable and creating more demand in the economy, which creates jobs.
6
Solving a problem fully requires the desire to understand the full scope of its causes, all those involved and a solution that does not create another problem. Cotton and Purdue do none of these things and merely pacify a misplaced fault interpreted by an uninformed base and administration. Looking as though you are resolving a problem and actually solving a problem are two different things. The rewards of learning is that it never stops.
There's a workforce that is mobile enough to move to where jobs are, and a workforce that isn't able to move, who have more responsibilities like mortgages, or children and elderly parents to care for.
For high income workers there is a standard of quality schools and health care and welcome across ethnic lines that they can count on pretty much anywhere they go. For the middle class there is uneven funding and standards for schools and healthcare that make moving less easy and less attractive. And there are often religious and ethnic identity issues to navigate as well.
Ironically, states are so proud of how they differ from one another in their quest to attract businesses from one another, they don't see how their differences gum up the economic performance of the country as a whole by discouraging mobility in the working class.
For high income workers there is a standard of quality schools and health care and welcome across ethnic lines that they can count on pretty much anywhere they go. For the middle class there is uneven funding and standards for schools and healthcare that make moving less easy and less attractive. And there are often religious and ethnic identity issues to navigate as well.
Ironically, states are so proud of how they differ from one another in their quest to attract businesses from one another, they don't see how their differences gum up the economic performance of the country as a whole by discouraging mobility in the working class.
Is it just me or when you listen to conservatives talk about how they will help you the hair on the back of my neck stands up on end. True primal fight or flight reaction. Like when I watched the Exorcist for the first time as a young man.
The most of the Democrats in office are bought and paid for by the donor class ( well most Republicans are also) but these Conservatives seem like they love inflicting pain and anguish on people just trying to get by as best they can.
There can only be poor if there is rich.
The most of the Democrats in office are bought and paid for by the donor class ( well most Republicans are also) but these Conservatives seem like they love inflicting pain and anguish on people just trying to get by as best they can.
There can only be poor if there is rich.
2
In the past 5 years my nearly 100 year old condo has needed emergency renovations several times, all done by a contractor using immigrant Latino laborers, one of whom alerted me to a subtle, hard to detect heating system leak. My place would have become uninhabitable without them. Strangely, the contractor was decidedly pro-Trump in the election. Was he trying to put himself out of business?
3
In Michigan, the Republican governor and legislature have led a long term war on worker benefits. Now Michigan has the lowest unemployment compensation in the country and one of the most difficult and parsimonious workers' compensation program. Even in good times construction work has a cycle for workers, in northern states almost all construction shuts down at some point during the year due to cold weather. Anyone familiar with the building trades knows that they will be forced to draw unemployment compensation at some point for a couple months a year minimum and one misstep on the job site and you will need workers comp. Finally, the same Republican governor who poisoned Flint, Michigan's water supply trying to save money to finance his personal tax cut, also signed right to work legislation damaging the unions who provided the skilled construction trades training and apprenticeships. So why would anyone want to see a family member go into such a disrespected and devalued profession in Michigan? Now the Governor is trying to replicate the building trades training at community colleges (at taxpayers expense) which are a pale imitation of trade union programs. Finally, to make it real clear how much the Republicans detest construction workers they are repealing the state's Prevailing Wage Act which simply ensured a fair wage for workers. In Michigan the non prevailing wage projects are not cheaper, the workers just get paid less, as the business pockets the difference.
8
What happens once the wall is built and trump has deported every illegal he can get his hands on. What happens if they halve the number of green cards. Will,all,of those rust belt blue collar guys suddenly rush to clean those offices and homes, mow those lawns. If they don't even want a decent construction job my guess is probably not.
The elephant in the room is automation. No industry seems immune to its efficiencies. The problem is that in the modern day economy if we allow the exploitation of cheap labor it may certainly be beneficial in the short run but as automation gains a greater foothold as it most certainly will all that exploited labor will still be living in the backyard. Actually this has happened so often in history that there's no reason not to believe it won't happen again but this modern economy poses its own set of unique hazards. We should at least contemplate and plan for the future before cutting down the forest.
In your column you don't explain why construction companies decided raising wages won't work. That seems to go against market theory, no? If I want to attract good workers I should be willing to pay them more and that will permit me to take on more construction jobs. The rising wages will attract more people into those professions...
The one part of David's opinion piece that rings true for me an older working class man is the disdain for labor in this country. This is not a political party issue and is more reflective of the professionalization of the political class. For years we have been sold a bill of goods regarding education and collage. This has resulted in people with collage educations and massive student debt that can't find work in their fields. We as a society need to renew our respect for those who build & maintain the infrastructure that makes life tolerable. This applies to both the private as well as the public sector laborers. We worship at the alter of tech & finance and lose sight that people build houses & infrastructure and maintain them. We need to renew the sense of respect we once had for those of who work with their hands as well as their brains if we truly want to "make America great again". Note: I'm a Roosevelt style democrat who believes economic justice as well as civil / human justice are complimentary not oppositional & opposes Trump and all he truly stands for.
9
"The way to help working families is not to cut immigration. It’s to help everybody flow to the job he or she wants to take."
I respectfully disagree. I think the imperative here is to get everybody to flow to the job they NEED to take. And part of that is to make a job more palatable than government assistance. Otherwise, human nature -- i.e., laziness -- will take over in many instances. Not all, but many.
I respectfully disagree. I think the imperative here is to get everybody to flow to the job they NEED to take. And part of that is to make a job more palatable than government assistance. Otherwise, human nature -- i.e., laziness -- will take over in many instances. Not all, but many.
4
"Nationwide, there are now about 200,000 unfilled construction jobs, according to the National Association of Home Builders.”
Has this Association considered going into communities with high unemployment to set up some kind of apprenticeship programs? Perhaps it could get tax-write-offs for training and then hiring workers from inner-cities, Native American reservations, and other areas where people cannot find work.
Has this Association considered going into communities with high unemployment to set up some kind of apprenticeship programs? Perhaps it could get tax-write-offs for training and then hiring workers from inner-cities, Native American reservations, and other areas where people cannot find work.
6
One of the main drivers of wage stagnation or decline and the continual growth if disparity in income is the destruction of labor unions. Just look at the graphs. And while Unions have been to some extent responsible for their own demise, it is mostly the deliberate destruction by the Republican Party that is responsible. I have never understood the rationale from the Republican Party. Why is it Capital can bargain collectively but Labor should not. Why should an individual worker negotiate with a giant corporation with millions if not billions of dollars, for his wages individually? What if each share holder had to negotiate with a handful of employees on their hiring in a large company, it wouldn't make that much sense. Rebuilding and rethinking unions is the only thing that is going to save the american worker. Only 11% of American workers are now Union members. If that number were more like 40-50% we would be living in a much more equitable world.
11
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work."
Right. because then they lose their precious profits. Everybody's so obsessed with getting money now, they fail to grasp they also need to get money in the future. But the New Economy states never put future profits ahead of current profits. So in the end, they only hurt themselves.
Right. because then they lose their precious profits. Everybody's so obsessed with getting money now, they fail to grasp they also need to get money in the future. But the New Economy states never put future profits ahead of current profits. So in the end, they only hurt themselves.
6
I have always thought it ironic that a nation of literally immigrants is so unwelcoming to new immigrants. Except for a few Native Americans, all citizens in the US are recent immigrants. I guess everyone wants to close the doors after they arrived.
I had a Pakistani cab driver in London recently who voted for Brexit and said essentially the same thing, that the UK needed stop these immigrants from taking their jobs. Of course he and his family including 6 siblings came to England 20 years ago seeking the same opportunities.
For the Lower Middle Class, immigration is scary because they fear being displaced by slightly harder working or slightly more skilled workers and the margin between the lower and lower middle classes is small. However, why elites or for that matter most middle class Americans are worried can only be the result of misinformation from that "fake" media - like FOX & Breibert. As Brooks so ably put it, immigrants fills jobs nobody else want and creates population & tax growth necessary to pay for our aging baby-boomers.
I had a Pakistani cab driver in London recently who voted for Brexit and said essentially the same thing, that the UK needed stop these immigrants from taking their jobs. Of course he and his family including 6 siblings came to England 20 years ago seeking the same opportunities.
For the Lower Middle Class, immigration is scary because they fear being displaced by slightly harder working or slightly more skilled workers and the margin between the lower and lower middle classes is small. However, why elites or for that matter most middle class Americans are worried can only be the result of misinformation from that "fake" media - like FOX & Breibert. As Brooks so ably put it, immigrants fills jobs nobody else want and creates population & tax growth necessary to pay for our aging baby-boomers.
3
Unfortunately, your view is kind of out of date and it is not sustainable! I believe the solutions are free market (but not crony capitalism), government policies and a cultural revolution. First and foremost, every job is noble no matter how "insignificant" in your views. People admire Germany but they often miss the simple fact that german parents are equally proud of their blue collar sons and daughters.
Also the current job market is distorted because of the imports of low skilled workers. I am certain silicon valley will find solutions if the job market is not distorted. BTW, speaking of market distortion, I don't think the current administration will be successful for a simple reason. Their "deregulation" is merely one-sided (the business side). How about the needs from the silent majority of consumers? For example, I hate Comcast and Verizon but I have not much choice. Will President Trump do something to help me?
Finally, what about the constant warnings of the coming of robots and AI? Very soon, there will be a lot more job-less people. We really need to take a long-term view. Therefore, deregulation of H1B visa for high skilled workers so small business can hire them and become more competitive and at the same time bringing in automation and AI to work force should be the solutions.
Also the current job market is distorted because of the imports of low skilled workers. I am certain silicon valley will find solutions if the job market is not distorted. BTW, speaking of market distortion, I don't think the current administration will be successful for a simple reason. Their "deregulation" is merely one-sided (the business side). How about the needs from the silent majority of consumers? For example, I hate Comcast and Verizon but I have not much choice. Will President Trump do something to help me?
Finally, what about the constant warnings of the coming of robots and AI? Very soon, there will be a lot more job-less people. We really need to take a long-term view. Therefore, deregulation of H1B visa for high skilled workers so small business can hire them and become more competitive and at the same time bringing in automation and AI to work force should be the solutions.
1
Reducing immigration is a recipe for becoming Japan. Stagnant growth, aging population. The anti-immigrant position of the GOP is part of its plan to convince American workers that the reason their jobs are disappearing is because of some "other" guy--immigrants, legal or not; the coastal elites (somehow)--instead of because of the employers offshoring, outsourcing and automating to increase profits for the 1% at the top. They will do and say anything to prevent workers from seeing this truth.
They have successfully fomented a revolt at the ballot box against the perceived wrongdoers. Because they know if the immigrants and elites and Democrats aren't the targets of revolt, then the 1% will be. But you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
They have successfully fomented a revolt at the ballot box against the perceived wrongdoers. Because they know if the immigrants and elites and Democrats aren't the targets of revolt, then the 1% will be. But you can't fool all of the people all of the time.
2
Brooks may have found his metier in describing how Conservatism is just a front for the Deep Derp Purveyors.
He almost hit a home run except for the gratuitous slam at Democrats in the last paragraph.
He almost hit a home run except for the gratuitous slam at Democrats in the last paragraph.
2
Why not just change the inscription on the Statue of Liberty to: "Here, take our tired, our poor, our huddled masses, the wretched refuse of our teeming shore"?
2
After 30+ years spent in career education I can tell you that when you suggest to parents that their child may not be cut out for "college" and should give some thought to persuing training in a skill, you are mostly wasting your breath. Our society has been so utterly brainwashed that the only road to success runs through a 4-year degree that many opportunities in construction and other similar fields are dismissively tossed aside. Combine that attitude with the stepchild status of our techinacal education system and the resulting shortage in skilled workers in our country is inevitable. Exacerbating that shortage by blindly applying immigration quotas will only damage the economy more.
Many of these jobs (i.e. plumbers, HVAC technicians) are not only vital to our daily lives but they cannot be outsourced and it is hard to see how they could be performed by a robot.
Many of these jobs (i.e. plumbers, HVAC technicians) are not only vital to our daily lives but they cannot be outsourced and it is hard to see how they could be performed by a robot.
8
Tom Cotton has the look of someone unconcerned with the ideas of others, so sure is he of his own. The animosity toward immigration, at least in the South, stems not mainly from economic unease but from media-stoked xenophobia. This topic is a waste of time that would be better spent equipping Americans with the skills needed for the new economy.
Progressive groups have in the past stood in the way of apprenticeship programs. They see them as rooting the poor in the stations to which they were born (college for all!). We should help our citizens prepare for the economy of this century, not pine for the one of the last. Such nostalgia shows itself on both Right and Left, in overlapping and divergent ways.
The base of both parties seems to want some truly crazy things. But good leadership, which is all but absent, is not about pandering or giving in to the whims of the herd, but about LEADING. When the majority is wrong, we must be able to say so. Ochlocracy is not democracy. No ideology, as Russell Kirk knew, encompasses the world; it's far too complex.
We can't resort to revolution ("Far from assuming that those who created [our] institutions were wiser than we are, the evolutionary view is based on the insight that the result of the experimentation of many generations may embody more experience than any one man possesses" ~ Hayek) because we are bounded to our past, and we can't resort to ethnic or economic nationalism because globalism is both good and here to stay.
Progressive groups have in the past stood in the way of apprenticeship programs. They see them as rooting the poor in the stations to which they were born (college for all!). We should help our citizens prepare for the economy of this century, not pine for the one of the last. Such nostalgia shows itself on both Right and Left, in overlapping and divergent ways.
The base of both parties seems to want some truly crazy things. But good leadership, which is all but absent, is not about pandering or giving in to the whims of the herd, but about LEADING. When the majority is wrong, we must be able to say so. Ochlocracy is not democracy. No ideology, as Russell Kirk knew, encompasses the world; it's far too complex.
We can't resort to revolution ("Far from assuming that those who created [our] institutions were wiser than we are, the evolutionary view is based on the insight that the result of the experimentation of many generations may embody more experience than any one man possesses" ~ Hayek) because we are bounded to our past, and we can't resort to ethnic or economic nationalism because globalism is both good and here to stay.
If American’s white working class is so upset about wages, why do they keep voting against unions? Why don’t they organize? It’s true that business and the political establishment isn’t union-friendly -- but that was even more true in earlier times when people were willing to risk not only their livelihoods but their lives to organize. I think both the Sanders’ Left and the media are wrong when they blame Trump support on white, working class economic distress. Trump is just the ultimate expression of the racist, sexist Culture War the Right has been waging for the last 60 years -- waged by people who are, in fact, economically very comfortable.
7
Democrats and Republicans have fake debates about everything that matters to the people, while they give billionaires everything they want.
The first clue that the two parties are not serious about fixing something is when they argue about supply side solutions. Although in the long run, supply is equal to demand, markets are not driven by supply, but demand. For example, since Nixon, we have had a war on the supply of drugs. It has had no effect (except the mass incarceration of poor people) because it has no effect on demand.
Illegal immigration is driven by demand. Corporate CEOs hire illegal immigrants precisely because they are illegal and they can use that against both them and the citizens that they compete against. They can pay them less without benefits, and threaten other workers with being replaced by them. Legal immigrants don't make less than the minimum wage, and get benefits, so they are not so valuable.
But is either party offering a demand side solution to the problem? Is any politician demanding that we enforce laws that would punish CEOs for hiring illegal immigrants? Of course not.
They engage in fake arguments about fake supply side solutions. Republicans want to build a wall. It will just increase profits for human smuggling. The Democrats want a "path to citizenship." This solves nothing, but makes it easier to elect people like Trump.
As long as their is demand for undocumented workers they will come. Supply side arguments are fake.
The first clue that the two parties are not serious about fixing something is when they argue about supply side solutions. Although in the long run, supply is equal to demand, markets are not driven by supply, but demand. For example, since Nixon, we have had a war on the supply of drugs. It has had no effect (except the mass incarceration of poor people) because it has no effect on demand.
Illegal immigration is driven by demand. Corporate CEOs hire illegal immigrants precisely because they are illegal and they can use that against both them and the citizens that they compete against. They can pay them less without benefits, and threaten other workers with being replaced by them. Legal immigrants don't make less than the minimum wage, and get benefits, so they are not so valuable.
But is either party offering a demand side solution to the problem? Is any politician demanding that we enforce laws that would punish CEOs for hiring illegal immigrants? Of course not.
They engage in fake arguments about fake supply side solutions. Republicans want to build a wall. It will just increase profits for human smuggling. The Democrats want a "path to citizenship." This solves nothing, but makes it easier to elect people like Trump.
As long as their is demand for undocumented workers they will come. Supply side arguments are fake.
4
Perfectly written....For the life of me, i cant understand why so-called conservatives want to choke off supply....if they were true conservatives then they would let the market dictate the flow of labor. Protectionism has failed EVERY time it was put in place....why do people keep reverting to failed policy? We need more human vitality which traditionally has come from the influx of talented, persevering, and dynamic immigrants who want to be here....and who want to be productive and are willing to sacrifice for the next generation....the current lot that Cotton and Perdue are trying to protect are lazy and want the free ride of protectionism...who is the conservative now?
3
Throughout History there have been several empires. Egyptian, Roman, Mongolian , etc...
I'm not an expert in History. I don't know exactly what caused the decline of the above mentioned empires. But one thing I'm sure about, is that GREED is what will cause the American decline.
Offshoring manufacturing, Wall St shenanigans , Wars of choice, Bought and Paid politicians are the reasons why America will decline not Immigration.
I'm not an expert in History. I don't know exactly what caused the decline of the above mentioned empires. But one thing I'm sure about, is that GREED is what will cause the American decline.
Offshoring manufacturing, Wall St shenanigans , Wars of choice, Bought and Paid politicians are the reasons why America will decline not Immigration.
6
It seems pretty clear, and lets just come out and say what David is trying to subtly not say but call into the light nonetheless: it isn't about jobs, and it isn't about the economy, evidenced by the example of Houston. No matter the topic, transgender kids come to mind, there are always visible examples predictably and methodically glossed over disproving the reasoning of a Cotton. Its what typifies particularly today's conservatives.
I've read David's work for years. I admire him, even if at times I've disagreed with him. His mind and sense of self doesn't stop at what are the thresholds of group-think and agendas, and he reasons past what we read is an otherwise genetically conservative, chemically regulated 1/2 - 3/4-logic; David doesn't patently lie and distort, to subversively achieve a Randian or populist utopia; David's empathy-gene is intact; his sense of community is broad and inclusive; he is a voice reasonable to and worthy of listening. A quite remarkable beast these days.
I've read David's work for years. I admire him, even if at times I've disagreed with him. His mind and sense of self doesn't stop at what are the thresholds of group-think and agendas, and he reasons past what we read is an otherwise genetically conservative, chemically regulated 1/2 - 3/4-logic; David doesn't patently lie and distort, to subversively achieve a Randian or populist utopia; David's empathy-gene is intact; his sense of community is broad and inclusive; he is a voice reasonable to and worthy of listening. A quite remarkable beast these days.
2
An indication of how drastic cutting U.S. immigration to 500,000 people annually would be is shown by comparing numbers in Canada.
The demographics of both countries is the same: aging baby boomers moving into retirement, declining fertility rates and jobs that will not be taken by citizens.
Canada has a population of 35 million, with 90% of the population living within 100 miles of the longest unprotected border in the world. The U.S. has a population of some 330 million. As an aside, even with all the press in the U.S. about China, Japan and the EU, Canada remains the U.S.'s largest trading partner with some $2 billion in goods crossing the border each day. In 36 states, Canada is the state's largest trading partner.
In 2016, Canada admitted 320,000 people as immigrants, including 25,000 Syrian refugees. Numbers for 2017 are expected to be simialr with the unknown being how many people from the U.S. will seek refuge in Canada as a result of the policies of the tyrannical Trump.
In a developed society with an aging population and declining fertility rate immigration is essential to maintain a balanced working population.
The divine Donald would do well to follow the Canadian example rather than preaching fear and hatred of people who wish to enter the U.S.
The demographics of both countries is the same: aging baby boomers moving into retirement, declining fertility rates and jobs that will not be taken by citizens.
Canada has a population of 35 million, with 90% of the population living within 100 miles of the longest unprotected border in the world. The U.S. has a population of some 330 million. As an aside, even with all the press in the U.S. about China, Japan and the EU, Canada remains the U.S.'s largest trading partner with some $2 billion in goods crossing the border each day. In 36 states, Canada is the state's largest trading partner.
In 2016, Canada admitted 320,000 people as immigrants, including 25,000 Syrian refugees. Numbers for 2017 are expected to be simialr with the unknown being how many people from the U.S. will seek refuge in Canada as a result of the policies of the tyrannical Trump.
In a developed society with an aging population and declining fertility rate immigration is essential to maintain a balanced working population.
The divine Donald would do well to follow the Canadian example rather than preaching fear and hatred of people who wish to enter the U.S.
4
Unfortunately, Mr. Brooks' economic arguments, backed by major studies and significant statistics, will not be heard by the likes of Cotton and Perdue. I seriously doubt if either of these two gentlemen have much concern for "the shrinking working-age population", "the aging of the nation" or "the decline of America". Their only concern is to get re-elected and that drives them to appeal to the lowest instincts of their supporters.
1
Brooks is suggesting that there should be no limit to the number of immigrants the US accepts and that to propose the opposite (which is actually false, as 500K per year is not zero) is 'zero-sum', i.e. a static pie sliced by a curious mixture of oligarchs and landscapers. Even more, he couches this unlimited immigration in terms of 'freedom' and 'dynamism' and 'human ingenuity' that the once overpaid and now laid-off American construction worker is simply too backward to fathom, let alone embrace.
Judging Brooks' article and the predictable succeeding comments, reasonable limits on immigration are now seen as unpatriotic on their face, racist and xenophobic in their heart, and lazy in body. 2018 is coming soon and I can already hear the phones ringing with Democratic Party activists conducting push polls re. stagnant wages and rising healthcare premiums that we were all told would be solved were it not for those racist hicks in Congress having the temerity to suggest that there should be reasonable limits to the number of immigrants an economy can absorb.
Judging Brooks' article and the predictable succeeding comments, reasonable limits on immigration are now seen as unpatriotic on their face, racist and xenophobic in their heart, and lazy in body. 2018 is coming soon and I can already hear the phones ringing with Democratic Party activists conducting push polls re. stagnant wages and rising healthcare premiums that we were all told would be solved were it not for those racist hicks in Congress having the temerity to suggest that there should be reasonable limits to the number of immigrants an economy can absorb.
5
Just read recently that American corporations are building bigger and better call centers in India to handled the thousands of daily customer service calls. Why isn't Trump criticizing or taxing these companies? Well a lot of them are banks but even Amazon has phone centers abroad. The call center is a perfect industry for rural America to fill the need for moderately skilled workers.
Every single time I am on a phone call with customer service I ask the operator "And where are you located?". If it is not in America I tell them to switch me to an American representative. They always do. Then when the American answers they ask why I needed to switch. I tell them I switched simply to save their job. I always get the best service this way and I am proud to do it.
Every single time I am on a phone call with customer service I ask the operator "And where are you located?". If it is not in America I tell them to switch me to an American representative. They always do. Then when the American answers they ask why I needed to switch. I tell them I switched simply to save their job. I always get the best service this way and I am proud to do it.
7
Katrina damage was compounded by having a gutted FEMA. Now that all departments, except military, are being stripped the set up is the same. We will have many variations of a Katrina under this no government administration. How will the trains run on time as this trying to imitate Mussolini regime keeps gutting our government?
2
"Today, fertility rates have plummeted. If the Cotton-Perdue bill became law, the working-age population would shrink, the nation would age and America would decline."
Maybe if David Brooks got out there in the real world where the rest of us have to live, he would see that fertility rates have plummeted because of the financial tenuousness and insecurity of American citizens' lives in an economy that has been perfected to make things comfortable for multinational corporations. If we've spent decades discouraging Americans from enter certain occupations because they've been flooded with foreign workers, undocumented or documented, let's not be surprised if Americans don't want to get lured back into those waters.
Maybe if David Brooks got out there in the real world where the rest of us have to live, he would see that fertility rates have plummeted because of the financial tenuousness and insecurity of American citizens' lives in an economy that has been perfected to make things comfortable for multinational corporations. If we've spent decades discouraging Americans from enter certain occupations because they've been flooded with foreign workers, undocumented or documented, let's not be surprised if Americans don't want to get lured back into those waters.
6
Houston is the home of former Congressman Tom DeLay and current Senator Ted Cruz. Not exactly "welcoming" Republicans.
4
Boehner is spot on. The Republicans squandered nearly 8 years assaulting the ACA and failing to have a replacement in place when they became the dominant party. Given the vehement backlash Republican legislators are facing in town hall meetings, the essential elements of the ACA will remain intact, yet the Republicans will put a spin on this to sell what they come up with as a total repeal and replacement. No matter - so long as they don't damage millions of people who benefit from the ACA.
Cotton and Perdue's proposal is a gift they would like to deliver to the Republicans. The wrapping is an alleged concern for native workers, but the contents are designed to slow the white majority's decline. The goal is to delay the arrival of a plural society--currently pegged for ~2045.
Cotton and Perdue probably don't mean a whit of what their bill proposes. The Republicans will be perfectly happy to expand the H1-B visa program (which our president uses bigly at Mar a Lago and other US properties) as well as "guest worker" programs....Any program that lets rich employers abuse their workers is just fine and dandy with Republicans. It the other ones they don't like.
1
Republican plausible argument vs real world. David, you have succinctly described the Republican problem for the last few decades. And if the real world doesn't fit to their arguments too bad, give them Trump!
1
"...immigrants don’t take native jobs on any sort of one-to-one basis. They drive economic activity all the way down the river... " Well, not quite ALL the way down the river. It's possible Mr. Brooks would see things in a different light if there were 50 desperate people standing on the street outside his office willing to try to do HIS job for half his wage. Or on the polished marble floors outside the offices of the high-minded legislators and policy-makers he writes about. The dozens of people waiting in the parking lot at Home Depot mean something very different to Mr. Brooks than they do to the construction worker against whom they are held up as a very explicit and very real bargaining chip.
5
Why not tell the truth: Immigrants are a form of cheap labor. Most employers who complain that they can't find native workers are really saying "I am unwilling to pay an American wage to an American worker, therefore I would like to hire immigrants who are willing to take less.
Illegal immigrants are a different but similar case. They drive down both wages and the health and safety of 'legal' workers.
Illegal immigrants are a different but similar case. They drive down both wages and the health and safety of 'legal' workers.
5
I live in southwest Colorado and things are good here. People are extremely friendly to all, hard working, basically egalitarian in attitude, active, healthy and by the way, cannabis is legal. There is not a culture of fear or exclusion. The City of Durango just hired a new police chief who is an immigrant from Pakistan.
I sincerely hope there are many more places in America like this!
I sincerely hope there are many more places in America like this!
"Houston has very light zoning regulations, and as a result it has affordable housing and a culture that welcomes immigrants."....This statement without supporting facts is totally meaningless and amounts to nothing more than a throwaway opinion.....which happens to be wrong. I worked with a resident's association and zoning in Indianapolis for many years. In fact zoning has just the opposite affect that you claim. Zoning provides a plan for orderly growth. It provides certainty and reduces risk for those who wish to invest their money in housing and construction. It guarantees concurrent supporting infrastructure. It promotes and encourages development rather than hinders it.
7
Your example too is a throwaway opinion, just based on a different isolated example. Alternative examples abound, and generalities are scarce.
2
Deeply surprised; there's something that David Brooks 'gets." Virtually every demographic and economic analysis says that, as the population ages, the ONLY way to productivity growth is younger immigrants who will take jobs at the lower end of the scale to support their families and move into the middle class. I have yet to meet a Hispanic job-seeker "shaping up" in a supermarket parking lot in DC, or Philadelphia, or Pittsburgh, or LA who doesn't have the skills or the desire to work hard for their families. Isn't that ALL of our ancestors? And David misses the fact that a half-century of Republican attacks on unions and on organizing have driven wages down continuously--Sorry: the Rs knew that good union jobs were the envy of those who couldn't or didn't get them...and who believed that those workers were profiting at their expense. Not true; look at the history of unionization i the US. So Cotton and Perdue are wrong...and, astonishingly, Brooks describes them as zero-sum, low-growth LIBERALS of the 1970s. Where has he been for 50 years?
15
I know it's a lot to ask, but can we all just stop with the label "Obamacare".? It's no more "Obamacare" than Social Security is Rooseveltcare or welfare is Johnsonfare. Sure, the president had to put his signature on these giant bills for them to become law, but Congress had to be there every step of the way with hired consultants, crafting the details, making trade-offs and accepting some of the inevitable imperfections. I know O'Congresscare doesn't role off the tonque quite as well, but...if this last campaign taught us anything, it's that language frames the perceptions and debates. It seems the Democrats could learn something from the Replubicans when it comes to using words to define the narrative (I'm going to just let "baskets of deplorables" go, so I can try to forgive Hillary for that deplorable campaign she ran!).
9
"I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America," David writes. They're living in the past, romanticized visions of yesterday, full of conspiracy theories and scapegoats, where they feel comfortable. And this short sighted, narrow minded bill to limit emigration is indicative of the neo Republican party of fear.
13
The Republican base is severely undereducated. They want simple answers to complex problems and if a solution is framed so that it plays to an existing bias, you have their unwavering support.
Every time I hear an anecdote like this, I think, "flock of sheep."
Every time I hear an anecdote like this, I think, "flock of sheep."
29
Brooks is right. These guys demonstrate the stupidity of zero-sum mercantilism. Make America small again!
11
There you go again, using real facts and logic to persuade the Repubilcan majorities not to do what feels good. Fat chance.
23
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
because you, sir, as one of the utmost GOPish intellectual, have been delusional about and a ardent promoter of the damaging "ravagery" your party has inflicted onto the USA for the past 30 years. At what point are you going to use your high intellectual powers and start denouncing this tragedy? You keep writing about the decline of the US empire as if you're an innocent bystander... when in fact you're part of the problem.
because you, sir, as one of the utmost GOPish intellectual, have been delusional about and a ardent promoter of the damaging "ravagery" your party has inflicted onto the USA for the past 30 years. At what point are you going to use your high intellectual powers and start denouncing this tragedy? You keep writing about the decline of the US empire as if you're an innocent bystander... when in fact you're part of the problem.
Clever simile but not entirely honest. I read that reuters article too. There's something unmentioned about the construction labor shortage. Colorado isn't the continental United States. There are construction workers sitting on their hands in other places. They're simply unwilling or unable to relocate for a temporary gig. A $3 raise isn't going to cover the expense to move to California much less the cost of living once there. In another six months when the gig is over, there's no second job lined up. That's too much risk for a union electrician making $25 an hour whether he works or not.
So the shortage isn't really a shortage, it's a geographic mismatch. The higher wages offered by employers don't cover the true cost to labor to complete the construction. In which case, the company owner really shouldn't bid the project at either the price or the timeline he's quoting with or without migrant labor. His wages truly are too low for the labor supply available. By the way, I don't know many degree holding migrant laborers that are licensed master electricians approved to do work on commercial development. There's a reason these people are in high demand.
So the shortage isn't really a shortage, it's a geographic mismatch. The higher wages offered by employers don't cover the true cost to labor to complete the construction. In which case, the company owner really shouldn't bid the project at either the price or the timeline he's quoting with or without migrant labor. His wages truly are too low for the labor supply available. By the way, I don't know many degree holding migrant laborers that are licensed master electricians approved to do work on commercial development. There's a reason these people are in high demand.
10
Focusing on one small part of the economy is not very persuasive. The fact is, all evidence is that unskilled labor in America is under great pressure, and the future looks very bad for unskilled labor. In the past eight years, very few unskilled labor jobs been created, and millions destroyed. In the future, there will be many more unskilled laborers in America then jobs available to them. Why in the world we want to import into America 1 million unskilled laborers a year? It makes no sense.
8
Construction workers are not unskilled labor. Also many immigrants do have other skills, but due to licensing and education requirements they need to step back while they upgrade their skills. So you might call them temporarily unskilled. And It's not just construction. Farmers are having labor problems as are retail stores. For a country as large as ours with a low birth rate I think we actually need the immigrants.
1
Your assessment agrees with expert opinion, which goes further to include skilled workers too.
I think the cyclical nature of market economies, as Brook suggest, is only part of the problem driving hostility toward immigrants. I would also propose a simple test for conservative bigots: if immigrants have stolen millions of high-wage jobs from the white working class then why aren't the mines in Appalachia and the factories in the Midwest humming along pumping out products and profits using low-wage immigrant workers? They're not. Instead, you have abandoned factories and mines across the rust belt and white rural areas. These places are devastated by unemployment, poverty, drugs, gun violence, and rising mortality rates (hmmm, these are characteristics that conservatives like to apply to some areas, but conveniently overlook in others. Wonder why?). The root of the problem is how Democrats and Republicans have allowed their corporate masters to irresponsibly use globalization and automation to either move jobs abroad to low-wage regions or replace hundreds of workers with a few machines. This is what drives a lot of the anxieties that Americans feel, particularly many members of the white working class. We are now faced with an economy that serves major shareholders in glass towers in New York, London, and Hong Kong while abandoning stakeholders in communities across the United States.
7
You are correct, The benefits of automation and expert systems is all going to the corporate bottom line, and a supine Congress simply views the resulting chaos as a failure of the voters to adapt. Instead, this massive disaster created by these corporations should be regulated and taxed to mitigate its impact.
1
It's time to start melting down the Statue of Liberty. The copper it's plated with is worth more than the promise America used to represent to the rest of the world. And Ellis Island? Perfect location for a new Trump Hotel and golf course.
8
Awesome. I thought I was reading Krugman and looked up ! It was David Brooks - very sensible.
4
I live in Arkansas, and can see very clearly the thinking that brought Tom Cotton to the Senate. Outsiders are bad, and foreign outsiders who are not white and Christian are the worse. So Arkansas went from having two intelligent and productive senators to having two that are laughing stocks of the Senate and the world. Tom Cotton has no principles and even fewer ideas. He is totally dependent upon big money from out of state, and dances to their tune.
12
My Republican brother would say these undocumented immigrants are clogging emergency wards to the detriment of the rest of us. In NYC where there are about half a million - true? What do I tell him?
3
Ask him how many of the physicians he sees working in the ER were born in another country.
6
tell him to come back with some proof.
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
That's easy, David. Immigrants might vote for Democrats.
That's easy, David. Immigrants might vote for Democrats.
10
The reason that immigration helps create jobs is that every worker is also a consumer. When a company hires a noncitizen in the US, that worker rents a house, buys a car, buys groceries, buys clothing, pays taxes, and on and on. If that company can't hire in the US it may hire abroad or just go out of business. Bill Gates gets it, Michael Bloomberg gets it, Barack Obama understands. It's a dereliction of duty and triumph of self-interest over the national welfare that our elected representatives fail to make this simple arithmetic clear to voters.
6
As usual lately, Mr. Brooks topped off his argument with a vague and bitter slam against "liberals" that has nothing to do with his topic. He fails to give even one concrete example of a "static mind-set" liberal. The slow-growth/zero-sum liberals I recall from the 1970s were interested in zero global population growth, and they were (and remain) exactly correct.
11
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
You know exactly why.
The GOP has been appealing to fear of the Other for over 50 years. Cynical and effective, but it has left them with a demographic problem even the True Believers cannot ignore: The Other is gaining in share of the electorate. Self-sorting into geographic regions, gerrymandering, and voter suppression only delays the inevitable. The clock is ticking and for all the talk about illegal immigration, the big fear for Republican politicians that can count, is that legal immigrants have a habit of becoming citizens that vote.
So let's rephrase your question and perhaps you can answer it in another column;
Why do so many cynical Republicans prefer to keep the best job they will ever have instead of doing the right thing?
Too easy? How about this:
Why do people who know better still support them?
You know exactly why.
The GOP has been appealing to fear of the Other for over 50 years. Cynical and effective, but it has left them with a demographic problem even the True Believers cannot ignore: The Other is gaining in share of the electorate. Self-sorting into geographic regions, gerrymandering, and voter suppression only delays the inevitable. The clock is ticking and for all the talk about illegal immigration, the big fear for Republican politicians that can count, is that legal immigrants have a habit of becoming citizens that vote.
So let's rephrase your question and perhaps you can answer it in another column;
Why do so many cynical Republicans prefer to keep the best job they will ever have instead of doing the right thing?
Too easy? How about this:
Why do people who know better still support them?
15
My thoughts exactly. Very well said!
I appreciate the critique of the Republicans lack of common sense. However, this column never seems to mention the electorate behind the Republicans. If you look at the Republican electorate, then Republican positions make perfect sense. The problem is that there's now a reverse political correctness where one is only allowed to characterize the Republican base with a kind of misguided pity as if they are all just as marginalized as African Americans and have been forgotten by the system. We've all been urged to listen to the voices of these forgotten souls. Reality is that the Republican base has some ugly characteristics that need to be called out and checked, not appeased with the new political correctness. I'm not saying that the Republican base is full of degenerates. As a person who sympathizes with being marginalized and having hardship, I do respect the Republican base and its desire for a generally better situation. But there are deep dysfunctions within the republican base. Race is a big part of that. A self-destructive quality is also there. If they can't have it there way, they want to blow the whole American project up. They don't want to look forward. They are tired of hearing about the truly marginalized, and want to regain center stage whether they deserve it or not. They claim to be patriotic, but they are patriotic for an America that is dead. They are fine with billionaires, but not transgender people. Who are these Republicans, Brooks? Who are they really?
8
I think Republicans prefer a Dying White American because it preserves the power structure for the few that will evenetually be living in a more less white american. That is why so many draconian laws are being pass now as a statutory wall against the day they are a real minority. And that is why this last election really was about the Subprime Court
4
As an immigrant who has been through the legal process I would vote for the bill being submitted By senator Cotton & Perdue. The reason I subscribe to this support is to reduce the egregious violation and abuse being effected by family reunification policies.
Too many immigrants are sponsoring families who come in and take advantage of social security benefits without working or contributing to the USA. Parents are being sponsored in their 50&60 's with a view to come in and claim two person benefits for life.
Many move back to their home countries while the benefits are being claimed from this country. Every sponsor of immigrants undertakes to ensure that their sponsored relatives will not become public charges. This unfortunately is violated in spades.
The financial impact can be calculated in tens of billions of dollars and is to the detriment of hard working, responsible Americans who struggle through their lives to provide the best for their children and themselves.
While we can all pontificate about responsibility, ethics and justice the purveyors of the guilt tripping rationale need to better explain how a financially constrained country can afford this for the next 100 years.
Should we not leave a sustainable legacy for the future of this country instead of being guilt tripped into unsustainable financial burdens. No society can afford what we allow and succeed in the long run. We owe it to future generations to do better.
Too many immigrants are sponsoring families who come in and take advantage of social security benefits without working or contributing to the USA. Parents are being sponsored in their 50&60 's with a view to come in and claim two person benefits for life.
Many move back to their home countries while the benefits are being claimed from this country. Every sponsor of immigrants undertakes to ensure that their sponsored relatives will not become public charges. This unfortunately is violated in spades.
The financial impact can be calculated in tens of billions of dollars and is to the detriment of hard working, responsible Americans who struggle through their lives to provide the best for their children and themselves.
While we can all pontificate about responsibility, ethics and justice the purveyors of the guilt tripping rationale need to better explain how a financially constrained country can afford this for the next 100 years.
Should we not leave a sustainable legacy for the future of this country instead of being guilt tripped into unsustainable financial burdens. No society can afford what we allow and succeed in the long run. We owe it to future generations to do better.
8
Thank you for making the case that capitalism works best with steady immigration. The people bashing you for being capitalist are misguided.
2
I just heard Trump on TV. He said that he is going to put the minors to work again. Yep, no more immigrants. Our 8 and 9 year olds will replace them.
3
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work."
One sentence. The article should be focused on this issue which has been pervasive in this country for decades now.
Maybe if the pay was better, Americans would take on these jobs? And we could get rid of lying frauds like Cotton et al.
One sentence. The article should be focused on this issue which has been pervasive in this country for decades now.
Maybe if the pay was better, Americans would take on these jobs? And we could get rid of lying frauds like Cotton et al.
11
The GOP is polluting the so called river to super toxic levels.
While the POTUS is off in the weeds Bannon, Mitch, Paul and others are poring toxins into the river.
While the POTUS is off in the weeds Bannon, Mitch, Paul and others are poring toxins into the river.
7
I hate to have to remind people of basic Adam Smith, but the bigger the supply of something relative to its demand, the lower the price. This applies to labor markets like any other market. Even if labor demand isn't fixed, but labor supply grows faster, wages overall will drop. A globally unlimited labor supply is loved by employers for this reason, but it's not in the interests of working people here or anywhere else.
8
In a complex system with a large number of interacting parameters, the optimization problem is always far more difficult than minimizing the cost parameters. As long as employers and corporations continue to treat their employees and workers as an expense that is always to be minimized in order solve the profit optimization problem, we will continue to face labor and demand side issues.
Automation is here, it is real, and it is only going to continue improving by becoming increasingly efficient and cost effective. Pushed to it's extreme, employment related costs (and employer related payroll taxes) will be driven as low as possible, but who will be left to purchase the goods and services produced at bargain basement prices? What good is minimizing (absolutely) employee and production related costs if no one can afford to buy the resulting product?
Automation is here, it is real, and it is only going to continue improving by becoming increasingly efficient and cost effective. Pushed to it's extreme, employment related costs (and employer related payroll taxes) will be driven as low as possible, but who will be left to purchase the goods and services produced at bargain basement prices? What good is minimizing (absolutely) employee and production related costs if no one can afford to buy the resulting product?
1
While reading this article, it occurred to me that we can lower the drop out rate in High School if the emphasize was on learning a trade rather than Algebra.We used to have trade Schools in New york that created a lucrative pool of workers,for companies like Eagle Electric & Standard Motors, who depended on them for labor.For some strange reason these trade Schools started to decline, & as they did companies like Eagle Electric & Standard Motors left New York for better labor pools & lower Taxes.It’s time to bring them back.Trades are a much better track to success than Colleges that put you in debt for years.Your not a failure if you become a Plumber rather than a Dentist, especially when you open up your own plumbing Company.
The Republicans have shown time and time again the American people are the least of their concerns.
3
The problem is that the writer is using critical thinking to make a solid argument, but critical thinking has gone by the wayside with Trump and his followers.
4
If Ignorance was a college course, the advocates of perpetual-motion in growth would have the top grades, no doubt thinking "we real Americans" can breed our way out of this labor disconnect, too. In that vein, this present analysis of labor supply & demand reminds of the 1980s Rich Little skit featuring Ronald Reagan's analysis of the national budget and deficits that began "Imagine your Mom baked a pie with three halves . . . "
1
It's not the foreign workers that come into America to work that's a problem...it's all the American jobs shipped off to foreign countries.
Address the forces that promote the latter, and the former will recede into the margins. This means changing tax, accounting, tariff, and treaty laws and policies to make it more attractive to create products and services here, and less attractive to do it offshore. This doesn't mean closing our borders and ending all international trade, but it does mean setting up the system so that it works for ALL Americans, and not just the investor class.
Our economy is much more complex than a lake or river analogy, it's more akin to the veins and arteries in our bodies. And it doesn't take a doctor or biology major to know that if you deprive any part of it life-giving blood and oxygen, it withers and dies, just as we've denied life-giving jobs and wages to the working and middle class for decades. We need to quit prescribing bandaids for arterial bleeding, and address the systemic problem underneath, otherwise, the patient - America - will die.
Address the forces that promote the latter, and the former will recede into the margins. This means changing tax, accounting, tariff, and treaty laws and policies to make it more attractive to create products and services here, and less attractive to do it offshore. This doesn't mean closing our borders and ending all international trade, but it does mean setting up the system so that it works for ALL Americans, and not just the investor class.
Our economy is much more complex than a lake or river analogy, it's more akin to the veins and arteries in our bodies. And it doesn't take a doctor or biology major to know that if you deprive any part of it life-giving blood and oxygen, it withers and dies, just as we've denied life-giving jobs and wages to the working and middle class for decades. We need to quit prescribing bandaids for arterial bleeding, and address the systemic problem underneath, otherwise, the patient - America - will die.
3
Our representatives are elected thanks to big money and equally big distortions of truth.
There is no way I will ever trust any, even the most respected, to actually do the right thing for anyone except themselves and their coterie of friends.
Basing thought on the fact that the scraps are still more than those who are denied entry is hardly a recipe that will retain any taste, but it plays well with those who think they have a place set for them at the table.
At some point we may practice the virtues we tout to the rest of the world, but until then count me as faithless.
There is no way I will ever trust any, even the most respected, to actually do the right thing for anyone except themselves and their coterie of friends.
Basing thought on the fact that the scraps are still more than those who are denied entry is hardly a recipe that will retain any taste, but it plays well with those who think they have a place set for them at the table.
At some point we may practice the virtues we tout to the rest of the world, but until then count me as faithless.
2
I'm with you!
Of course, the solution is not to cut legal immigration, but to increase opportunities and training for low and medium skilled workers while also encouraging young men and women to enter the skilled trades. Increasing good paying jobs in the clean and renewable energy sectors and training people to fill them will do more for the economy than immigration limits ever will. Refocusing trade unions to reach out to high school students to bring them into the trades as well as making the benefits of trade work and union membership more attractive will also help the economy. Yet, the current administration is still promising that those same old jobs in coal mining and and other dead industries are coming back while also fighting investment in new technology and working diligently to eliminate unions. It makes little sense unless one is a 1%-er who stands to gain financially from the country's woes.
1
'Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work.' On what evidence have they 'apparently decided' this? Perhaps it is more profitable to not build at all and keep prices higher than to submit to the discipline of the market we're so often hear about?
4
Yesterday a retired superintendent of ship \building yards in Newport News VA gave us adults in community class a lecture about ships along the James--and mentioned that whereas in former days slaves used to do the tiresome job of cleaning crabs for the fishing industry, nowadays the US companies are dependent on about 500 Nicaraguan people who come every year on 6-month visas...and a few years ago, my husband & I heard an apple-grower in upstate NY say that if he could not hire migrant labor, he would be out of business very quickly; apparently American citizens cannot be persuaded to do such jobs.
124
Same in CA, the most agricultural state in the USA. Solution: a return to guest worker programs. No big family migration, no illegals moving out of the fields and into factories, no family reunification. Done.
1
The situation is a mess. For a decade I tried to only hire us citizens to work on my house I was willing to pay 50% more. But in the end I was forced to admit that crews from South of the border did work better, faster, with less hassle, treated me, my family, my neighbors, and my property with more respect. Price is almost besides the point.
3
I live in CA, home to many Mexicans. I have personally hired both no-doubt illegal Mexicans and American born citizens to do domestic work such as house-cleaning and yard work. By far my best workers have been the Americans. Why? Maybe because I have the reverse of what you boast about--I treat THEM with great respect. I wonder if that's a southern vs. western perspective?
1
I have no problem with examining the U.S. immigration policies in a constructive and thoughtful way. This examination should include critical thinking of the impacts on the economy, the costs to our existing society, the welfare of people who are seeking to come to our country, etc. But, simply introducing legislation to cut legal immigration in half is like shooting first and asking questions later. It is sad that the two Republicans mentioned in this piece and the current administration lack the necessary thinking skills.
So we're going to build The Wall, an expensive and ineffectual solution to a Trumped-up problem, during a period of a shortage of construction labor? Will we be importing temporary laborers from Mexico to complete the project, or will we exacerbate the shortage and drive up labor costs? I'm glad we have people who will be running the government like a business making such decisions. Though maybe we should not be following the business model of an Atlantic City gambling casino developer.
1
I think the point Republicans are trying to make here is that restraining immigration will give more Americans the opportunity to clean sidewalks with air blowers and serve dollar burgers at Burger King.
4
Has no one from Tyson called Sen. Cotton's office to explain how their industry, a major economic driver in his home state, works?
2
I'm sure Tyson and the Arkansas C of C, not only supported Cotton but wrote big campaign checks to him!
1
The Republican Party loves to make-up so-called facts.
For instance, cut taxes on the rich and you will grow the economy.
No.
Exhibit A: George W. Bush and his 2 tax cuts, which destroyed the surplus the Democrat Clinton left behind, because he raised taxes on the rich.
Exhibit B: Kansas, being run into the ground by Republican Sam Brownback. He is cutting services right and left, massively cutting back funding for schools, but touting himself as a champion of schools?!? This experiment has been going on for a while now, but the Republicans love to lie about the results:
http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article762538.html
So now we have the wage argument from Republicans, as in, we won't raise the wages and increase benefits, because that wouldn't have an effect on workers?
I have an idea for an experiment, let's reduce Congress' wages to just above poverty level, let's take away their healthcare when they repeal the ACA, and let's see how they like it and if it has any impact on them.
Let's do the same for all these overpaid CEOs, so they can see what the real world looks like.
For instance, cut taxes on the rich and you will grow the economy.
No.
Exhibit A: George W. Bush and his 2 tax cuts, which destroyed the surplus the Democrat Clinton left behind, because he raised taxes on the rich.
Exhibit B: Kansas, being run into the ground by Republican Sam Brownback. He is cutting services right and left, massively cutting back funding for schools, but touting himself as a champion of schools?!? This experiment has been going on for a while now, but the Republicans love to lie about the results:
http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article762538.html
So now we have the wage argument from Republicans, as in, we won't raise the wages and increase benefits, because that wouldn't have an effect on workers?
I have an idea for an experiment, let's reduce Congress' wages to just above poverty level, let's take away their healthcare when they repeal the ACA, and let's see how they like it and if it has any impact on them.
Let's do the same for all these overpaid CEOs, so they can see what the real world looks like.
4
The GOP is becoming a party of mythology, divorced from reality in every way.
Americans are sounding the alarms and people like Tom Cotton sit in a dark sound proof booth and imagine they know what is going on.
Americans are sounding the alarms and people like Tom Cotton sit in a dark sound proof booth and imagine they know what is going on.
3
Like most Americans, i'm dismayed by the racism and nativism that permeates the immigration debate. But Brooks' column misses the real question -- it's not whether we want more immigration, but how much. A study by the Pew Foundation found that 70 million people (59 million with green cards, 11 million undocumented) immigrated to the US between 1965 and 2015, an average of 1.4 million per year. The US population grew from 235 million to 316 million in that period, which means immigration is responsible for almost all population growth over the past 50 years.
Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton appointed a presidential commission to study changes in immigration policy. The commission, chaired by the late Barbara Jordan, recommended lowering the annual green card total to 400,000. Some may disagree with that number, but i suggest the Commission's report shows that the policy issue is significantly more complicated than the current debate reveals.
Back in the 1990s Bill Clinton appointed a presidential commission to study changes in immigration policy. The commission, chaired by the late Barbara Jordan, recommended lowering the annual green card total to 400,000. Some may disagree with that number, but i suggest the Commission's report shows that the policy issue is significantly more complicated than the current debate reveals.
6
The whole world is headed for a "Demographic Winter," with the global population declining in 2065. Because of a dramatic fertility rate decline, this trend is inevitable. Russia and several other countries are already seeing populations fall. Without robust immigration, the U.S. would also see a falling population. Trump's campaign to "Make America White Again" through reduced immigration is economically destructive. One reason that Houston is still economically vibrant despite the decline in oil and gas is its massive health sector. To staff its medical centers, Houston can recruit the best and the brightest from anywhere in the world.
1
with the advancement of robotics and AI there will be less need for workers in 2050...America will do fine if we reduce immigration to 750,000 per year and eliminate those 50 and older from immigrating. Currently 20% of those immigrating are over the age of 50, thus will be a bigger burden than asset to our economy.
1
Japan has been slowly dying this kind of death for 30 years and it isn't pretty. Aging population (low birthrates) plus very tightly controlled immigration is the formula that Japan has used to go from an economic giant in the 1980's to an economic has-been in the early part of this millennium. Their zero-sum thinking is really zero growth thinking.
2
Mr. Brooks, Houston has been either tied or dead last in job creation for urban centers for a few years now. That hardly seems like positive consequences of a large alluvium of immigrants.
Why do these Senators want more low skilled jobs for their unskilled constituents? Shouldn't they be looking to improve the people's skills so they can take advantage of the high skilled jobs that are, and will continue to be, the employment of thepresent and future?
The buggy whip manufacturers are not coming back.
Why do so many support politicians who tell them they will turn back the clock?
I guess the answer to that question is obvious.
The buggy whip manufacturers are not coming back.
Why do so many support politicians who tell them they will turn back the clock?
I guess the answer to that question is obvious.
1
Many of the refugees are well trained physicians. Away from the coastal states and some key large cities of the nation, it is hard to recruit American trained physicians to many towns and cities. One of the most immediate massive losses of the new immigration policies will be devastating numbers of physician vacancies in areas that already struggle to provide medical care to Americans.
Thomas Piketty's book Capital in the Twenty-First Century clearly supports Brook's argument highlighting that population growth is a key component of GDP. The United States since its inception has relied on a steady flow of immigrants to drive its GDP growth. Turning off the flow of workers is a job killer for everyone.
1
Compromise suggested. Flow, fine. Flood, not so much. Pick an annual number, enforce the border, have rigorous I-9 verification for employment and welfare benefits. Very limited family reunification. Other countries successfully control immigration and we should too.
I like metaphors as much as anyone, but it needs to be pointed out that lakes are continuously recharged by their surrounding watersheds. If they are not, they dry up from evaporation.
I am not criticizing Brooks' attempt to show the folly of Republican thinking. WIthout a steady flow of workers entering the labor force it deteriorates. Many countries face the problem of low birth rates, which is due in part to a lack of economic opportunity. This country has thrived because we have welcomed immigrants, not as low-paid drones but as a force to grow our economy, broaden our resistance to outside threats and renew the very idea of democracy and free association.
I am not criticizing Brooks' attempt to show the folly of Republican thinking. WIthout a steady flow of workers entering the labor force it deteriorates. Many countries face the problem of low birth rates, which is due in part to a lack of economic opportunity. This country has thrived because we have welcomed immigrants, not as low-paid drones but as a force to grow our economy, broaden our resistance to outside threats and renew the very idea of democracy and free association.
1
interesting what you had to say about houston..... however i was under the impression that houston was a model for what republicans wanted the rest of the country to look like: spraying, ugly and polluted.
1
Ask the Republicans why they don't require the unemployed and underemployed workers in the country's mid-section to move to the areas of worker shortage. The answer: there is very little worker mobility in this country. Immigrants have supplied mobility labor. White american unemployed are not going to provide the "stoop labor" required by w. coast farmers.
1
Congress is so far removed these days from real-life America that they see a different country than we actually inhabit. Congressmen fleeing from hometown meetings because --for once-- these meetings are filled with attendees voicing their opinions shows just how out of touch they are.
Congress can say they are doing what the voters want--despite the vociferous protests to the contrary:
But "Repeal and Replace" is NOT equivalent to repealing the ACA with an inadequate Replacement,
And Building a Mexican Wall for $ 20 billion is NOT equivalent to a "Mexican Wall (for Free)".
The GOP Congress has mistaken their power of action for a mandate they were not given--and they, too, are stymied by the gridlocked Congress McConnell and Ryan have created.
Congress can say they are doing what the voters want--despite the vociferous protests to the contrary:
But "Repeal and Replace" is NOT equivalent to repealing the ACA with an inadequate Replacement,
And Building a Mexican Wall for $ 20 billion is NOT equivalent to a "Mexican Wall (for Free)".
The GOP Congress has mistaken their power of action for a mandate they were not given--and they, too, are stymied by the gridlocked Congress McConnell and Ryan have created.
2
Mr. Brooks makes a simplistic argument that we need more immigrants because they will grow the economy. He completely ignores the environmental and ecological impacts associated with adding a million immigrants to the country every year. More people means more pollution, more crowding, more greenhouse gas emissions, more paving over of wildlife habitat and agricultural lands, more species extinctions, more intractable water issues, overloaded infrastructure, and a host of other problems. If we continue with immigration at current levels, we will add another 117 million people to the US by 2065, with new immigrants and their descendants being responsible for 88% of that increase. The Cotton/Purdue bill would reduce legal immigration by half and dramatically reduce population growth. This would be a great thing for the country - after all, not everyone wants to live in huge, crowded urban areas that are looking more and more like big cities in China/India and other countries. Do we really want a half billion people by 2075 in the US? It's time to get real - we can't have real sustainability in the US until we get off the growth bandwagon and stabilize our population and get a more stable economy not based on growth.
2
Mr. Brooks refers to "those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s".
I remember the 1970s, and I don't remember any such liberals. I do remember the book "Limits to Growth" by Meadows, Meadows, Randers, and Behrens, but I don't remember these four authors as being particularly liberal or particularly conservative. They were simply investigating an important problem in a non-ideological fashion.
I remember the 1970s, and I don't remember any such liberals. I do remember the book "Limits to Growth" by Meadows, Meadows, Randers, and Behrens, but I don't remember these four authors as being particularly liberal or particularly conservative. They were simply investigating an important problem in a non-ideological fashion.
2
The anti-immigrant sentiment propelled by Trump and adopted by the GOP is not based on economic reasoning no matter how hard you try to find any - its based on hate and fear. Detaining immigrants, deportations, curtailing the rights of minorities - all serve to solidify the base and keep the GOP in power. The GOP does not have to improve peoples lives to satisfy the base, they simply have to make other people's lives worse. Nothing they've proposed will improve blue collar American lives. Everything they've proposed curtails the rights and strikes fear into the hearts of minorities. This isn't rocket science.
2
The problem is the lack of good paying jobs for both high school and college educated Americans.
For construction, why should I pay an American a living wage to put a new roof on a house when I can drive to my local Home Depot in the morning and find dozens of illegal immigrant men looking for work. This isn't a slight against these hard working people, but it drives down wages.
For the college educated, why should I hire a chemist to work in my pharmaceutical company when there I can get someone from India on an H1B Visa to fill the slot for less money. That worker cannot complain because they do not have a job with my sponsorship.
I shudder to think what our future is going to look like once automation and AI start wiping out more jobs then can be created. For the American worker, it is a race to the bottom.
For construction, why should I pay an American a living wage to put a new roof on a house when I can drive to my local Home Depot in the morning and find dozens of illegal immigrant men looking for work. This isn't a slight against these hard working people, but it drives down wages.
For the college educated, why should I hire a chemist to work in my pharmaceutical company when there I can get someone from India on an H1B Visa to fill the slot for less money. That worker cannot complain because they do not have a job with my sponsorship.
I shudder to think what our future is going to look like once automation and AI start wiping out more jobs then can be created. For the American worker, it is a race to the bottom.
1
over the last decade 11,500,000 have Legally immigrated to America..how many of these Legal immigrants work in Construction ? how many Legal immigrants are over the age of 40 , thus past the age of learning a trade ? Most of the semi-skilled labor shortage is due to the fall in illegal immigrants from Mexico which has little relationship with Legal immigration. The vast majority of Legal immigrants obtain greencards via family unification, not because of their skills.
1
Mr. Brooks: always count on you for economics with a moral flair, but consider adding biology, history, geography, meteorology, and anthropology:
It is a lake analogy, because the US, like the earth itself, has finite resources.
Today’s immigrants are more often to be flowing, from war-torn regions of the world, who were not much better off even before their wars started. Through this long life of turmoil and scarcity, much of their population never gained the needed skills, nor an education. When they arrive to the US, they are not prepared to enter the workforce, and their children walk into US classrooms, learning how to hold a pencil for the first time; in some cases, they not only have to learn a new language, they never learned their first.
These are not the immigrants from the 1800s who came here primarily from Europe as brick layers, craftsman, and bankers, who built New York from the ground up.
But yes, for the immigrants who are coming from non-distressed areas of the world [like Canada and Mexico] you can count on their productivity, and social balance to keep the river flowing.
If you take into consideration the effects of climate change, and drought and starvation, on top of the warlord, and imperialistic suppression around the globe…I don’t think the US has the capacity to welcome the soon to be “billions” looking for a nice river to float their boat on.
It is a lake analogy, because the US, like the earth itself, has finite resources.
Today’s immigrants are more often to be flowing, from war-torn regions of the world, who were not much better off even before their wars started. Through this long life of turmoil and scarcity, much of their population never gained the needed skills, nor an education. When they arrive to the US, they are not prepared to enter the workforce, and their children walk into US classrooms, learning how to hold a pencil for the first time; in some cases, they not only have to learn a new language, they never learned their first.
These are not the immigrants from the 1800s who came here primarily from Europe as brick layers, craftsman, and bankers, who built New York from the ground up.
But yes, for the immigrants who are coming from non-distressed areas of the world [like Canada and Mexico] you can count on their productivity, and social balance to keep the river flowing.
If you take into consideration the effects of climate change, and drought and starvation, on top of the warlord, and imperialistic suppression around the globe…I don’t think the US has the capacity to welcome the soon to be “billions” looking for a nice river to float their boat on.
3
Need more organized guest worker programs in the USA, not more immigration, legal or illegal. These guest laborers work here on contract for several years and then go back to their respective countries and make their respective countries great again. I'd prefer to pass on emulating the population density of Bangladesh.
3
I guess you're point is that controlled legal immigration is a good thing. I agree, but why do you call the restrictive immigration proposals of conservative Republicans like Perdue and Cotton those of 'liberals'?
Ultimately there are few native born Americans including Cottons and Perdues, though of fine immigrant stock. And sure maybe a bad hombre or two will blow away some folks, but as the stalwart second amender is won't to say, that is the price of freedom. The ancestors of the Cottons and Perdues are sadly dissed by their oblivious current day issue who would bar them from entry today.
Mr. Brooks, are you becoming a Democrat :) ?
1
No. He is like me, the same as he always was. The problem is the Republicans went over the edge and down the road a long time ago. Prejudice and a smaller role for the Federal government was the motto of Southern Democrats for the first 120 years after the Civil War. The only thing that has changed is that they now call themselves Republicans.
1
Brooks reverts again to nonsense about declining worker/population ratios. Actually this ratio does not vary much, and will be about the same in 2050 as it was in 1900 and again around 1965:
http://www.skeptometrics.org/RealDemographics.html
Talk about demographic doom from the declining birth ratio is especially idiotic from people (and newspapers) who also claim that robots will be taking the jobs. Which is it going to be, too many or too few workers?
http://www.skeptometrics.org/RealDemographics.html
Talk about demographic doom from the declining birth ratio is especially idiotic from people (and newspapers) who also claim that robots will be taking the jobs. Which is it going to be, too many or too few workers?
3
I wonder if Trump, Bannon, and the GOP found copies of professors Ehrlich "The End of Affluence" and "The Population Bomb." Anybody else remember these books. I do. For a short period of time in the 70's these books had a significant impact on my world view. After reading them negative became by norm. But, then I fell in love with my career, my wife, and life an lived a happily ever after American type dream.
2
Brooks and many others who write about immigration claim that reducing it would be disastrous for the economy and that it doesn't reduce wages. This is falsified by history. Immigration was actually reduced during the highly prosperous early part of the 20th century up to about 1970:
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/09/u-s-immigrant-population...
Wages kept up with productivity or GDP/capita up to around 1970, but as immigration rose again, wages have stagnated. Overall growth has not been better during the high-immigration period than before. Immigrants from most other countries are hired specifically because they accept lower wages, so if this weren't working there would be no pressure from employers to increase immigration. Now there are many other factors involved in wage stagnation and the contribution of immigration is actually hard to determine, but the establishment claims above are not really consistent with evidence. Those who are actually displaced do not easily find better-paying jobs and they have a better grasp of the situation than Brooks. His claims are mainly for the benefit of upper-income people who are better off from immigration.
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/09/u-s-immigrant-population...
Wages kept up with productivity or GDP/capita up to around 1970, but as immigration rose again, wages have stagnated. Overall growth has not been better during the high-immigration period than before. Immigrants from most other countries are hired specifically because they accept lower wages, so if this weren't working there would be no pressure from employers to increase immigration. Now there are many other factors involved in wage stagnation and the contribution of immigration is actually hard to determine, but the establishment claims above are not really consistent with evidence. Those who are actually displaced do not easily find better-paying jobs and they have a better grasp of the situation than Brooks. His claims are mainly for the benefit of upper-income people who are better off from immigration.
3
Access to education is the key for the rural Americans. Everything else is plain wrong. Saving few dirty jobs is not something we should be putting all our effort at.
Brooks had us going there, but he couldn't quite make it through the last paragraph without the wink-wink. Rightwing xenophobes and me-firsters Cotton and Perdue are actually just like --- spit and rinse --- 'liberals'.
This twist allows to emerge from the upside-down and re-read the whole column: immigrants are good because they provide a cheap and expendable work force for unregulated capital, which when located somewhere over the Brooksian rainbow loves languages, diversity, and funny food, so long as it amounts to a "very patriotic and cohesive culture" that brings in lots of money for the right people.
This twist allows to emerge from the upside-down and re-read the whole column: immigrants are good because they provide a cheap and expendable work force for unregulated capital, which when located somewhere over the Brooksian rainbow loves languages, diversity, and funny food, so long as it amounts to a "very patriotic and cohesive culture" that brings in lots of money for the right people.
18
>Rightwing xenophobes and me-firsters Cotton and Perdue are actually just like --- spit and rinse --- 'liberals'.
It's almost like a Seinfeld episode where you'd be wondering five minutes before the end of the show, "There are only a couple minutes left. How on Earth are they going to tie these storylines together?" But then they would. With Brooks it's "How's he going to end up hanging the blame on liberals? He's only got half a column-inch left." But, sure enough, he manages to do it. My hat is off to you, David. I simply don't have that level of creativity.
It's almost like a Seinfeld episode where you'd be wondering five minutes before the end of the show, "There are only a couple minutes left. How on Earth are they going to tie these storylines together?" But then they would. With Brooks it's "How's he going to end up hanging the blame on liberals? He's only got half a column-inch left." But, sure enough, he manages to do it. My hat is off to you, David. I simply don't have that level of creativity.
2
Right. He just can't get through any entire column, no matter how sensible it sounds for a while, without a hit on "liberals," no matter how gratuitous and shaky on that reality thing. I suppose he feels he has to if he's to remain one of the NYT's house conservatives.
Or perhaps you lack Mr. Brook's ironic sense that false equivalency is okay as a punchline, every time. We are dealing with a potential fascist takeover of the USA and Mr. Brooks writes a so-so column about immigration and ends it with an off-topic punch to liberals. Sigh.
Take a look at the workers themselves.
Remember the old joke about government work? One guy is busy digging a hole while a dozen better-paid 'supervisors" are standing around, leaning on their shovels and watching. The area I live in is in the middle of a construction boom. Getting laborers is tough, and getting good ones is tougher. Everyone wants to be a supervisor.
Enter the Mexicans. When we had our house painted by a licensed local business, a Mexican crew arrived at daybreak and worked very efficiently for ten hours. When they were finished for the day, we asked the foreman if he knew a good window-cleaning company. He said, "We do windows." The ladders were unloaded again, and the men all got back to work. They laughed and sang and did a perfect job.
It's no wonder the local guys hate them.
Remember the old joke about government work? One guy is busy digging a hole while a dozen better-paid 'supervisors" are standing around, leaning on their shovels and watching. The area I live in is in the middle of a construction boom. Getting laborers is tough, and getting good ones is tougher. Everyone wants to be a supervisor.
Enter the Mexicans. When we had our house painted by a licensed local business, a Mexican crew arrived at daybreak and worked very efficiently for ten hours. When they were finished for the day, we asked the foreman if he knew a good window-cleaning company. He said, "We do windows." The ladders were unloaded again, and the men all got back to work. They laughed and sang and did a perfect job.
It's no wonder the local guys hate them.
Brooks compares the GOP restrictions to those imposed in the 1920s. This comparison bears more investigation and thought. The workers then complained about cheap foreign labor. Those foreigners were Irish, Jews, eastern Europeans and Italians. The present administration seems to feel that Mexicans and Arabs are the enemy. A more realistic fear for skilled workers today would be the influence of foreign cheaper workers, coming on H1Bs. Maybe the Indian and Chinese skilled workers are the actual targets of the proposed immigration limits. If so, firms such as Google and Facebook will have problems. Finally, is this a fear of a shrinking white populus or the middle class fear of sinking income? A related question is the influence of automation in the lowering of wages. Certainly the NYT (elsewhere) makes a strong argument that this is a growing influence.
7
There seems to be no method to this madness.
First the President wants the 'forgotten' and the 'poorly educated' to regain the reassuring feeling that no matter how miserable their lives, they are at least not as badly treated as the browns and the blacks.
Then the President passes an executive order to deport a whole lot of the browns and the blacks.
Now these senators limit influx of the browns and the blacks.
Soon there won't be enough of the browns and the blacks to go around so that the 'forgotten' and the 'poorly educated' may feel great again.
What happened to the approach of collecting data before making policy? Is it considered too quaint now?
Aside from contributing to the economy, legal immigrant workers pay social security and medicare taxes from which they themselves are not likely to benefit.
First the President wants the 'forgotten' and the 'poorly educated' to regain the reassuring feeling that no matter how miserable their lives, they are at least not as badly treated as the browns and the blacks.
Then the President passes an executive order to deport a whole lot of the browns and the blacks.
Now these senators limit influx of the browns and the blacks.
Soon there won't be enough of the browns and the blacks to go around so that the 'forgotten' and the 'poorly educated' may feel great again.
What happened to the approach of collecting data before making policy? Is it considered too quaint now?
Aside from contributing to the economy, legal immigrant workers pay social security and medicare taxes from which they themselves are not likely to benefit.
11
As a builder and a resident of an area with a lot of legal immigrant workers, I can concur with Mr. Brooks. Time and again immigrant workers gladly step into lower paying jobs-sometimes two or three of them-that American workers won't do, often freeing American workers to pursue higher skilled, higher paying jobs. I have also seen the American dream unfold-immigrant workers who learn the ropes, work hard, take business risks, start their own company, employ others, buy a home, a boat, a luxury car, have a big family and say " I had very little back home, I love being here". They are putting the same money back into the economy-required insurances, taxes, and the purchasing of goods and services-that everyone else does.
The thing conservatives are missing in their wacky xenophobia, is that many of these immigrants are social and political conservatives, and fiercely patriotic for their new country. They have a very practical "nobody messes with America" outlook, partly out of gratitude, partly out of financial expedience
( "don't screw with the place where I make a living for my family or there will be harsh consequences'). Conservative's fear-based stigmatizing and vilifying of immigrants drives them to the center left politically but, in my own experience, it's not where they want to be.
The thing conservatives are missing in their wacky xenophobia, is that many of these immigrants are social and political conservatives, and fiercely patriotic for their new country. They have a very practical "nobody messes with America" outlook, partly out of gratitude, partly out of financial expedience
( "don't screw with the place where I make a living for my family or there will be harsh consequences'). Conservative's fear-based stigmatizing and vilifying of immigrants drives them to the center left politically but, in my own experience, it's not where they want to be.
15
Republican's seem to want to destroy this country with lies about carnage, a failed health plan, criminal immigrants and the list goes on. Are they so fearful of change and minorities and immigrants? Mr. Bannon and VP Pence's speeches at CPAC are very telling -- full of lies about health care, immigration, racism and especially the media. Mr. Cotton and Mr. Perdue are just trying to please the "leader" Mr. Trump and his "brain" Mr. Bannon as they move this country in a racist agenda the likes of which we have never seen. There have been hints of this type of racism in the Republican party for years -- Nixon and his vile comments about Blacks, Reagan (their hero) certainly showed little caring for minorities and, in fact, used (remember the Welfare Queen that didn't exist) them to further a racist agenda, but with Trump and Bannon and their friends Richard Spencer and Milo Yannopoulos we are about to see the real hatred that they believe America is all about -- they're wrong and will not win, but the damage their ugliness with bring will take America and American's a long time to recover from.
12
Actually, the welfare queen DID exist--a.k.a. Linda Taylor. But she was a scam artist and grifter of the highest order.
Craftsmanship versus commodity
Is the investment in education for construction type jobs for the folks who previously did manufacturing an option? If rural they would have to move to where the action is... Just like immigrants
On Houston - visually it is defiantly apparent there isn't regulation... I love our big cities, but it is one of the ugliest in US for sure...
Is the investment in education for construction type jobs for the folks who previously did manufacturing an option? If rural they would have to move to where the action is... Just like immigrants
On Houston - visually it is defiantly apparent there isn't regulation... I love our big cities, but it is one of the ugliest in US for sure...
3
Your average, able-bodied twenty-something has spent the bulk of his or her life building up significant muscle mass in their right index fingers clicking on mouses and swiping screens. Swinging a hammer? Why learn that when if you just spend enough time on Facebook and all other time-wasters you might become the next Bill Gates!
So go ahead Cotton, et al. Get rid of ALL the immigrants and watch the economy grind to a halt. Trump won't care. He'll surely retain the immigrants who scrub the toilets at Mar a Lago and Trump Tower.
So go ahead Cotton, et al. Get rid of ALL the immigrants and watch the economy grind to a halt. Trump won't care. He'll surely retain the immigrants who scrub the toilets at Mar a Lago and Trump Tower.
10
Cotton and Perdue will obviously be targeting the 'family reunification' clause of the 1965 Immigration & nationality Act. Right now, a US citizen can sponsor his spouse, children, parents and even siblings for a green card who in turn can start a new cycle themselves once they become citizens. And there is no annual cap The US right now has the world's most generous immigration system. Once you have relatives in the US, it is ridiculously easy to immigrate to the US. But conservatives can't complain, they introduced this clause as they expected the white majority in 1965 would sponsor their European relatives. Instead immigration from Latin America and Asia surged from 1970 and continues.
The Wikipedia article on the 1965 act is a good read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_of_1965
From the above article:
During debate on the Senate floor, Senator Kennedy, speaking of the effects of the act, said, "our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. ... Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset".
The Wikipedia article on the 1965 act is a good read.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_and_Nationality_Act_of_1965
From the above article:
During debate on the Senate floor, Senator Kennedy, speaking of the effects of the act, said, "our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. ... Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset".
When am I going to read a column where the Democratic Party as represented by the DNC and its supporters in the press take responsibility for what happened this election?
I want an apology for the Ides of March and the actions of the DNC who took away the system of Democracy and turned to,"Kingmaking" and anointing HRC. Those bastions of Liberty and Liberalism who decided HRC was entitled to the nomination and to hell with the Democratic Party and its voters. The head of the DNC is no longer relevant as the party is no longer relevant.
These activities caused some to not vote, some to vote third party, and some to vote Trump because they did not feel HRC was a true choice.
Until those who chose to sit back and let Susan Wasserman Schultz desecrate the party and snub the will of the voters to make or even have, a palatable choice.
Nothing Trump or Putin did, can compare to the complete disregard for the Democrats and the Democratic system displayed by the DNC, NY Times, and those bastions of liberal thought like the Daily Kos.
The liberal or progressive press owes this country a major apology and until they admit to their gerrymandering, all of the dissing of Trump and his politics is window dressing and ignoring the responsibility for the outcome of this election.
I want an apology for the Ides of March and the actions of the DNC who took away the system of Democracy and turned to,"Kingmaking" and anointing HRC. Those bastions of Liberty and Liberalism who decided HRC was entitled to the nomination and to hell with the Democratic Party and its voters. The head of the DNC is no longer relevant as the party is no longer relevant.
These activities caused some to not vote, some to vote third party, and some to vote Trump because they did not feel HRC was a true choice.
Until those who chose to sit back and let Susan Wasserman Schultz desecrate the party and snub the will of the voters to make or even have, a palatable choice.
Nothing Trump or Putin did, can compare to the complete disregard for the Democrats and the Democratic system displayed by the DNC, NY Times, and those bastions of liberal thought like the Daily Kos.
The liberal or progressive press owes this country a major apology and until they admit to their gerrymandering, all of the dissing of Trump and his politics is window dressing and ignoring the responsibility for the outcome of this election.
6
Don't blame the DNC! The leaked emails revealed few actual practical or successful machinations. Indeed, in some cases, they even showed pushback against the idea of misinformation and assaults on Sanders.
Blame Comey-- his unwarranted, illegal interference in the election destroyed Hillary's chances.
Mr. "I don't comment about ongoing investigations, nor do I confirm or deny whether any are going on" Comey somehow managed to *loudly* discuss the renewed amounting-to-nothing investigation of Hillary, while sitting on top of the very real and explosive Trump-Russia Manchurian Candidate one.
Why?!
Blackmail?! Bribes? Family scandal?
He's the one that needs to be investigated!
Blame Comey-- his unwarranted, illegal interference in the election destroyed Hillary's chances.
Mr. "I don't comment about ongoing investigations, nor do I confirm or deny whether any are going on" Comey somehow managed to *loudly* discuss the renewed amounting-to-nothing investigation of Hillary, while sitting on top of the very real and explosive Trump-Russia Manchurian Candidate one.
Why?!
Blackmail?! Bribes? Family scandal?
He's the one that needs to be investigated!
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston." Huh?
So, we will have minus population growth, but not just from cutting immigration, but from the elimination of Social Security and Medicare, and all health care, which will affect the entire country. We're driving as fast as we can to the bottom. Sure the 1% will be fine. It's 1984 and Soylent Green for the rest of us. Maybe we can migrate to Mexico.
So, we will have minus population growth, but not just from cutting immigration, but from the elimination of Social Security and Medicare, and all health care, which will affect the entire country. We're driving as fast as we can to the bottom. Sure the 1% will be fine. It's 1984 and Soylent Green for the rest of us. Maybe we can migrate to Mexico.
8
Brooks believes in market forces, except when he does not like the answer.
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work. Adjusting for inflation, wages are roughly where they were"
"Hundreds of thousands of people lost construction jobs during the financial crisis and don’t want to come back. They want steadier work even at a lower salary."
Those hundreds of thousands are there. They don't want the pay offered on the terms offered, because they were the losers last time this happened.
In other words, their labor is worth more, over time, than they would get over time by going for a short burst of slightly higher wages followed by unemployment.
Brooks answer? Bring in somebody else to lose out that way.
Better answer -- pay them for the real risks of cyclical employment. Pay them enough to make the down time worth it.
Brooks says that already, they are building only high end luxury homes for the wealthy. Even now, they don't bother with affordable homes. "When builders do have workers, they focus on high-end luxury homes"
Those high end are the ones that can pay a wage that will entice workers to risk unemployment when the short term job is done.
Another way is to make it less cyclical. That means an employer who takes responsibility for keeping his people employed. That requires longer term work. It would require a program of building affordable homes, not just a few one-off luxury homes followed by unemployment.
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work. Adjusting for inflation, wages are roughly where they were"
"Hundreds of thousands of people lost construction jobs during the financial crisis and don’t want to come back. They want steadier work even at a lower salary."
Those hundreds of thousands are there. They don't want the pay offered on the terms offered, because they were the losers last time this happened.
In other words, their labor is worth more, over time, than they would get over time by going for a short burst of slightly higher wages followed by unemployment.
Brooks answer? Bring in somebody else to lose out that way.
Better answer -- pay them for the real risks of cyclical employment. Pay them enough to make the down time worth it.
Brooks says that already, they are building only high end luxury homes for the wealthy. Even now, they don't bother with affordable homes. "When builders do have workers, they focus on high-end luxury homes"
Those high end are the ones that can pay a wage that will entice workers to risk unemployment when the short term job is done.
Another way is to make it less cyclical. That means an employer who takes responsibility for keeping his people employed. That requires longer term work. It would require a program of building affordable homes, not just a few one-off luxury homes followed by unemployment.
15
""For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston.""
Control of what the American Dream is. The Koch Family for example.
Daddy has a lot and wants more. Control what people know get more of the profit. Peach Jesus but don't mention sharing. Otherwise you are a communists or believe in the American Labor Movement.
Control of what the American Dream is. The Koch Family for example.
Daddy has a lot and wants more. Control what people know get more of the profit. Peach Jesus but don't mention sharing. Otherwise you are a communists or believe in the American Labor Movement.
7
But for a significant Native African and Latino population along with significant Latino immigrants legal and illegal America would be aging and shrinking in population. The white American majority is not having enough babies to replace themselves. And the whites having babies come from the lowest socioeconomic educational rungs and are often unhealthy singlr parents.
This portends a looming socioeconomic political educational demographic nightmare. Of the kind facing Europe, Japan and South Korea.
A solution from two states who profited from slavery and Jim Crow is one we should not cotton nor chicken with. " Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vineyards where the grapes of wrath are stored."
This portends a looming socioeconomic political educational demographic nightmare. Of the kind facing Europe, Japan and South Korea.
A solution from two states who profited from slavery and Jim Crow is one we should not cotton nor chicken with. " Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vineyards where the grapes of wrath are stored."
3
Ya but if you don't want the mongrel races rubbing shoulders with you, what else do you do? Of course you could outlaw abortion so more poor and uneducated (white?) people are born, and vote against their own interests. Trouble is, if you want 3%+ growth so there can be more tax cuts for the wealthy and cheep labor that probably won't be enough. What to do? Im guessing the imperative here is above all to stay in power. More gerrymandering please!
7
When Cotton and Perdue are your leading intellectual lights, you are in trouble. They can't think beyond their own prejudices.
11
We are in this uproar because we are in a clash of ideas.
Liberals have been brought up to think the “politically correct” way to act is to work toward the Equality of Result. That, your education has taught you, is the American way.
Conservatives know historically is that it is not. It is the way political thinkers like Marx and Engels and Saul Alinsky have taught and leaders like Lenin, Mao, and Chavez have led their countries. It made them prisons for their own people, and destroyed them. The American way, the way that built America into the strongest, most prosperous, and freest country in the world, that made it what Winston Churchill called: “The worst country in the world, except for all the others,” has been Equality of Opportunity.
We have experienced 3 generations of politically correct Equality of Result. We have seen it drive millions of America’s Middle Class down onto the welfare dole, gut her prosperity, make her a spineless paper tiger unwilling to defend herself and a target for the scorn and abuse of her enemies. We have finally moved to take our country out of the hands of those who are destroying her and return her to the right path, the path of liberty, prosperity, and strength: Equality of Opportunity.
Liberals think Conservatives are crazy. Conservatives know what Liberals are.
Buckle your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy 8 years.
Liberals have been brought up to think the “politically correct” way to act is to work toward the Equality of Result. That, your education has taught you, is the American way.
Conservatives know historically is that it is not. It is the way political thinkers like Marx and Engels and Saul Alinsky have taught and leaders like Lenin, Mao, and Chavez have led their countries. It made them prisons for their own people, and destroyed them. The American way, the way that built America into the strongest, most prosperous, and freest country in the world, that made it what Winston Churchill called: “The worst country in the world, except for all the others,” has been Equality of Opportunity.
We have experienced 3 generations of politically correct Equality of Result. We have seen it drive millions of America’s Middle Class down onto the welfare dole, gut her prosperity, make her a spineless paper tiger unwilling to defend herself and a target for the scorn and abuse of her enemies. We have finally moved to take our country out of the hands of those who are destroying her and return her to the right path, the path of liberty, prosperity, and strength: Equality of Opportunity.
Liberals think Conservatives are crazy. Conservatives know what Liberals are.
Buckle your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy 8 years.
1
All the liberals I know believe in equality of opportunity, not result. You are wrong about that and should stop reading Breitbart commentary.
They fight against the myth that we do in fact have quality of opportunity for everyone, or ever had it.
History certainly confirms that exploitation of inequality can produce a "booming economy" - for many. The institution of slavery worked very well for those it worked very well for, didn't it?
But for me and my liberal friends, we're not giving up on economic success achieved without exploitation, both from a moral imperative and from the recognition that otherwise the country and the world will tear itself apart.
They fight against the myth that we do in fact have quality of opportunity for everyone, or ever had it.
History certainly confirms that exploitation of inequality can produce a "booming economy" - for many. The institution of slavery worked very well for those it worked very well for, didn't it?
But for me and my liberal friends, we're not giving up on economic success achieved without exploitation, both from a moral imperative and from the recognition that otherwise the country and the world will tear itself apart.
It's called racism and nativism, Mr. Brooks. That's what the GOP has become, a den of racist nativists that would rather see the country die white than thrive mixed.
17
It's about time David Brooks stopped being an apologist for all the bad policy proposed by retrograde wing nuts out there. Cotton and Perdue see votes, a way to stay in power and deliver tax cuts to the donor class; although they are practiced at sounding sincere, they could really care less about actual solutions to problems.
9
Mr. Brooks,
As you say, based on the best data available (not contorted for partisan advantage), Cotton and Perdue are likely misguided--even undocumented workers account for billions of dollars in economic activity. How to best adjust the ebb and flow of your "river" is a fair subject for debate.
I am not convinced of the accuracy of your concluding paragraph regarding the indictment of "liberals" in the 1970s: http://cis.org/ImmigrationPolitics-CongressionalPolicymaking . From that piece:
"The partisan division on immigration policy is traceable to policy choices made in the late 1970s. Democrats in Congress responded to the arrival of immigrants and refugees in that period by creating costly resettlement assistance programs, including a new resettlement bureaucracy, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. ... Republicans, therefore, were put in the position of opposing mass immigration because it imposed burdensome costs in the form of welfare and public aid. Our review of the committee and floor debates between 1978 and 1981 shows that use of public assistance animated considerable opposition to an open-door policy at least 15 years before the initial rumblings of Proposition 187 [never enforced]."
As you say, based on the best data available (not contorted for partisan advantage), Cotton and Perdue are likely misguided--even undocumented workers account for billions of dollars in economic activity. How to best adjust the ebb and flow of your "river" is a fair subject for debate.
I am not convinced of the accuracy of your concluding paragraph regarding the indictment of "liberals" in the 1970s: http://cis.org/ImmigrationPolitics-CongressionalPolicymaking . From that piece:
"The partisan division on immigration policy is traceable to policy choices made in the late 1970s. Democrats in Congress responded to the arrival of immigrants and refugees in that period by creating costly resettlement assistance programs, including a new resettlement bureaucracy, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), within the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. ... Republicans, therefore, were put in the position of opposing mass immigration because it imposed burdensome costs in the form of welfare and public aid. Our review of the committee and floor debates between 1978 and 1981 shows that use of public assistance animated considerable opposition to an open-door policy at least 15 years before the initial rumblings of Proposition 187 [never enforced]."
I would hope that Tom Cotton and David Perdue have used their week's vacation to do something about this. Perhaps they have each taken a drive, to the Ozarks and the southern Appalachians respectively, to try to convince some of their angry old white male constituents to suddenly become skilled craftsmen in the building trades - carpentry, plumbing, concrete work, electrical work, etc. Since they seem to believe that there is a great pool of unemployed talent waiting for the opportunity to work, why don't these Senators encourage these angry old white men get off the couch and go where the jobs are? That is what Saint Ronnie told people in the Rust Belt to do in the 1980's. What is different now?
7
Good thought. Cotton should study his own state. Atlanta's immigrant population is under 4% - among the lowest in the country. It's December unemployment rate was also under 4% - also among the lowest in the country. But job creation and wages there puts the state in the bottom 10 in the U.S. in the last decade. If he thinks curbing immigration is the solution then he clearly doesn't understand the problem. Typical of pretty much all of how the Republicans and Trump view things
Cotton recently stated the Fed. Dist. Judge appointed by
Bush didn't cite one legal principle in his opinion
staying Trump's immigration order. Patently false.
Cotton is dishonest.
Bush didn't cite one legal principle in his opinion
staying Trump's immigration order. Patently false.
Cotton is dishonest.
5
Senators Cotton and Pedue (and most of the other GOP Senators) might get a better understanding of the problems of "immigrant labor" taking good "American jobs) when the tomatoes at the local market hit $7./lb. or strawberries sell for eight bucks a pint. Not a lot of good old white American nativists out in those fields ...
8
Both illegal immigration and drugs coming across the our border with Mexico is a demand problem.
Stop buying drugs and the drug traffic will stop.
Stop hiring the illegals and they will stop coming.
I hear Republicans talking about immigrants breaking the law.
I never hear Republicans talking about the businesses who hire the illegals breaking the law.
Stop buying drugs and the drug traffic will stop.
Stop hiring the illegals and they will stop coming.
I hear Republicans talking about immigrants breaking the law.
I never hear Republicans talking about the businesses who hire the illegals breaking the law.
13
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
LOL - seriously Mr. Brooks?
Perish the thought that it might have something to do with race.
LOL - seriously Mr. Brooks?
Perish the thought that it might have something to do with race.
9
Simple solutions like that of Cotton-Perdue on restricting immigration are, all too often, simple-minded solutions. Even if one buys into the "lake" analogy, one has to recognize that the lake is actually drying up as baby boomers start retiring in record numbers. We need more young workers to replace them and immigration has historically been the engine that Made America Great in the first place and will, if these bigots (and let's be honest the only logic behind this proposal is bigotry) are ignored, actually "Make America Great Again." It's time to keep the "golden door" open rather than let these white racists shut it and build a walled gated-community called America that will protect these bigots from foreign influence and maintain racial purity.
4
America cannot look to Cotton or Perdue for solutions. Cotton is blinded by a putrid ideology and Perdue by his ego and assumptions of entitlement. Reality starts and ends within their corrupted bubbles.
4
Wow, even economists say the effects of immigration are complicated but seem to have it down. Basic economics are about supply and demand. Reduce low skilled immigration and wages should increase based on supply. What do you pay your Mexican gardener? Cash or checks made to cash? Where does that money go? To social security or the US Treasury? But when his pregnant wife walks into a hospital emergency room the rest of us pays. Stop citing only those who agree with you. As Einstein once said, the observations fit the theory.
4
The ultimate and horrible irony: other than Native Americans, we are - every last one of us - immigrants and/or descendants of immigrants.
I'm the product of people fleeing famine and war, so strangely enough I think other people fleeing famine and war should have the same chance for a new life in the U.S. that my forebears did. I guess to a Republican that's warped thinking.
I'm the product of people fleeing famine and war, so strangely enough I think other people fleeing famine and war should have the same chance for a new life in the U.S. that my forebears did. I guess to a Republican that's warped thinking.
8
Americans don't want to pick the fruit & vegetables. Period. It will all lay dying in the fields of California. There will not be a labor force to replant. This White House wants to put a tariff onto Mexican goods. The fruit you don't get from California and Florida comes to you primarily from Mexico and Central America. Prices of fruits and vegetables will soar. This is all so that Donald can succeed in what he named his immigration initaitve: A Military Action. Really? Oh yes, then Spicer had to get out there and explain Donald's 'military action' just an adjective. What? All we can see is incompetence, very dangerous incompetence, accompanied by enormous power. Yikes!
4
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Mr. Brooks, quite simply, you're seeking a logical premise that doesn't exist here. The premise of your article is that white America should want better jobs, higher incomes and opportunities for professional advancement. I believe that these concerns are quite low on the list of most white Americans.
In fact, what they want much more than jobs is a return to an era where discrimination against women and minorities was rampant, where women had no control over their own bodies, where there were quotas excluding certain religious minorities from higher education, and where gays and lesbians had to live in fear and shame. White America very much wants all these things again, much more than they want jobs. We on the left have had to face this increasingly accurate, and increasingly disturbing, view of reality in America, for several decades. But we ignore it now, at our peril.
Mr. Brooks, quite simply, you're seeking a logical premise that doesn't exist here. The premise of your article is that white America should want better jobs, higher incomes and opportunities for professional advancement. I believe that these concerns are quite low on the list of most white Americans.
In fact, what they want much more than jobs is a return to an era where discrimination against women and minorities was rampant, where women had no control over their own bodies, where there were quotas excluding certain religious minorities from higher education, and where gays and lesbians had to live in fear and shame. White America very much wants all these things again, much more than they want jobs. We on the left have had to face this increasingly accurate, and increasingly disturbing, view of reality in America, for several decades. But we ignore it now, at our peril.
6
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston," writes Mr. Brooks. Really? They are racists and/or opportunists appealing to racists. If they cared about America and people they would work to reform immigration, but their approach appeals to the basest instincts of those older white voters who make up the core of their support; that group is getting smaller and the republicans are desperately trying to keep them in control by propping up their percentage of the voters.
4
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Let me help you out. Because that is what their base wants - some because they are chauvinists or racists and hopefully many more because they think that is what is going to stop their downward spiral. Either way, that is what the Republican party is going to deliver, whether or not their base (or Cotton and Perdue) understands the world in which they live. What Cotton and Perdue and the rest of the Republicans do think they understand is that that is how they are going to get re-elected and stay in power. We'll see.
Let me help you out. Because that is what their base wants - some because they are chauvinists or racists and hopefully many more because they think that is what is going to stop their downward spiral. Either way, that is what the Republican party is going to deliver, whether or not their base (or Cotton and Perdue) understands the world in which they live. What Cotton and Perdue and the rest of the Republicans do think they understand is that that is how they are going to get re-elected and stay in power. We'll see.
5
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work."
Can you provide any evidence of that?
No. It's not that employers have apparently decided raising wages won't work; if they had, they wouldn't be - as you say they are - looking for workers in high school.
The fact of the matter is, if they paid workers more, the employers would make less. That's what they're trying to avoid.
Can you provide any evidence of that?
No. It's not that employers have apparently decided raising wages won't work; if they had, they wouldn't be - as you say they are - looking for workers in high school.
The fact of the matter is, if they paid workers more, the employers would make less. That's what they're trying to avoid.
The current Republican Party are a bunch of ideologues that have strongly taken the position of Party over Country or its People. Data doesn't matter (climate change a hoax) only fear: fear of immigrants, fear of terrorists, fear of the LBGTQ community, fear of religion ( except your own). This started with G.W. Bush's administration. The more insidious problem is the underlying agenda: redistribution of taxes so that the wealthiest can pay less and more burden is placed on the middle class. The border tax is a good example of this. Ultimately the tax will be passed on to consumers while there will be tax cuts for the wealthiest. Sad!
7
I don't care what you say or how you couch it. Illegals take jobs and drive down wages because they'll work for less. Look at what happened at Disney. It happens all over America, from the lowest level lettuce picker to the techies who work for some of America's most technical companies.
Cotton and Perdue know they can get away with their "alternative facts" that are perfect Fox "propaganda" (not "News") sound bites. Their constituents will eat it up, repeat these lies and win in Congress. How do we fight with real facts. Who's our spokesperson? A real dilemma for "truth".
7
David,
You read "Hillbillty Elegy" this book asserts that most of the poor whites, lack the education, don't really what any job that entails work, and would much rather live on the Government dole.
Therefore, the only people willing to take these jobs are the immigrants. These people know that their future and their families rely on their work ethic. This group is where the future entrepreneurs will come from. The GOP should ask themselves, who will clean their homes, manicure their gardens, watch their children and pick their cotton?
So Cotton and Perdue are wrong and their actions will actually harm America's future growth.
You read "Hillbillty Elegy" this book asserts that most of the poor whites, lack the education, don't really what any job that entails work, and would much rather live on the Government dole.
Therefore, the only people willing to take these jobs are the immigrants. These people know that their future and their families rely on their work ethic. This group is where the future entrepreneurs will come from. The GOP should ask themselves, who will clean their homes, manicure their gardens, watch their children and pick their cotton?
So Cotton and Perdue are wrong and their actions will actually harm America's future growth.
10
Who came up with the title "Death Wish"? What does that have to do with the article? A big reason employers like migrant labor, particularly illegal migrants, is that they are desperate enough to work under unsafe conditions where nobody should be working. This is particularly true in agriculture, with exposure to chemicals, bad housing, and sub-standard pay. We have not really progressed very far, if at all, from the days of Jurgis Rudkus working in "The Jungle."
Immigration benefits and problems today (2017) in the Western world?
I hear a lot of defense of immigration, that immigrants do jobs native born workers do not want to do or are more highly skilled in many cases than the native born, and I certainly hear a lot of blame going to those who oppose immigration (that they are racist or lazy or have not bothered to acquire a good education), but I want to see a good computer model of the process of allowing much immigration taking all parameters into consideration.
What I want to know in particular, is suppose immigration increases to point that the native born in a nation begin to decline, particularly the "racist, lazy, uneducated types", what will the picture look like? Specifically, how is it that the "negative" native born types will not simply be replaced by an immigrant body which itself is to a significant degree a repetition of the "negative" native born types? In fact in America are not the current racist, lazy, uneducated types of previous immigrant stock?
In other words it seems to me increasing immigration is a real threat to a nation if the nation cannot keep beyond a certain, probably capable of being described with math, level which keeps the more lazy, uneducated, negative aspect of the population in check...The primary problem seems to be preventing laziness, drug addiction, lack of education in first place or immigration is indeed a grave threat because we just repeat or disastrously increase our problems.
I hear a lot of defense of immigration, that immigrants do jobs native born workers do not want to do or are more highly skilled in many cases than the native born, and I certainly hear a lot of blame going to those who oppose immigration (that they are racist or lazy or have not bothered to acquire a good education), but I want to see a good computer model of the process of allowing much immigration taking all parameters into consideration.
What I want to know in particular, is suppose immigration increases to point that the native born in a nation begin to decline, particularly the "racist, lazy, uneducated types", what will the picture look like? Specifically, how is it that the "negative" native born types will not simply be replaced by an immigrant body which itself is to a significant degree a repetition of the "negative" native born types? In fact in America are not the current racist, lazy, uneducated types of previous immigrant stock?
In other words it seems to me increasing immigration is a real threat to a nation if the nation cannot keep beyond a certain, probably capable of being described with math, level which keeps the more lazy, uneducated, negative aspect of the population in check...The primary problem seems to be preventing laziness, drug addiction, lack of education in first place or immigration is indeed a grave threat because we just repeat or disastrously increase our problems.
5
Except that the immigrant population are workers and strivers. So more of them and fewer of the native-born whiners would be ideal.
1
I would reduce immigration to about zero. Our infrastructure is being pushed to the limit. All David has to do is look at the traffic on our major highways. Our schools are overcrowded. Worse, too many of the immigrants are coming for handouts. David will just have to mow his own lawn.
7
Why stop there? There is not one policy position from the GOP that is not a death wish, from repealing Obamacare, to pillaging the national parks, to bulldozing over the Sioux tribes to build an antiquated pipeline, to foreign policy, etc. etc. The GOP has become the party of tunnel vision and predetermined failure on every major issue for our time.
4
An important aspect for the economy is the flexibility to change jobs, to move freely to pursue better opportunities. My husband currently wants to change jobs but is waiting to see if the Republicans are going to destroy the ACA. He currently has health insurance through his company but if he takes the job he wants, he is at risk under Trump because he has high blood pressure, a pre-existing condition. Before the ACA he could not buy insurance because the premiums were more than his salary! The ACA has done immense good for the economy and for the health of the American people. I can't believe Republicans want to get rid if it just to destroy the first black president's legacy. I wish this were just a nightmare and I'll wake up soon and find that Obama is still our president!
7
David,
It would be interesting to hear your perspective on what drives Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and like minded crowd to advocate their perspective. Influencing root factors is more productive than intellectualizing. Unearthing these factors then framing a path to turning their perspective here would be more helpful than simply observing mistaken thinking.
It would be interesting to hear your perspective on what drives Tom Cotton, David Perdue, and like minded crowd to advocate their perspective. Influencing root factors is more productive than intellectualizing. Unearthing these factors then framing a path to turning their perspective here would be more helpful than simply observing mistaken thinking.
4
What the heck is going on with David Brooks? For the last couple of weeks or so, his columns have been making sense.
Keep it up Mr. Brooks, and you'll see that the GOP is the primary reason behind a "dying" America, white or not. The lunatics have taken over the asylum, the clowns are running the circus.
Happily, millions upon millions of us are awake to this and the resistance is formed and growing. If, or when, you care to join us, there will be a place for you on the barricades. We are inclusive, even if the GOP is not.
Keep it up Mr. Brooks, and you'll see that the GOP is the primary reason behind a "dying" America, white or not. The lunatics have taken over the asylum, the clowns are running the circus.
Happily, millions upon millions of us are awake to this and the resistance is formed and growing. If, or when, you care to join us, there will be a place for you on the barricades. We are inclusive, even if the GOP is not.
8
David,
So glad to see you mention Houston. My first wife was from there and I visited the city often. It DOES represent what happens when you allow immigrants to come in and contribute. Yes, the lack of zoning has made it ugly, but businesses and communities are thriving. I am surprised that a Yankee could find something good to say about Texas, but thank you.
So glad to see you mention Houston. My first wife was from there and I visited the city often. It DOES represent what happens when you allow immigrants to come in and contribute. Yes, the lack of zoning has made it ugly, but businesses and communities are thriving. I am surprised that a Yankee could find something good to say about Texas, but thank you.
3
Houston thrives not because of immigrants, but through being a hub for the petrochemical, oil and accounting industries. The immigration levels seen in Houston is mainly due to it being an official resettlement hub, just like Minneapolis.
2
"Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s. " I guess David couldn't resist taking a swipe at liberals. It keeps his credit with the GOP intact. Other than that he continues to miss the point that most of us do not have a death wish. We want to be able to support ourselves, our families, to retire with dignity and not in poverty, to have access to medical care when we need it instead of when we can afford it, and to see our children have better lives. That cuts across all the social and economic boundaries being reinforced by the GOP in its effort to reserve the wealth for its current upper income donors/supporters.
I guess that it's never lonely at the top of a financial Mt. Everest.
I guess that it's never lonely at the top of a financial Mt. Everest.
2
David,
You do realize that the proponents of this bill know what you are saying is true, right? Sure this is wrong economically, but far more worrisome aspect is the political behavior of the Republicans: blaming minorities and immigrants for all of the problems of the blue collar worker. Why don't you suggest the reasons for this duplicity: Republicans have learned that power based on fear and ignorance is hard to defeat. Legislation that verifies the ignorant beliefs of the Republican base will keep the Republicans in power because it entrenches the ignorance.
You do realize that the proponents of this bill know what you are saying is true, right? Sure this is wrong economically, but far more worrisome aspect is the political behavior of the Republicans: blaming minorities and immigrants for all of the problems of the blue collar worker. Why don't you suggest the reasons for this duplicity: Republicans have learned that power based on fear and ignorance is hard to defeat. Legislation that verifies the ignorant beliefs of the Republican base will keep the Republicans in power because it entrenches the ignorance.
4
When these people say they want to limit immigration, they mean one thing: They want fewer brown and black immigrants.
They can dress it up with whatever rationalizations they want, but that's the crux of the matter. Trump spoke to these people when he called Mexican immigrants "rapists" and Muslims "terrorists."
They can dress it up with whatever rationalizations they want, but that's the crux of the matter. Trump spoke to these people when he called Mexican immigrants "rapists" and Muslims "terrorists."
3
1) As long we have these analogies, I'd say Cotton- Perdue are doing nothing more than taming a wild "River" as we did in the 1930s when we built great Dams to regulate the real American rivers. Without Hoover, Grand Coulee Dam or Tennessee River Authority, we'd never have settled the West/Southeast.
2) Of course Construction Wages haven't risen- exactly because the River of Immigration is raging and wild. Listening to the arguments of a Trade Association run by Home Builders bent on keeping wages down is silly. The Law of Supply & Demand is sacrosanct to people like Brooks/Home Builders except when it comes to a never ending supply of illegal immigrants. That's the only situation it doesn't work.
3) Brooks' flippant use of the term "dying white America" phrase reminds mye of the speech Kristol gave 2 weeks ago at AEI saying that the replacement of white Americans is good/necessary (Google it). God-forbid people like Cotton-Perdue try to do something for this group. The conventional wisdom is that such white folks should not even attempt to do something in their own economic/cultural self-interest. It is the one group that should not do this. Have we really reached the point where Brooks and Kristol (and other elites) can freely say that white middle/lower classes are practically obligated to continue their own demise and commit suicide? I fear we've reached the point where anti-Trump mania has driven such pundits to the brink.
2) Of course Construction Wages haven't risen- exactly because the River of Immigration is raging and wild. Listening to the arguments of a Trade Association run by Home Builders bent on keeping wages down is silly. The Law of Supply & Demand is sacrosanct to people like Brooks/Home Builders except when it comes to a never ending supply of illegal immigrants. That's the only situation it doesn't work.
3) Brooks' flippant use of the term "dying white America" phrase reminds mye of the speech Kristol gave 2 weeks ago at AEI saying that the replacement of white Americans is good/necessary (Google it). God-forbid people like Cotton-Perdue try to do something for this group. The conventional wisdom is that such white folks should not even attempt to do something in their own economic/cultural self-interest. It is the one group that should not do this. Have we really reached the point where Brooks and Kristol (and other elites) can freely say that white middle/lower classes are practically obligated to continue their own demise and commit suicide? I fear we've reached the point where anti-Trump mania has driven such pundits to the brink.
3
I wish David Brooks could enter the real world. A couple of points:
1. It would be nice if David could interview ACTUAL WORKERS who have been displaced by illegal labor. But that would mean getting out of the DC bubble. Down here in Florida, a construction worker used to make a decent wage. But the huge influx of illegal labor over the past few decades has driven construction wages into the gutter. My family used to own sandwich shops and we had framers coming in at lunch and back in the 70s and 80s they could actually support a family! They had benefits and insurance!
2. Do we really want a US population growing 30 million every decade, with no end in sight? We are now at about 320 million, and all our population growth comes from immigration. Do we want a population of 500 million, climbing to a billion and beyond? At least lets talk about it.
3. If massive legal and illegal immigration is so great, why are working class wages in a ditich? I submit population growth does not correlate with prosperity anymore. We are now IMPORTING poverty.
4. As for Houston, with no environmental controls, no zoning, its a nightmare. GI guess if you don't care about a healthy environment for centuries to come, and all you care about it population growth....like David Brooks, then its all good!
5. We need a time out to fix our immigration system and make it serve the broad public interest. Right now it does not.
1. It would be nice if David could interview ACTUAL WORKERS who have been displaced by illegal labor. But that would mean getting out of the DC bubble. Down here in Florida, a construction worker used to make a decent wage. But the huge influx of illegal labor over the past few decades has driven construction wages into the gutter. My family used to own sandwich shops and we had framers coming in at lunch and back in the 70s and 80s they could actually support a family! They had benefits and insurance!
2. Do we really want a US population growing 30 million every decade, with no end in sight? We are now at about 320 million, and all our population growth comes from immigration. Do we want a population of 500 million, climbing to a billion and beyond? At least lets talk about it.
3. If massive legal and illegal immigration is so great, why are working class wages in a ditich? I submit population growth does not correlate with prosperity anymore. We are now IMPORTING poverty.
4. As for Houston, with no environmental controls, no zoning, its a nightmare. GI guess if you don't care about a healthy environment for centuries to come, and all you care about it population growth....like David Brooks, then its all good!
5. We need a time out to fix our immigration system and make it serve the broad public interest. Right now it does not.
6
A Trump voter recently share that the problem in the USA is that whites are not having enough babies and that the browns and blacks were having too many. Reading this column with those words still ringing in my mind I find my self fighting back the fear that authoritarian is the logical future step for them. Will this administration and congress enforce people to work these jobs? Of course. no unions allowed.
1
Consider where Cotton and Perdue come from.
2
The bill of Cotton and Perdue is a good one. The USA hit 200 million in population in 1967, and 300 million in 2006. The effect of this growth of which about 70 percent was driven by a high legal level of foreigners moving to the US and the children they have while here.
The loss of natural land since 1970 has been great as the extra 118 million residents need housing, shopping areas, new roads, and parking lots. The Audubon Society did a study of the number of meadow birds in 1967 and then in 2007. The decline was 40 percent. This was mainly due to loss of habitat for development. High, well drained land was a good spot for that big box store and its parking lot.
This bill will if enacted will mean we will hit the 400 million resident figure several decades later. That is a very good thing as we will continue to lose natural land to development, and more cars will be on the road and it will be a noisier environment. Why be over crowded just so foreigners can raise their standard of living by moving here ?
I have visited El Salvador and Nicargaua last decade on a trip. The people were nice there and doing okay. If the system here in the US attracts people, why not pass our best elements of education and the legal system to them, plus some economic principles ? They can have a fulfilled life in their own countries and not over crowd us.
The loss of natural land since 1970 has been great as the extra 118 million residents need housing, shopping areas, new roads, and parking lots. The Audubon Society did a study of the number of meadow birds in 1967 and then in 2007. The decline was 40 percent. This was mainly due to loss of habitat for development. High, well drained land was a good spot for that big box store and its parking lot.
This bill will if enacted will mean we will hit the 400 million resident figure several decades later. That is a very good thing as we will continue to lose natural land to development, and more cars will be on the road and it will be a noisier environment. Why be over crowded just so foreigners can raise their standard of living by moving here ?
I have visited El Salvador and Nicargaua last decade on a trip. The people were nice there and doing okay. If the system here in the US attracts people, why not pass our best elements of education and the legal system to them, plus some economic principles ? They can have a fulfilled life in their own countries and not over crowd us.
4
We already give aid to these countries. Lots of money that never quite reaches its target.
1
The truth is this: labor costs must come down so that CEO's can earn obscene salaries at the expense of bankrupting the middle class. Can you remember when there were CEOs around who were committed to earning no more than 5 times what their lowest paid worker was compensated? Globalization in the form of offshoring jobs, killing unions, and the cover provided by jelly-spined Republican legislators like Cotton and Perdue have all contributed to this class warfare on the 99%. Enough! We can all make our country great again by admitting our greediness and pronouncing it a bad thing for Americans.
7
Last summer there was an ad in the local paper for cauliflower pickers. It described the requirements:
Must be able to work six days a week, rain or shine. 10 hours a day. Must be able to lift 50 pounds to shoulder height at least 120 times per day. $10,00 per hour. Bonus for greater production.
Cauliflower is all hand harvested, bending over the low plants, cutting the head from the plant, removing some outer leaves and placing them in bags and then on platforms - thus the 50 pound lifting - all in the blazing Florida sun - no shade in those fields. Ever lift a 50 pound bag of dog food? 120 times? From the ground to your shoulders?
Just for curiosity, I went that morning to the hiring site - a long line of young men - only one white man who was rejected due to his obvious lack of physical condition, seemingly due to living on the street too long.
Taking jobs from Americans? Nope. Enjoy your cauliflower while you have it.
Must be able to work six days a week, rain or shine. 10 hours a day. Must be able to lift 50 pounds to shoulder height at least 120 times per day. $10,00 per hour. Bonus for greater production.
Cauliflower is all hand harvested, bending over the low plants, cutting the head from the plant, removing some outer leaves and placing them in bags and then on platforms - thus the 50 pound lifting - all in the blazing Florida sun - no shade in those fields. Ever lift a 50 pound bag of dog food? 120 times? From the ground to your shoulders?
Just for curiosity, I went that morning to the hiring site - a long line of young men - only one white man who was rejected due to his obvious lack of physical condition, seemingly due to living on the street too long.
Taking jobs from Americans? Nope. Enjoy your cauliflower while you have it.
6
Many of the thoughtful and hard working men who are helping in some way to restore this small cottage are now retired construction workers and they are placing their family houses on the market.
Their children are grown with young offspring. They are leaving the rural community because there is no work. A father was less than enthusiastic in telling me that his son was a writer of cartoons. What has happened to the best job in the world called 'Work', he asks, causing us both a good laugh.
He is still on the road, looking slightly resigned and stoic, debating whether a move to Florida might be better than South Carolina, and he does not want to spend his last days playing bingo. Another Trump supporter, with the looks of an elderly cowboy, is also restoring his house, and wallows in tales of friends and family, ailing and wasting away. He blames it all on President Obama and tells me that he once had 'Black Friends'.
I wonder at times if listening to 'Mr. Halloween' is healthy. It cheers him up to tell him that he has an orphan on his hands. After reading what Mr. Brooks has to relay on Cotton and Perdue, this Beatrix Potter would like to invite him for a political high tea party with rabbit-on-the-grass and devilled chicken legs.
Houston, we may be in trouble but we are moving on. Hats off to your large immigrant population because our Future rests with cities like yours, setting a fine example to the rest of the Country.
Their children are grown with young offspring. They are leaving the rural community because there is no work. A father was less than enthusiastic in telling me that his son was a writer of cartoons. What has happened to the best job in the world called 'Work', he asks, causing us both a good laugh.
He is still on the road, looking slightly resigned and stoic, debating whether a move to Florida might be better than South Carolina, and he does not want to spend his last days playing bingo. Another Trump supporter, with the looks of an elderly cowboy, is also restoring his house, and wallows in tales of friends and family, ailing and wasting away. He blames it all on President Obama and tells me that he once had 'Black Friends'.
I wonder at times if listening to 'Mr. Halloween' is healthy. It cheers him up to tell him that he has an orphan on his hands. After reading what Mr. Brooks has to relay on Cotton and Perdue, this Beatrix Potter would like to invite him for a political high tea party with rabbit-on-the-grass and devilled chicken legs.
Houston, we may be in trouble but we are moving on. Hats off to your large immigrant population because our Future rests with cities like yours, setting a fine example to the rest of the Country.
3
Math: The birth rate of the US is about 2.3. Brooks doesn't bother to note that outside of the urban households where people have cats rather than children, all ethnicities have a normal above replacement rate. This is more of that Bill Kristol meme of America being "tired" and unproductive, in need of new blood. Bull: America still tops or comes close to topping productivity indices year after year.
You know, the NYT and libs used to talk about overpopulation from the 70's until the late '90's. The environmental movement's retreat from population as a legitimate issue is one of the great undisccussed political shifts of the last half century, and could come to be as significant as blue color Dems shifting republican. The reasons for this are many, ranging from David Gelbaum's threatening to the Sierra Club to break them financially if they continued to discuss population and immigration, to liberals getting triangulated by Democrats wanting guaranteed votes and rich capitalists looking for cheap compliant labor.
You know, the NYT and libs used to talk about overpopulation from the 70's until the late '90's. The environmental movement's retreat from population as a legitimate issue is one of the great undisccussed political shifts of the last half century, and could come to be as significant as blue color Dems shifting republican. The reasons for this are many, ranging from David Gelbaum's threatening to the Sierra Club to break them financially if they continued to discuss population and immigration, to liberals getting triangulated by Democrats wanting guaranteed votes and rich capitalists looking for cheap compliant labor.
3
Ronald Reagan (idol of Republicans) opened the gates to Mexico by looking the other way so his friends in agriculture could find cheap labor. Once the people were here (that was 50 years ago) they started taking jobs in landscaping, restaurants, hotels, housekeeping, child care, et al, changing the economy forever in states like California. It is doubtful any of these service driven businesses could survive without these hourly-wage immigrants. White people seem to consider these jobs "beneath them." Who are the Republicans going to find to replace these hard workers? Many of these immigrants are grateful for their "menial" jobs while establishment Americans scoff at any work which does not require a college degree. Reality must be the focus, not fear mongering and hysteria.
David,
A little humility, please.
Are you not the one who for weeks, no months, actually for over a year told us Donald Trump would never be the nominee of the Republican Party.
Then when that didn't work so well, you guaranteed he would never be elected.
Having struck out twice you still continue to pontificate.
Before your next column consider your track record, before you seem so sure of your remarks.
A little humility, please.
Are you not the one who for weeks, no months, actually for over a year told us Donald Trump would never be the nominee of the Republican Party.
Then when that didn't work so well, you guaranteed he would never be elected.
Having struck out twice you still continue to pontificate.
Before your next column consider your track record, before you seem so sure of your remarks.
A very well reasoned analysis of the American market. Too bad the GOP
Leaders don't understand economics like Brooks and Krugman. Needless
To say the column won't make it to the White House.
Leaders don't understand economics like Brooks and Krugman. Needless
To say the column won't make it to the White House.
2
Republican senators propose a law that feeds their racist base but has no grounding in fact? David, this is not exactly a "STOP THE PRESSES!" moment. This has been the GOP game plan for decades. (See, for example, the recent brave stand in favor of Second Amendment rights for the mentally ill.) In case you haven't noticed, politically it works like a charm. If you want something worth writing about, then write about that. Write about how a party has descended into cowardice and cynicism. Write about how America will reap the whirlwind as a result. This subject is, as your entire readership knows, the unrecognized elephant in the room every time you write a column. Time for you to face your demon elephant directly.
1
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America..." Well, I can.The key word is "white". Now do you get it, David?
4
wait ...what? they are old style liberals? please someone explain that
1
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Simple: Listen to Bannon talk about Economic Nationalism. At the heart of that model is the concept of "culture" or preserving "culture". Translation: White America. It is too much trouble for white America to re-educate and retool. They expect a high standard of living and don't want to move, so we are bringing the jobs back to them...back to the "cultural" roots. In exchange trump solidifies his voting block.
Simple: Listen to Bannon talk about Economic Nationalism. At the heart of that model is the concept of "culture" or preserving "culture". Translation: White America. It is too much trouble for white America to re-educate and retool. They expect a high standard of living and don't want to move, so we are bringing the jobs back to them...back to the "cultural" roots. In exchange trump solidifies his voting block.
2
Cotton and Perdue still see a lot of votes in a dying white America. And there will be for around 20 more years.
2
David, you finally write a thoughtful column, but you just can't resist a final, meaningless zinger at 1970s liberals. It is 2017, for crying out loud. Are you so afraid that conservatives will get mad at you for speaking the truth that you feel the need to distract them at the end?
2
Mr Brooks, you assume Cotton is acting in good faith but misinformed. I assume the opposite. Since he's smart and basic economics aren't hard to master, logic suggests he's executing the standard Republican tactic of offering a bogus solution that conveniently avoids public expenditure.
Cotton is also winking at the nativists. Whether good for the economy or bad, immigration changes the country's complexion. Fewer brown people means more white people, right? Job done!
The long game you almost unwittingly alluded to is part of the other conservative agenda: to squeeze immigration is to squeeze the working age population is to squeeze funding for social security. Starve the beast, feed a fever.
Cotton is also winking at the nativists. Whether good for the economy or bad, immigration changes the country's complexion. Fewer brown people means more white people, right? Job done!
The long game you almost unwittingly alluded to is part of the other conservative agenda: to squeeze immigration is to squeeze the working age population is to squeeze funding for social security. Starve the beast, feed a fever.
2
Ridiculous how one after another comment takes aim at Brooks. Yet again there's proof that too little has been learned since Trump embarked on the campaign trail...There's much to be studied that addresses a dangerous disregard for expertise, and, to me at least, Brooks is reaffirming that...How stupid to believe or even assume that Republicans' refusal to increase the minimum wage can somehow, even magically, be dismissed from a demonstration, much less a discussion, of "decreasing the pool of unskilled workers".
1
Cotton and Perdue are LIBERALS?
I'm scratching my head over that one, perhaps you'll clarify that piece of nonsense in a later column?
Meanwhile, turn your attention to Mark Chelgren, a Republican from Iowa.
He has introduced a bill, SB 288, that demands that public universities must use voter registration for the hiring of professors.
It seems that he believes that too many "liberal" professors have been hired.
He wants to even the playing field for Republicans.
Applicants are to be hired according to their voter registration, Republicans to be given the preference until the numbers rack up that Democrats are no more than 10%, higher or lower.
There's your Republican Party, Brooks.
Your "creationism, women are to be seen but not heard, a man is better for the job, any man but especially a Republican man, and since no one wants to hire such ignorant and prejudiced creatures, why, then let's make it a law that they have to"!
Will your construction workers be hired based on their voter-registration, too?
Will Dems be fired if positions don't open up quickly enough?
How far will ALEC, the Koch Brothers and the Republican Party go on rigging the board?
Here's a construction term for you: Dry Rot.
You are rotting from within.
Alas, America....
I'm scratching my head over that one, perhaps you'll clarify that piece of nonsense in a later column?
Meanwhile, turn your attention to Mark Chelgren, a Republican from Iowa.
He has introduced a bill, SB 288, that demands that public universities must use voter registration for the hiring of professors.
It seems that he believes that too many "liberal" professors have been hired.
He wants to even the playing field for Republicans.
Applicants are to be hired according to their voter registration, Republicans to be given the preference until the numbers rack up that Democrats are no more than 10%, higher or lower.
There's your Republican Party, Brooks.
Your "creationism, women are to be seen but not heard, a man is better for the job, any man but especially a Republican man, and since no one wants to hire such ignorant and prejudiced creatures, why, then let's make it a law that they have to"!
Will your construction workers be hired based on their voter-registration, too?
Will Dems be fired if positions don't open up quickly enough?
How far will ALEC, the Koch Brothers and the Republican Party go on rigging the board?
Here's a construction term for you: Dry Rot.
You are rotting from within.
Alas, America....
4
I'm glad somebody is finally putting out the word that immigration at every level is positive. Mr. Brooks hints at a very worrisome fact: unless there are new workers coming into the labor market to pay payroll taxes, etc. the benefits programs everybody eventually relies upon will go bell up.
All the demographers that I read or hear of agree that without US immigration we would not have positive population growth. The apocalyptic result of this no population growth is Italy, whose low birth rate lead many scholars to conclude that by 2035 there will be two or three Italians on pensions for every working Italian. That's clearly not sustainable.
So, for our own survival - if nothing else - let's push back on xenophobes and their nationalist trash talk the only way we can: shout now and vote against them later. All politicians want to get re-elected; playing at the big table is fun and gratifying. An added bonus for members of the House and Senate is you only have to work three days a week.
All the demographers that I read or hear of agree that without US immigration we would not have positive population growth. The apocalyptic result of this no population growth is Italy, whose low birth rate lead many scholars to conclude that by 2035 there will be two or three Italians on pensions for every working Italian. That's clearly not sustainable.
So, for our own survival - if nothing else - let's push back on xenophobes and their nationalist trash talk the only way we can: shout now and vote against them later. All politicians want to get re-elected; playing at the big table is fun and gratifying. An added bonus for members of the House and Senate is you only have to work three days a week.
1
Words for thought, David. One thing I learned this week is that 12% of the residents in Columbus are foreign born. They hire these people in various jobs for which there are no, uh, "Cottentonian" or "Perduvian" ideal white American workers.
Another thing that I learned from watching C-PAC is that, according to the governor of Arizona, Doug Doucey, they are doing really well. But Trumpists in our Heartland are complaining about the lack of jobs. So, instead of going on a lunatic frenzy over the economy, maybe Republicans should take a look at what actually works, uh, like Houston.
Of course, to gain power, a Republican politician could always stir fear, uncertainty and doubt in his or her poorly educated voters. Cotton and Perdue need to develop legislation that contributes to creating jobs. What they don't understand is that they are betting that there will be fewer jobs, so they push to restrict immigration.
You may want freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity. but look who Republicans nominated to be their presidential candidate, with whom we are now stuck. Look, if Trump succeeds, then we have to give him credit, but the reality is that the economy is strong, and we have to find jobs for those who need them. Trump turned that into a demagogic furor.
And one thing is, that Americans need to feel good about themselves. Republicans feel good when they trash our government and immigrants. That's no enticement to for others to feel good.
Another thing that I learned from watching C-PAC is that, according to the governor of Arizona, Doug Doucey, they are doing really well. But Trumpists in our Heartland are complaining about the lack of jobs. So, instead of going on a lunatic frenzy over the economy, maybe Republicans should take a look at what actually works, uh, like Houston.
Of course, to gain power, a Republican politician could always stir fear, uncertainty and doubt in his or her poorly educated voters. Cotton and Perdue need to develop legislation that contributes to creating jobs. What they don't understand is that they are betting that there will be fewer jobs, so they push to restrict immigration.
You may want freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity. but look who Republicans nominated to be their presidential candidate, with whom we are now stuck. Look, if Trump succeeds, then we have to give him credit, but the reality is that the economy is strong, and we have to find jobs for those who need them. Trump turned that into a demagogic furor.
And one thing is, that Americans need to feel good about themselves. Republicans feel good when they trash our government and immigrants. That's no enticement to for others to feel good.
3
Thanks for skipping the book report. Great article. True about Houston; it's made for busiiness
4
Mr. Brooks, you just discovered that regulation works against ugliness. (Personally, I wish it would do a bit more zoning — it’s pretty ugly.)
It works against ugliness of every kind, not just trailer-park ugly. It works against the ugliness of labor exploitation, of polluter rivers and streams, of forcing women to have babies they cannot support economically or emotionally, and the ugliness of fall-apart schools for the poor.
Look around and you will finally realize that there is no beauty without restraint. Look at the president elected by your party: he is the full embodiment of ugliness, inside and out.
It works against ugliness of every kind, not just trailer-park ugly. It works against the ugliness of labor exploitation, of polluter rivers and streams, of forcing women to have babies they cannot support economically or emotionally, and the ugliness of fall-apart schools for the poor.
Look around and you will finally realize that there is no beauty without restraint. Look at the president elected by your party: he is the full embodiment of ugliness, inside and out.
I think in our race to the bottom in prices -- cheaper housing (read poorly built, huge and ugly "neighborhoods"), food, clothing, other goods -- we have created more jobs that are soulless. Yes, immigrants are willing to take these jobs that natives don't want, that is true, but this cheap cheap cheap economy is hurting us in other ways. More things breaking and getting shown away, more abuse of animals in the food industry, less pride in a job well done. When we think about these things, we need to look at a much bigger picture than we think. What is our culture? What are our values? When buying something as cheaply as possible becomes our purpose, where does that leave us spiritually?
3
I am grateful to you, Mr. Brooks, for trying to explain the demographic and economic realities on the issue of U.S. immigration. I suspect, however, that, it will take much, much more to break through the entrenched misunderstandings that underlie hostility towards immigrants (on the far right) and international trade (on the far right and the far left). As our nation is in a state of upheaval currently, facing our darkest demons (thanks to Trump and the Republican party), seems like a good time to try.
We are a nation of immigrants and that is our strength and always has been. That doesn't mean that our current situation is perfect or that there is no need to improve the lives and wages of working Americans, however the idea that closing down our borders and backing out of trade deals will lead to those improvements isn't just naive, it's dangerous.
We are a nation of immigrants and that is our strength and always has been. That doesn't mean that our current situation is perfect or that there is no need to improve the lives and wages of working Americans, however the idea that closing down our borders and backing out of trade deals will lead to those improvements isn't just naive, it's dangerous.
3
This country's economy is based highly on consumerism. With more people, you get more consumption and with less people less consumption. So reducing consumption means slowing down the economy, which in turn means less jobs and less pressure on wages. These rich folk know that. They are just playing to a bunch of folks, whom all that is lost on, so they can have power over them. The hypocrisy is mind blowing.
2
On my street there is a large, well maintained home occupied by three generations of a Vietnamese family. They have been here since the end of the war in the mid 70's. They have built a business that not only employs family but many other people as well. The place is always bustling with activity. They are very much part of the real American dream. Their community, which they are very invoked in, maintaining their cultural traditions, is very important to the city....and makes it a better sand more interesting place to live.
2
Yo, Brooks, I thought you belonged to the party that believed in the market. Yet you say wages haven't gone up despite a labor shortage so severe businesses are turning away profitable projects.
It don't work that way.
These piranhas are screaming labor shortage because they want the wage-reducing inflow of desperately ready to accept a job at any wage colonists to continue.
It don't work that way.
These piranhas are screaming labor shortage because they want the wage-reducing inflow of desperately ready to accept a job at any wage colonists to continue.
4
I don't cotton to Cotton. Among the worst, he is the very worst. The smug Mr.Cotton found out Wednesday night that there is still an opposition party and it is going to keep ripping him until finally one day it takes him down.
5
Republicans have had tax breaks for too long... they're going feudal, as opposed to Federal.
The anti-immigration views expressed, and the fable that a greater workforce somehow hurts the economy, used to be held in Europe. An Irish friend described it like this: 'A European says, "He has a fine car; I'll have it.' An American says, 'He has a fine car. I'll earn one myself.'" More energy, more innovations make for a bigger 'pie.' Only the class warriors believe that the 'pie' never changes size; that to better yourself, you have to grab somebody else's piece, or else put your own piece in a gated tax haven. The article sets out well the futility of that thinking. The Republicans are taking us back, back...
The anti-immigration views expressed, and the fable that a greater workforce somehow hurts the economy, used to be held in Europe. An Irish friend described it like this: 'A European says, "He has a fine car; I'll have it.' An American says, 'He has a fine car. I'll earn one myself.'" More energy, more innovations make for a bigger 'pie.' Only the class warriors believe that the 'pie' never changes size; that to better yourself, you have to grab somebody else's piece, or else put your own piece in a gated tax haven. The article sets out well the futility of that thinking. The Republicans are taking us back, back...
6
SB, you could look at it this way: feudal is federal minus an e and the d with a u added for local color. The GOP prefers to be the overlord of America rather than a partner in running America for the benefit of all.
1
This intellectualizes something very simple: The current White House and congress members that support it are racists and only want whites to enjoy what America has to offer, even if those whites are dead-enders that refuse to move to locations with economic opportunities, educate themselves, etc. At least they are white (and vote for us) is the thinking of the current Republican party.
6
"Employers have decided raising wages won't work." In other words the otherwise immutable laws of microeconomics which Mr. Brooks is happy to use as a cudgel to explain why it's impossible to raise taxes on the wealthy or increase government spending without wrecking the economy suddenly, "just won't work." Offer to hire a construction crew at $25/hr with full benefits including health care and retirement benefits and I guarantee the mysterious so-called labor shortage will disappear. If the builders need to charge more to their customers to pay for it than so be it. This is how healthy economies are supposed to function. Those luxury homes aren't going to build themselves.
Can't get construction workers at $27 an hour? Pay $40 they'll show up.
6
Read the article. The builder isn't going to pay 40. They are just not going to build.
1
I ended up late to a registration line in college with only a course in demography left to take. I had no idea what the course was about---it did satisfy a liberal arts requirement. The one lesson I learned in that course---which Senator Cotton doesn't get--- is the meaning of what the professor said on the first day: "demography is destiny." Marching through more statistics than I care to remember, my professor proved that, not paying attention to population trends can be fatal for a civilization. He predicted at that time ---- late 60's---that Japan and most of western Europe, would be running into a big problem because of declining populations. He also added, that immigration is always a win, win, ---that immigrant populations always are source of innovation in cultures that become stagnant. What is so concerning about these Republicans is their lack of any education---they construct policy around simplistic cause and effect relationships that ignore variables that would, in fact, have the opposite effect on the goals they are pursuing. The Republicans---who wouldn't think of taking a course in a soft discipline like sociology--- have no one in the room who would look at those charts and say: "Tom, that is not how immigration works."
10
Illegal immigration, the non-issue.
The impact of unskilled illegal immigration is negligible on the economy. Yes, they take the low skill service level jobs, but those are few and don't provide a living wage.
The real issue is that we can now produce the same amount of goods with half the human resources. And this trend will only increase in the future.
There are two roads to follow. One is to continue making the fake promise of bringing back jobs. The other is to begin an intelligent conversations as to how we will employ future generations. Idleness is not an option, so let us work together to find an answer that engages our imagination and creativity and optimism.
This is a time of change.
The impact of unskilled illegal immigration is negligible on the economy. Yes, they take the low skill service level jobs, but those are few and don't provide a living wage.
The real issue is that we can now produce the same amount of goods with half the human resources. And this trend will only increase in the future.
There are two roads to follow. One is to continue making the fake promise of bringing back jobs. The other is to begin an intelligent conversations as to how we will employ future generations. Idleness is not an option, so let us work together to find an answer that engages our imagination and creativity and optimism.
This is a time of change.
3
Zero sum liberals: who were those people?
4
Brooks is fundamentally unable to criticize his fellow Republicans without adding in an unnecessary, spiteful jab at liberals. He will call that "balance." I call it cowardly.
2
Since I don't trust Republicans ( never did really) there is some other reason that they want to cut immigration. What could it be? That's the part I can't figure. My sense is there is some industry that doesn't want to hire immigrates but because they don't pay well they have to hire them. I just don't get if they don't pay immigrants well why all of sudden when the pool of immigrants dry up, that white people will be wanting to work at low paying job that didn't want anyway?
2
The two lightweights, Senators Cotton and Perdue, get to display their ignorance again. The one thing they do know is that immigrants vote for Democrats. Perdue, in particular earned his chops at minimum wage companies where workers consider a job at Walmart a step up.
The country would be better off if these two were replaced by illegal immigrants
The country would be better off if these two were replaced by illegal immigrants
3
This is an interesting article, but there are a couple of flaws in Brooks' logic.
First, you can't set immigration policy based on the experience of one business sector. If the building sector has a shortage and all other sectors have more labor than they need, would we still need to increase immigration?
Second, he says 500,000 is not enough. But the question for everyone is "How many in total"? It is not enough to say we should accept more. There has to be a number: How may more? Does the construction industry's labor shortage justify an unlimited number of immigrants?
Finally, it's a bit hard to believe the construction industry is suffering a labor shortage and yet wages will not rise. This defies the most fundamental law in economics and really needs more explanation that Brooks provides in his article.
First, you can't set immigration policy based on the experience of one business sector. If the building sector has a shortage and all other sectors have more labor than they need, would we still need to increase immigration?
Second, he says 500,000 is not enough. But the question for everyone is "How many in total"? It is not enough to say we should accept more. There has to be a number: How may more? Does the construction industry's labor shortage justify an unlimited number of immigrants?
Finally, it's a bit hard to believe the construction industry is suffering a labor shortage and yet wages will not rise. This defies the most fundamental law in economics and really needs more explanation that Brooks provides in his article.
6
For construction workers, I believe the issue is volatility in employment, based on experiencing the "boom or bust" cycles.
They've come to understand that the wage increases required to offset the frequent loss of work in busts and tempt them out of a relatively stable earning job are much more than offered. Contractors are the same; why chase down elusive gains if the capital and effort invested in expanding capacity disappears overnight.
They've come to understand that the wage increases required to offset the frequent loss of work in busts and tempt them out of a relatively stable earning job are much more than offered. Contractors are the same; why chase down elusive gains if the capital and effort invested in expanding capacity disappears overnight.
1
The arguments, and motives, of those who oppose immigration are questionable, but the implication of Mr. Brooks' argument is that population must increase forever. That's an almost universal premise in economic punditry. But think about it. Population needs to grow forever? When does it stop, when we have a continent-wide city and there's no more room to build?
Obviously population growth has to stop sometime. Why not now before population grows so large that it does catastrophic damage to the planet? That damage has already started with global warming, Texas size Sargasso Seas of floating plastic in the Pacific, more and more garbage and fewer and fewer places to dispose of it, more and more polluted land areas, growing water shortages, and so on and so on.
In theory we can prevent the damage resulting from the endless multiplication of our species which, unlike that of others inhabiting our planet, has no natural checks. In fact we're doing a perilously inadequate job of it and all indications are that we'll continue to do so, increasingly.
Obviously population growth has to stop sometime. Why not now before population grows so large that it does catastrophic damage to the planet? That damage has already started with global warming, Texas size Sargasso Seas of floating plastic in the Pacific, more and more garbage and fewer and fewer places to dispose of it, more and more polluted land areas, growing water shortages, and so on and so on.
In theory we can prevent the damage resulting from the endless multiplication of our species which, unlike that of others inhabiting our planet, has no natural checks. In fact we're doing a perilously inadequate job of it and all indications are that we'll continue to do so, increasingly.
3
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
Because hate and cheap bumper sticker slogans keep your side in office, not facts and not truth.
Because hate and cheap bumper sticker slogans keep your side in office, not facts and not truth.
5
It is delusional that immigrants are filling low skilled jobs that Americans don't want to take leaving Americans the choice of more enjoyable jobs. A problem is that too many Americans can't or are not able to function in jobs like construction. Brook's neglects how difficult it is for employers to find non-immigrant candidates who pass drug tests or who have the rudimentary education to make even simple measurements. For too many, public support such as disability or illegal activities are preferable to low skilled work.
Dysfunctional communities and massive incarceration are important reasons for part of the story of non-immigrants not filling low skilled jobs. The claim is nonsense that, say, the problems of the south side of Chicago would be solved if only there were jobs available to those people that they could enjoy.
Even assuming that the US becomes richer because of immigrants filling low-skilled jobs, there is a dark side to this Panglossian attitude. Rich countries like the US and Germany are self-serving by effectively harvesting the most motivated from desperate places around the world. What you wind up with is wretched places like Honduras and El Salvador where people are even extorted by criminals to flee. Repatriations won't solve their problems and, perhaps, it would be better to spend resources to help build up these countries and to adopt public polices in the US that truly increase the labor contributions from our dysfunctional communities.
Dysfunctional communities and massive incarceration are important reasons for part of the story of non-immigrants not filling low skilled jobs. The claim is nonsense that, say, the problems of the south side of Chicago would be solved if only there were jobs available to those people that they could enjoy.
Even assuming that the US becomes richer because of immigrants filling low-skilled jobs, there is a dark side to this Panglossian attitude. Rich countries like the US and Germany are self-serving by effectively harvesting the most motivated from desperate places around the world. What you wind up with is wretched places like Honduras and El Salvador where people are even extorted by criminals to flee. Repatriations won't solve their problems and, perhaps, it would be better to spend resources to help build up these countries and to adopt public polices in the US that truly increase the labor contributions from our dysfunctional communities.
1
So once again, leading Republicans offer a warped, fictional view of reality so they can offer a simplistic solution that won't work. Their budget will do the same thing, on a much larger scale, and we'll have federal income and corporate tax cuts for the wealthy and rapidly rising annual deficits for the rest of us, deficits which the GOP will then blame on the Democrats.
Nothing new here. The GOP plays this game whenever in power.
Nothing new here. The GOP plays this game whenever in power.
2
"For the life of me, I can't figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America ..."
Because their representatives, from their President on down have sold them a lie and it is a comforting one because it leaves their future and their future well-being in the hands of con artists rather than their own ... they now have a strong man and the rest of us get a taste of authoritarianism ...
What a great deal
Because their representatives, from their President on down have sold them a lie and it is a comforting one because it leaves their future and their future well-being in the hands of con artists rather than their own ... they now have a strong man and the rest of us get a taste of authoritarianism ...
What a great deal
3
There is no justification for Disney and other similar outsourcing companies to bring in H1B Indians to replace citizens.
Only unmitigated greed and no respect for Americans who were more than adequately already filling the positions. So the filthy rich owners could put more money into their pockets.
Only unmitigated greed and no respect for Americans who were more than adequately already filling the positions. So the filthy rich owners could put more money into their pockets.
4
It is no accident that outsourcing exploded at the same time as the H1B program. Outsourcing involves US jobs sent abroad. Replacing jobs via the H1B program involves importing high-value employees -- sometimes the people who are now supervising those jobs that are no longer in the USA. Trump won't be cancelling the H1B visa program until corporations have found a way to make money by keeping the H1B folks at home.
This is an example of how dismanteling the regulatory administrative state results (by design) into a world governed by a new corporatist "state".
This is an example of how dismanteling the regulatory administrative state results (by design) into a world governed by a new corporatist "state".
1
Cotton and Perdue want to help 45 make his isolationist America First rhetoric a permanent part of our legal system. And they will probably get it done. Who will stop them? What will America look like a year from now? Four years? Eight years?
1
Tom Cotton -- Big hat, no cattle.
Finding someone who opposes bringing back manufacturing jobs or strengthening the middle class or controlling our borders is like finding someone who opposes music.
Many of today's Republican's seem confused and only pretending to be conservative. Our defense budget is obviously bloated, but not a peep from "conservatives." Our military is creeping back to Iran. Have a senior executive position proving difficult to fill, find a retired general. Walking away from TPP or alienating Mexico are self-inflected shots to the nation's economy.
No peeps.
Finding someone who opposes bringing back manufacturing jobs or strengthening the middle class or controlling our borders is like finding someone who opposes music.
Many of today's Republican's seem confused and only pretending to be conservative. Our defense budget is obviously bloated, but not a peep from "conservatives." Our military is creeping back to Iran. Have a senior executive position proving difficult to fill, find a retired general. Walking away from TPP or alienating Mexico are self-inflected shots to the nation's economy.
No peeps.
2
'For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston.'
Because it's been a winning electoral strategy for them.
The more pertinent question is whether Republicans will make it an economic strategy. So far they have managed to avoid fulfilling campaign promises to restrict immigration. Now we get to see how far they are willing to go before it cuts into corporate or small-business profits. It's more likely that we'll see repeated reports on raids and deportations to satisfy the base, while maintaining the same levels of overall immigration.
Because it's been a winning electoral strategy for them.
The more pertinent question is whether Republicans will make it an economic strategy. So far they have managed to avoid fulfilling campaign promises to restrict immigration. Now we get to see how far they are willing to go before it cuts into corporate or small-business profits. It's more likely that we'll see repeated reports on raids and deportations to satisfy the base, while maintaining the same levels of overall immigration.
1
Simple answer to your question Mr. Brooks: Dying white America votes Republican. The rest not so much.
1
Since when do republicans want to push us wages by reducing the labor pool? This is a bait and switch tactic to reduce immigrants- those usually non- white immigrants who come to America to better themselves and their families and do the jobs that America needs but doesn't want to do. Somewhat inspired by that statue in the nyc harbor.
You can't imagine why republicans would prefer a dying white America? I can- it's called RACISM.
You can't imagine why republicans would prefer a dying white America? I can- it's called RACISM.
Well, you are the one who wrote about "risk aversion." People defend themselves against perceived loss way before they choose new opportunities. At least we can now dispense with all the pious hooey about how "illegals" should just wait properly in line. And of course, Republicans "prefer a dying white America" because they are (mostly) a dying white America.
1
"Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s. They’ll dry up the river. I wish they had a little more faith in freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity."
I guess this is the 'fair and balanced' part...or annoying garbage.
I guess this is the 'fair and balanced' part...or annoying garbage.
1
Well reasoned piece by David Brooks.
Nonetheless, the same (unanswered) question keeps popping in my mind.
Why do voters keep electing Republican candidates over and over again?
For God's sake, Americans just elected Donald Trump president!
Nonetheless, the same (unanswered) question keeps popping in my mind.
Why do voters keep electing Republican candidates over and over again?
For God's sake, Americans just elected Donald Trump president!
2
Because Americans have been carefully led to believe republicans bought by big companies who don't want to pay taxes on public services they depend on to manufacture goods have dynamited every organized health and human service that is taxpayer driven only to point at the ruins and blame socialism and bureaucracy, especially anything to do with rivers and prairies and mountainsides they wish to smash to bits.
2
Change is always difficult for the vast majority of any population. It takes time and knowledge of real facts to emerge. In the early 50's while in High School, I would take any job offered to a young person. My first was working for 35 cents an hour cutting and loading lettuce. To this day, I don't believe that I ever worked so hard for so little even factoring in today's inflation rate. For all the people who say that immigrants are taking their jobs away, my only question is What Jobs? How many of you reading this article are ready, willing and able to work all day in the hot sun picking vegetables? How about making up rooms in a hotel? Need I go on? We need immigrants to do the jobs that most of us are just not wiling or even able to do. That's a fact and also that's what built this country. Any country that stops growing starts losing. Are you willing to pay $5 for a head of lettuce? How about a room at Motel 6 for $150 a night? Like David said, what about a medium home in the US for over $400,000. I could happen with non-thinkers in office.
1
which immigrants is he talking about. the ones that take jobs that no Americans want, or the ones that start companies and create employment for Americans. Either way, its a bad idea. Any the cynic in me says, Mr. Cotton and Mr. Perdue know this just as much as I do - however, in todays Red States, its just good politics to say this.
2
Well you know you are swimming against the tide. As Alexander Pope wrote, "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise."
David Brooks completely missed the problem with immigration. The problem is good paying, white collar, high tech jobs being filled with immigrants on H1B visas. Experienced, qualified tech workers here in the Northwest are training their lower wage foreign H1B replacements. Recent college graduates are competing with the cheaper H1B workers. Immigration is a white collar problem (Unless you are a corporate manager or shareholder, in which case, immigration is a solution to expensive wages).
11
The H1B problem is primarily that they cannot haggle for better wages because they can't switch jobs. That's what destroys the tech labor market. They are cheaper because they don't have to pay the same taxes as everyone else does. I'm o.k. with people getting green cards if the skill they represent is really needed but H1B has got to die.
1
Once you get past the hateful rhetoric, it's almost humorous to hear Republicans cry about blue collar wages being too low with one side of their mouth while fighting tooth and nail to oppose minimum wage laws with the other.
12
I won't argue with Mr. Brooks' statistics, but I will relate an anecdote. Twenty or so years ago, roofing crews in central Ohio were composed primarily of Appalachians. (A friend once described the crew putting a new roof on his home as "the cast from Deliverance.") Today, those crews as well as drywall installers are almost exclusively Hispanic. Last year the house next to me was extensively remodeled and only one of the roofing crew could speak English - with a strong Spanish accent.
3
So, are you agreeing the Americans from a poor region went to an urban area to get work but were muscles out by cheaper (likely illegal) immigrants? And at this point those workers may be on disability/government programs etc because they can't get work.
This could be turned around. Why not Mr Brooks? Because Mr Brooks says the Americans from poorer areas will not move to get work. I'm no Pollyanna, but I am much more optimistic on this, if the jobs are there and Americans can get paid properly there will be movement.
This could be turned around. Why not Mr Brooks? Because Mr Brooks says the Americans from poorer areas will not move to get work. I'm no Pollyanna, but I am much more optimistic on this, if the jobs are there and Americans can get paid properly there will be movement.
1
David Brooks should next investigate the healthcare sector and observe how many doctors, nurses, orderlies, lab technicians, custodial workers are first-generation Americans. He should also note that in big cities with large African-American populations, many hospital jobs are going begging because the pool of qualified workers is too shallow. I wonder how great healthcare institutions like the Cleveland Clinic, which are also essential economic drivers for their areas, could possibly function without an open-door supply of skilled medical workers. The last time I was in an operating room at the Clinic, there were a dozen or so doctors, nurses and other staffers in attendance, nly one of whom was a native-born American.
8
We have many citizens in rural and semi-rural areas who don't want to move for new work opportunities. They want their old jobs back even if the factories have closed and their jobs have gone to places where wages are $5/day and less. And they won't work in the fields even for wages starting at $10.50 per hour and up.
8
I hear radio segments where the coal miners say they like hard work.
But they aren't moving to the construction jobs.
But they aren't moving to the construction jobs.
4
I have long believed that the best American is a new American.
In the last fifty years of my adulthood I have seen many dying white communities become vibrant ethnic centers. That is what I thought this country was about.
In the last fifty years of my adulthood I have seen many dying white communities become vibrant ethnic centers. That is what I thought this country was about.
6
1. Regarding the supposed shortage of construction workers: I thought it was bedrock conservative thought that the laws of supply and demand, i.e. market forces should determine employment, in the construction industry and elsewhere. When the U.S. military is falling short on recruitment, they overcome the problem by raising the benefits (enlistment bonuses, post-service education benefits).
2. Regarding builders focusing on more expensive homes and neglecting more affordable housing, talking to builders as I have done in the past will elicit the straightforward response that they are doing it because it's much more profitable to do so.
3."...help everybody flow to the job he or she wants to take." Fine, but without some specific proposal(s), the exhortation rings hollow.
2. Regarding builders focusing on more expensive homes and neglecting more affordable housing, talking to builders as I have done in the past will elicit the straightforward response that they are doing it because it's much more profitable to do so.
3."...help everybody flow to the job he or she wants to take." Fine, but without some specific proposal(s), the exhortation rings hollow.
3
Waves of immigrants have long provided the raw material for the growth of Democratic political power in this country and I am sure that the current fascination for unlimited immigration is rooted in similar dreams of massive vote counts. Democrats have always been willing to buy the votes of the recently arrived with our tax dollars and unless the rest of us put a stop to it they will continue to do so.
4
The mass deportation program combined with this nonsensical bill will result in a even slower growth rate going forward. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that immigrants do either jobs requiring no qualification (busboys, cleaning, building, etc.) or a high level of technical skills (I.T. engineers, doctors, etc.). The reality is that for the former, the masses of unemployed natives in the rust belt are not mobile enough to fill the huge demand which are mainly in the urban areas. For the latter, well, we just don't have enough people with the required qualifications. The problem, as pointed out by many readers is our inadequate education system, the quasi absence of vocational or technical schools and the lack of mid-career training. These changes can be implemented but they require time, patience and smart people in the government.
3
Too many people don't realize that when someone immigrates to the U.S. they become consumers. Businesses don't create jobs in a vacuum or out of the goodness of their hearts, they do so to satisfy the needs of, you got it, consumers.
2
The reason for a shortage in construction and skilled trades candidates stateside is the misguided education policies of the past two Administrations away from vocational schools as a valid choice for high school students. This misguided approach has led to great numbers of students unprepared for college and mistakenly believing in college degrees as a societal positive while a skilled labor force is a greater resource that an overabundance of degreed students without workplace skills.
Immigration restraints do have historical justification, depending on economic realities rather than political correctness. Another caveat to increased immigration is increased balkanization, Houston being a case in point.
Immigration restraints do have historical justification, depending on economic realities rather than political correctness. Another caveat to increased immigration is increased balkanization, Houston being a case in point.
3
No, illegal and legal immigrants take construction jobs from high school grads and community college grads looking for temporary construction work that often employ immigrants for temporary jobs. If you're looking for Americans really hurt by immigrant workers, go to the community colleges and high schools, to the state probation offices and state unemployment centers, and interview the unemployed, males young and old, looking for temporary work paying more than fast food restaurants. It's at the entry level that immigrant workers often reduce employment for Americans. They're not looking to take the jobs of journalists and commentators in "pleasant work."
Yesterday's Times profile on Americans working in basic service industries included one profile of a former offender who found a job in Boston, as an appprentice to become a high-wage pipe fitter. He said it was like "hitting the lottery." A resident of one of the city's high immigrant populated low-income neighborhoods, he was lucky that Boston has a private-public program to assist American job seekers like him. We need more such programs, and to provide career paths in construction work, we need fewer entry level immigrant workers lowering the wages of experienced American workers.
Yesterday's Times profile on Americans working in basic service industries included one profile of a former offender who found a job in Boston, as an appprentice to become a high-wage pipe fitter. He said it was like "hitting the lottery." A resident of one of the city's high immigrant populated low-income neighborhoods, he was lucky that Boston has a private-public program to assist American job seekers like him. We need more such programs, and to provide career paths in construction work, we need fewer entry level immigrant workers lowering the wages of experienced American workers.
4
40 years ago I graduated college, and, tired of books, reading and all-nighters (not the best-disciplined student), I took a job as a carpenter's helper for 3 brothers, named, ironically "Carpenter", 2 of whom were WWII vets. For the next few years, I built houses, so I lived on construction sites. Even when I went back to grad school, I put my tool belt back on in the summers. It was a hard tough job that never paid very well--non-union and the best salary ever was $5/hour.
But I could always find a job because it was known that a) I showed up every day and b) I would work on roofs (kind of critical when building houses). Back then, there were no immigrants in the industry. Most were White guys, a few were Black and virtually no women (one mason, and one electrician in all the years I worked). Imagine: Just because I came every day and did the job I was at the top of the pile!
But today, when you talk to contractors, most of their workers are Spanish-speakers, whether it's a small guy handling 2 or 3 houses or a big company building vast development tracts. Ask the contractors and what they'll say is (and in their words, not mine) "Spanish guys show up and work hard all day, every day. American guys are unreliable. You can't count on them showing up, or showing up sober and on time. I'll take a Spanish guy over an American guy every time."
That's why we need immigrants: They happily work the jobs most Americans won't. THEY are the strength of America!
But I could always find a job because it was known that a) I showed up every day and b) I would work on roofs (kind of critical when building houses). Back then, there were no immigrants in the industry. Most were White guys, a few were Black and virtually no women (one mason, and one electrician in all the years I worked). Imagine: Just because I came every day and did the job I was at the top of the pile!
But today, when you talk to contractors, most of their workers are Spanish-speakers, whether it's a small guy handling 2 or 3 houses or a big company building vast development tracts. Ask the contractors and what they'll say is (and in their words, not mine) "Spanish guys show up and work hard all day, every day. American guys are unreliable. You can't count on them showing up, or showing up sober and on time. I'll take a Spanish guy over an American guy every time."
That's why we need immigrants: They happily work the jobs most Americans won't. THEY are the strength of America!
8
Some of that sounds suspiciously like the argument for H1b visas. And I'm not sure I buy that anymore.
The crew that painted my house was not Hispanic. The guys who clean my gutters are not Hispanic. Yet the work was done and done on time.
The crew that painted my house was not Hispanic. The guys who clean my gutters are not Hispanic. Yet the work was done and done on time.
1
Republicans and intellectual thought are not mutually exclusive. Tom Cotton, for instance, knows as much about labor and immigration policy as Donald Trump knows about ethics and morality. Counting on two buffoons like this to design national immigration legislation is not only counterproductive, but actually extremely harmful to our economy. But try telling that to the intellectually challenged Trump supporters, who have become intoxicated with Trump's band of xenophobia, which resulted in the murder of two engineers from Garmin in Olathe, Kansas yesterday because he thought they were "Middle Eastern." And when you do, I offer you nothing but good luck in trying to deal with folks like that of all ages in "Middle America."
4
Houston as a model of growth for the whole country? Though I haven't read the stats for a while, Houston used to have the longest commute times and one of the highest obesity rates in the country, in part because people spent so much time in their cars getting to and from work.
Civic dynamism and good planning don't have to work at cross purposes. There was a time when mass transit was built in anticipation of growth rather than as a solution to vast urban sprawl and impossible commutes. Smart growth doesn't mean no growth. It would be better if people were sold well-built, solid houses that can withstand a hurricane, rather than huge boxes. And it's Houston. The sun shines a lot and everyone needs air conditioning. Every house ought to have solar panels that turn that sunshine into interior cooling. More better, not bigger.
Civic dynamism and good planning don't have to work at cross purposes. There was a time when mass transit was built in anticipation of growth rather than as a solution to vast urban sprawl and impossible commutes. Smart growth doesn't mean no growth. It would be better if people were sold well-built, solid houses that can withstand a hurricane, rather than huge boxes. And it's Houston. The sun shines a lot and everyone needs air conditioning. Every house ought to have solar panels that turn that sunshine into interior cooling. More better, not bigger.
2
"It seems like a plausible argument. That is, until you actually get out in the real world."
This could apply to just about everything Trump and the Republican party are doing these days.
This could apply to just about everything Trump and the Republican party are doing these days.
2
7% of immigrants last year were over the age of 60. 75% of immigrants lack a high school degree. Family reunification is the main route for half the immigrants coming to America. We should adjust the system and give preference to skilled and educated immigrants under the age of 40 like they do in Canada. Our current immigration policy is a disaster. Reducing immigration will also help as we deal with a shortage of low income housing, mostly caused by the massive numbers of immigrants swarming our nation.
4
Probably consciously, Mr. Brooks analysis of the cause for worker shortage in the construction industry overlooks the fact that unionized trades that build America (electricians, carpenters, plumber, roofers for example) have been demonized and thwarted by the same builders who now cry out for more labor. It seems that they'd rather have the worker shortage rather than to share the wealth with workers who make the wealth for them. It's the same old American way: individualism - I got mine and good luck to you
3
This isn't about reason. It's about theater. The right needs villains, and it's easy to pick on minorities of various kinds—immigrants, the poor, sexual minorities. Anything to keep the focus off the dismantling of effective government. The show must go on.
3
Democrats were once the party opposed to immigration, recall African-American Congresswomen Barbara Jordan wanted to reduce immigration, legal and illegal. The Jordan Report advocated we reduce Legal immigration by 30% .
"The commission finds no national interest in continuing to import workers to compete in the most vulnerable parts of our labor force. Many American workers do not have adequate job prospects. We should make their task easier to find employment, not harder."- Barbara Jordan.
"The commission finds no national interest in continuing to import workers to compete in the most vulnerable parts of our labor force. Many American workers do not have adequate job prospects. We should make their task easier to find employment, not harder."- Barbara Jordan.
4
Mr. Brooks is starting to sound like Paul Krugman. Where's a respectable Republican like Mr. Brooks supposed to go in the era of ugly Trumpism?
4
My exact thought! I had to check the byline to make sure it wasn't Krugman!
1
If the main source of immigration were Northern Europe, Cotton and Perdue wouldn't bother. But with so many nonwhites coming they feel obligated to offer legislation that appeals to the racism of the Republican/Trump base.
In recent years Spanish speaking people of questionable immigration status have put an addition on my house, re-roofed my house, removed large trees from my yard, and do weekly cleaning work. We need these people because their is no one else to do this work.
In recent years Spanish speaking people of questionable immigration status have put an addition on my house, re-roofed my house, removed large trees from my yard, and do weekly cleaning work. We need these people because their is no one else to do this work.
19
This is precisely what the nation needs - a reasonable, well-considered approach to our challenges from both parties. Now, if we could somehow get the obscene amount of money out of the political system, maybe we could once again move forward together, instead of backward like a bunch of feuding Hatfields and McCoys. The rest of the world is not going to sit around and wait until we get our house in order. It's high time we stop letting fear and greed hold us back, and start believing in each other again.
7
The idea that builders would create more affordable housing if only they could find the workers is far from proven. Builders focus on high-end housing because that's where the biggest profit margin can be found.
It's also unclear that the current housing market is truly short on supply. It seems more likely that yet another speculative bubble has been created, and that prices have become inflated by persistent low interest rates. As interest rates climb over the coming years, we'll discover whether housing is overpriced or not. of course, if it is, then something like 2007-2008 will happen again. . . .
If Americans are turning up their noses at $27 per hour jobs, then perhaps we need to look at the social safety net. The number of people who receive food stamps, for example, is at an all-time high, despite a less than 5 percent (nominal) unemployment rate. Although the typical Times reader will of course be outraged at the notion, perhaps we are being too generous with government handouts for young and healthy people.
Cutting immigration is not the answer. But we need to accept more people who bring real assets with them -- people with college degrees, important technical skills, or wealth to invest in our economy. We don't need more unskilled labor coming in.
In any case, is constant growth necessarily good? Constant growth is a characteristic of . . . cancer, after all.
If Americans are turning down $27 per hour jobs, then perhaps we should look at
It's also unclear that the current housing market is truly short on supply. It seems more likely that yet another speculative bubble has been created, and that prices have become inflated by persistent low interest rates. As interest rates climb over the coming years, we'll discover whether housing is overpriced or not. of course, if it is, then something like 2007-2008 will happen again. . . .
If Americans are turning up their noses at $27 per hour jobs, then perhaps we need to look at the social safety net. The number of people who receive food stamps, for example, is at an all-time high, despite a less than 5 percent (nominal) unemployment rate. Although the typical Times reader will of course be outraged at the notion, perhaps we are being too generous with government handouts for young and healthy people.
Cutting immigration is not the answer. But we need to accept more people who bring real assets with them -- people with college degrees, important technical skills, or wealth to invest in our economy. We don't need more unskilled labor coming in.
In any case, is constant growth necessarily good? Constant growth is a characteristic of . . . cancer, after all.
If Americans are turning down $27 per hour jobs, then perhaps we should look at
6
It seems that Senator Perdue has a very short memory. In 2012 Georgia passed HB 87 which forbid illegal aliens from working in the state. The result, according to Forbes was a $140 million dollar loss to the states economy. The bill did not survive the year if I remember correctly.
Now he wants to "improve" on that bill be decreasing the number of legal emigrants.
Now he wants to "improve" on that bill be decreasing the number of legal emigrants.
25
As usual, Mr. Brooks has put his finger on the real issue: aging white America has no intention of surrendering power, no matter how badly the American economy (and the American people) fares as a result. The fact that all those good conservative white Republican Christians voted in droves for a man who is the antithesis of everything they supposedly stand for proves that. The real issue at stake is who will control America in the future. The GOP has become the party of white power, no more, no less. But the uncomfortable fact remains that a lot of us educated white folks aren't climbing on the bus. The GOP agenda will fail over the long term, but it's going to be a very contentious decade or two until that happens.
33
This is a really thoughtful piece, but written under the flawed assumption that Republicans have an interest in addressing actual economic, health, educational, and security issues. They don't. Every action is a barely veiled attempt to create false or exaggerated "threats": immigration/ border protection, Obamacare, perceived threats from historic allies, illegal marijuana use, transgender bathroom right,and (at least as an "existential" threat) ISIS. The action employed against the trumped-up threat (no pun) is merely a way to maximize fear-driven votes through scapegoating, now that the Republicans have figured out (for the moment) that this is an effective way to consolidate power. To use your analogy, this is the lake we should hope to drain. Until then, we shouldn't expect that real issues will be addressed, or, when they are, with logical and productive legislation.
8
Sorry, but the only thing Republicans stand for is stealing more wealth from the rest of us and channeling it to them and their one percent patrons and friends. That's it folks. The rest of it - issues, positions, laughable principles and "policies" are just window dressing to sucker the bigoted rubes and Fox addled dumbed down yahoos into voting - totally against their own interests - for them. That's all there is - just greed, money, expediency and opportunism. That's what Republicans stand for.
1
Brooks and most of the writers of comments miss a key point. I am inclined to think intentionally.
The point is, speaking for myself, I object to illegal immigrants. People who refuse to stand in line to apply for entry and thus steal American privilege without applying. I object to young men who sneak into the US and while refusing to fight for their birth country. I object to employers who fight for illegals but will not fight for poor black or white Americans.
Also please do not respond by saying that we are all immigrants here. One, the Original People are not immigrants, and no one is lining up in the streets demonstrating for them. The descendants of enslaved Africans are not immigrants, and we have made a mess of helping them.
Remember the word being left out by Mr Brooks is illegal.
The point is, speaking for myself, I object to illegal immigrants. People who refuse to stand in line to apply for entry and thus steal American privilege without applying. I object to young men who sneak into the US and while refusing to fight for their birth country. I object to employers who fight for illegals but will not fight for poor black or white Americans.
Also please do not respond by saying that we are all immigrants here. One, the Original People are not immigrants, and no one is lining up in the streets demonstrating for them. The descendants of enslaved Africans are not immigrants, and we have made a mess of helping them.
Remember the word being left out by Mr Brooks is illegal.
4
you are correct but trying to round up 11 million illegals is a fools errand and the cost is not worth the benefit so why not make them "legal" in some way. they are having taxes taken from their pay and if those who employ them are not paying those taxes then they are just as guilty as the people here illegally.
2
"Refusing to fight for their birth country"? Clinton, GW Bush, Trump anyone???
'For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston.' ---could it be that Houston is increasingly Democratic, an 'dying white America' is not? (Really, that's not so hard to figure out, once you give up on the idea that the Republicans are acting in what they take to be the national interest.)
9
Cotton and Purdue, two Christian Conservatives, elected by mostly white voters who get their marching orders from talk radio and Fox News. Thanks to Putin and Comey now have a president to support their agenda.
11
And David Brooks characterizes them as "liberals" of the zero growth school. Odd, that.
I should note that the zero population growth folks were thinking about the laws of thermodynamics establishing limits to growth. There's a fixed amount of matter/energy in the universe (1st law of Thermodynamics), which conflicts with the infinite growth forever economists' Ponzi scheme view of the physical universe. I'm betting on the physical sciences over the wishful thinking of economists.
I should note that the zero population growth folks were thinking about the laws of thermodynamics establishing limits to growth. There's a fixed amount of matter/energy in the universe (1st law of Thermodynamics), which conflicts with the infinite growth forever economists' Ponzi scheme view of the physical universe. I'm betting on the physical sciences over the wishful thinking of economists.
2
"... rather freed natives to do more pleasant work." A good analogy is to think of non-native workers as robots. Repetitive blue collar jobs go overseas and to robots. The hard jobs do the same. To be sure, these non-native workers are living, breathing humans with families. Throw out the immigrants at your peril but "throw the bums out (of Congress)" instead, please.
Mr. Brooks can't understand why "republicans prefer a dying, white America..." Gee, it really is so baffling.
4
The immigration target mentioned in the article is very very low.
Back in 1986, Canada determined that (with the projected aging of our society) we needed to increase immigration to 0.6% of the population year in and year out in order to stabilize the cost of our social programmes. Right now, that is about 350,000 immigrants a year on a population base of 33 million and the government has announced that it is now looking at raising the annual immigration target toward the 500,000 range.
For the USA with a population over 10 times Canada's to cut back to the same 500,000 annual immigration target that Canada has would be incredibly counter productive.
Countries that become "aged societies" (e.g. Japan, Greece, Italy and other "club Med" southern European countries have difficulties generating meagre GDP growth - let alone the 3% to 4% targeted by the President.
I doubt that there is any credible economic projection that shows how cutting immigration and expelling huge numbers of undocumented workers is consistent with the President's stated economic growth goal - unless "wishing on a star" counts!
Back in 1986, Canada determined that (with the projected aging of our society) we needed to increase immigration to 0.6% of the population year in and year out in order to stabilize the cost of our social programmes. Right now, that is about 350,000 immigrants a year on a population base of 33 million and the government has announced that it is now looking at raising the annual immigration target toward the 500,000 range.
For the USA with a population over 10 times Canada's to cut back to the same 500,000 annual immigration target that Canada has would be incredibly counter productive.
Countries that become "aged societies" (e.g. Japan, Greece, Italy and other "club Med" southern European countries have difficulties generating meagre GDP growth - let alone the 3% to 4% targeted by the President.
I doubt that there is any credible economic projection that shows how cutting immigration and expelling huge numbers of undocumented workers is consistent with the President's stated economic growth goal - unless "wishing on a star" counts!
16
Facts are stubborn things.
1
"In other words, the labor shortage hasn’t led to higher wages ..."
And when the Rust Belt realizes that the imminent flood of hi-paying factory jobs promised by Trump is actually a trickle -- thanks to the fact that the river of jobs has actually moved to other towns and other types of jobs -- there will be hell to pay.
And when the Rust Belt realizes that the imminent flood of hi-paying factory jobs promised by Trump is actually a trickle -- thanks to the fact that the river of jobs has actually moved to other towns and other types of jobs -- there will be hell to pay.
9
Expel millions, curtail legal immigrants is a great formula for economic decline. Republican Party is intent on removing millions of consumers. How does an economy grow 4% (Republican fantasy goals), if you reduce the number of consumers. It cannot. If you want to see what an America in decline looks like, travel through upstate New York. Lots of old white geezers, very little growth, town after town hollowed out. No energy, little economic vitality, lots of white Republican voters, plenty of antipathy towards anyone who does not look like us.
18
The average immigrant entering the U.S. today has a tenth grade education. That was appropriate over 60 years but not today. As jobs become automated we are getting an unrealistically high percentage of people on social programs. If you wonder why social security, Medicaid, Medicare, are not sustainable, you will learn the safety net will no longer works. It is unsustainable. We do not need more lower income people in the country. It is fact and not fiction.
2
Welcome to capitalism 101 and American history 101.2. The history of our country has been one of meeting capitalist needs for cheap labor through immigration and then during downturns, slamming the immigrant door shut.
The US Immigration Act of 1790 restricted immigration to white Europeans. At the same time our constitution permitted slave trading, but of course a slave was not considered an immigrant. But two labor needs were met, albeit one a hideous version of real labor.
When we needed railroad and timber mill labor the door opened to China. Then it closed with the Chinese Exclusion Act and we instead called on the huddled masses of southern and eastern Europe.
With Mexico it was open, especially during WWI, then closed during the great depression. Then open again because of WWII, then closed, then opened in the form of the Bracerro program.
As long as we insist on the open flow of capital across boarders then the corresponding flow of migrant labor is inevitable. New York City alone had an outflow of nearly a million residents in the 70's and 80's, only to be replaced by a million immigrants.
Rather than close the immigrant door again, only to discover that we need to open it again, let's have a rational policy that allows for these cyclical labor flows. I know 'rational policy' and the GOP are words that don't easily fit in the same sentence, but one can at least hope.
The US Immigration Act of 1790 restricted immigration to white Europeans. At the same time our constitution permitted slave trading, but of course a slave was not considered an immigrant. But two labor needs were met, albeit one a hideous version of real labor.
When we needed railroad and timber mill labor the door opened to China. Then it closed with the Chinese Exclusion Act and we instead called on the huddled masses of southern and eastern Europe.
With Mexico it was open, especially during WWI, then closed during the great depression. Then open again because of WWII, then closed, then opened in the form of the Bracerro program.
As long as we insist on the open flow of capital across boarders then the corresponding flow of migrant labor is inevitable. New York City alone had an outflow of nearly a million residents in the 70's and 80's, only to be replaced by a million immigrants.
Rather than close the immigrant door again, only to discover that we need to open it again, let's have a rational policy that allows for these cyclical labor flows. I know 'rational policy' and the GOP are words that don't easily fit in the same sentence, but one can at least hope.
12
Well, I am just going to sit here and contemplate a great expectation, a satisfying vision:
that all these rich white Republicans who are determined to build walls to block Mexicans, barricade our airports against Muslims, and generally keep out the "soiled" riffraff who threaten to flood this Good White Country (brave travelers whose resolution may strongly resemble the resolution, and desperation, in the faces of the Republicans' own immigrant great-great grandparents ... that motley crowd) will soon find themselves searching high and low for cheap nannies and cheap construction workers to raze and erect their towers ... towers which are generally not quite as tall as these men claim.
I wish this for Donald Trump and his family first.
(Side note: David Brooks finds it difficult to conclude an article without some swipe at liberals, and he does it again here. But I don't recognize his no-growth liberals of the 1970s. Let's consider the possibility that liberals throughout the 60s and 70s struggled to support "immigration" by fighting for the MIGRATION of women, African-Americans, and gays into full citizenship ... into the mainstream of American life and commerce.)
that all these rich white Republicans who are determined to build walls to block Mexicans, barricade our airports against Muslims, and generally keep out the "soiled" riffraff who threaten to flood this Good White Country (brave travelers whose resolution may strongly resemble the resolution, and desperation, in the faces of the Republicans' own immigrant great-great grandparents ... that motley crowd) will soon find themselves searching high and low for cheap nannies and cheap construction workers to raze and erect their towers ... towers which are generally not quite as tall as these men claim.
I wish this for Donald Trump and his family first.
(Side note: David Brooks finds it difficult to conclude an article without some swipe at liberals, and he does it again here. But I don't recognize his no-growth liberals of the 1970s. Let's consider the possibility that liberals throughout the 60s and 70s struggled to support "immigration" by fighting for the MIGRATION of women, African-Americans, and gays into full citizenship ... into the mainstream of American life and commerce.)
7
Thanks for shinning a light on another dopey Republican idea.
9
Young young people here cannot afford to get education and you are not hired without that education; be it vocational or college. I live in a blue collar area and trust me many Americans still work hard physically, and are satisfied doing so. However, If you get injured, you don't have benefits to get well. I have countless neighbors scraping by on disability their family lives devastated. If I was an ambitious smart foreign born human; I wouldn't, now with Trump as our leader, want to move to USA. Nor,if I were a young American would I have children here. Bring Children into Tumpworld with its venom and terror-no way.
6
David is clearly at or beyond a tipping point: "For the life of me I can't figure out ...".
I've begun to view our citizenry as now divided into two groups. Roughly the Sane versus the Crazy. Using those terms loosely - not in a professional, diagnostic sense.
David describes factual demographic information. We could enlarge those facts. Consider the world's population. People from China and India and Africa far, far outnumber white people. Our globe is multi-ethnic, multi-racial. It's a wonderful, exihilerating, joyful exuberance of wonderful creativity.
But some, the "crazy" seem unable to share the joy this brings me! They want to wall themselves in. Paint certain enclaves into corners. Stock up on guns and riches. Depriving as many as possibl from sharing the wealth and cultural richness. Blooming everywhere.
The FACTS of global warming and environmental destruction alone tell us that the world's population will be on the move. Seeking places where they can survive and thrive. And the "crazy" among us would negate these facts! Would condemn those in the hottest parts of the world to starvation and heat stroke. While, as David so clearly points out, walling whites and the wealthy into ultimate economic and social withering... a death wish... of the "crazy"!
Those who are "sane" and able to face FACTS must rise up and resist the "crazy" - for our own survival.
For the survival, not of the fittest. But if us all. For Sanity!
I've begun to view our citizenry as now divided into two groups. Roughly the Sane versus the Crazy. Using those terms loosely - not in a professional, diagnostic sense.
David describes factual demographic information. We could enlarge those facts. Consider the world's population. People from China and India and Africa far, far outnumber white people. Our globe is multi-ethnic, multi-racial. It's a wonderful, exihilerating, joyful exuberance of wonderful creativity.
But some, the "crazy" seem unable to share the joy this brings me! They want to wall themselves in. Paint certain enclaves into corners. Stock up on guns and riches. Depriving as many as possibl from sharing the wealth and cultural richness. Blooming everywhere.
The FACTS of global warming and environmental destruction alone tell us that the world's population will be on the move. Seeking places where they can survive and thrive. And the "crazy" among us would negate these facts! Would condemn those in the hottest parts of the world to starvation and heat stroke. While, as David so clearly points out, walling whites and the wealthy into ultimate economic and social withering... a death wish... of the "crazy"!
Those who are "sane" and able to face FACTS must rise up and resist the "crazy" - for our own survival.
For the survival, not of the fittest. But if us all. For Sanity!
4
Unfortunately the white working class, that Cotton and Perdue are "helping." voted in a person with the attention span of 144 characters. He'd never get the subtlety and accuracy of your argument. Couple that fact with the alt right Bannon whispering in fake 45's ears. A prescription for disruption for all and no new jobs for his voters.
7
Thanks David, Great article and a positive message. In the last sentence you note: "I wish they had a little more faith in freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity." You're on a mood swing I suppose. Your column from about a week ago talks about writing off the entire 21st century, given the direction we're headed as a society. Glad to see you've woken up on the right side of the bed today!
1
The Republicans in Congress seem to base all there actions on false assumptions built into shaky theories and terrible legislative proposals. as seen in immigration, finance, education, and the environment. The Democratic Party needs a clear and thoughtful alternative based on factual evidence and
theories. And soon! before we lose everything!
theories. And soon! before we lose everything!
3
We are going to have to ride out the inevitable economic failures of the GOP in order to build the political momentum to retake Congress. I'm in Houston--this will do real damage here and in other parts of Texas. I don't feel sorry for Texas--it has throngs of bigoted ideologues who vote for these other bigoted ideologues. We have to have a giant Kansas experiment, where conservatives like Brownback enact dumb laws, the economic and social fabric becomes bankrupt, and the backlash then occurs. We are in for a rough ride to a hard landing, indeed.
7
With a title like "The National Death Wish" I was sure this op-ed focused on Trump and his supporters who are so angry with government that they sent Trump to Washington to burn it down.
On the other hand, Republicans have been in Washington for quite sometime attempting to murder government. So, it is no surprise that Cotton and Perdue have come up with yet another poison. Only this time, it is not limited to killing government. Killing America is the sacrifice Republicans are willing to make to keep it white.
On the other hand, Republicans have been in Washington for quite sometime attempting to murder government. So, it is no surprise that Cotton and Perdue have come up with yet another poison. Only this time, it is not limited to killing government. Killing America is the sacrifice Republicans are willing to make to keep it white.
5
Start with basic facts. The effort Tom Cotton, no friend of mine, and others are supporting is to reduce legal immigration, not border jumpers and those who overstay visas. The column breaks down in usefulness because it constructs an argument based on studies of all immigrants, especially those at the bottom of the labor market. This is truly an apples and oranges argument.
Workers are being imported for all kinds of jobs up and down the pay scales. If you walk into an major insurance company work area and it looks like the vast majority of those processing claims are from Asia, does that look like a problem?
People are being imported because it has become an easy route to recruit workers. This has become a business with individuals and companies making deals with employers and getting a fee for every worker they bring in. What don't they "import" people from various other places here? It is easier to bring people in from outside because, over there, other people make money assembling the groups to be exported and there is a larger pool of people ready to move.
There can be no doubt that importing large numbers of workers has a negative effect on wages. If the supply is huge, exceeding demand, then the basic laws of economics obviously apply.
Construction trades? The lack of ready workers there is probably due to the drumbeat for the last three generations: you must go to college. People don't even know how well paying those jobs are or how rewarding they can be.
Workers are being imported for all kinds of jobs up and down the pay scales. If you walk into an major insurance company work area and it looks like the vast majority of those processing claims are from Asia, does that look like a problem?
People are being imported because it has become an easy route to recruit workers. This has become a business with individuals and companies making deals with employers and getting a fee for every worker they bring in. What don't they "import" people from various other places here? It is easier to bring people in from outside because, over there, other people make money assembling the groups to be exported and there is a larger pool of people ready to move.
There can be no doubt that importing large numbers of workers has a negative effect on wages. If the supply is huge, exceeding demand, then the basic laws of economics obviously apply.
Construction trades? The lack of ready workers there is probably due to the drumbeat for the last three generations: you must go to college. People don't even know how well paying those jobs are or how rewarding they can be.
3
Cotton and Perdue ultimate goal is to replace illegal immigrants working for slave wages with second generation Americans working for slave wages.
9
Houston isn't ugly anymore, and it has quickly adapted to lower oil prices. It will soon be the 3rd largest city in America displacing Chicago. Fiscal Conservativism coupled with Social Liberalism underpinned by a Libertarian respect for the rights of the individual make it a model for the future of America. Deeply Blue in the last election, it's only challenge may be that it has to deal with the Red crazies in the state government.
2
Needs to be reduced to about 25,000 a year.
25,000 QUALIFIED, EDUCATED immigrants.
25,000 QUALIFIED, EDUCATED immigrants.
Memo to David Brooks: No one has a "high school degree". Many have "high school diplomas".
2
I think that most of us have figured out by now that the Conservative Republican approach to immigration is not based upon any sound research, actual facts, or reason. The approach is simply a response to bigotry among a shrinking white population that votes for them.
I've lived in a rural area where produce production dominates. Apples, peaches, grapes, cabbage, squash require manual labor. In twelve years here I have yet to see a white person, young, middle aged, or old, working in the fields and orchards. And every year some fields are never harvested due to a lack of willing labor. This year I'm watching to see how many fields go unharvested, are intentionally left fallow from the start, or are converted to corn or soy bean production which can be done with machinery and less manual labor.
And all of us can should pay attention to the cost of produce at the supermarket this coming year, and especially next winter. Who out there wants to bet against an increase in prices?
I've lived in a rural area where produce production dominates. Apples, peaches, grapes, cabbage, squash require manual labor. In twelve years here I have yet to see a white person, young, middle aged, or old, working in the fields and orchards. And every year some fields are never harvested due to a lack of willing labor. This year I'm watching to see how many fields go unharvested, are intentionally left fallow from the start, or are converted to corn or soy bean production which can be done with machinery and less manual labor.
And all of us can should pay attention to the cost of produce at the supermarket this coming year, and especially next winter. Who out there wants to bet against an increase in prices?
1
Most of us understand the science of climate change, yet not many people extend their reasoning to come to the conclusion that we cannot perpetually grow our population. More people emit more carbon, it is simple. Scientists also say that the US population is past its sustainable level.
Immigration has the largest impact on our country's population growth. We emit more carbon per person than any other country. The planet really doesn't care how ethnically diverse we are, or whether people have a 'right' to come here. Its simple science. I agree with limiting immigration, just not for the reasons Sen. Cotton expounds. Are we all really going to buy the lie of perpetual growth right up to the bitter end?
Immigration has the largest impact on our country's population growth. We emit more carbon per person than any other country. The planet really doesn't care how ethnically diverse we are, or whether people have a 'right' to come here. Its simple science. I agree with limiting immigration, just not for the reasons Sen. Cotton expounds. Are we all really going to buy the lie of perpetual growth right up to the bitter end?
2
A lake. And guess who's at the shallow end of that (gene) pool ???
2
Brooks is so old-school, caring about data , studies and whatnot. Fact-free opinions and spite are the currency of the new Republican realm.
4
You're kidding, right, David? You can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America? That's your party's doomed base: angry aging white people ticked off that American no longer looks Ozzie and Harriet nor behaves like Father Knows Best. Trump is their great white hope, the wizard who going to turn back time and rewind modern ecomic reality.
There's a thriving multi-cultural and multi-racial America that is going to rise up against the aberration of this election and bury the dying GOP version of America once and for all. As an aging wealthy white male, I say that funeral can't come soon enough. There won't be any tears shed and its gonna be one helluva happy wake.
There's a thriving multi-cultural and multi-racial America that is going to rise up against the aberration of this election and bury the dying GOP version of America once and for all. As an aging wealthy white male, I say that funeral can't come soon enough. There won't be any tears shed and its gonna be one helluva happy wake.
4
Pandering to their base. And, I do mean base. Nothing new here, move along.
4
Good article about bad, conservative economic policy until the end, where Brooks remarkably finds a way to tie it to liberals. What is it about conservative pundits that they can't just talk about the facts, but have to spin them too? It's the softer side of the Party of Liars.
2
Here is a potential answer to why Republicans are so anxious to shut down immigration - not just illegal, but also legal - especially legal. The late Phyllis Shafley's Eagle forum recently posted a demographic study from a center-right think tank arguing that immigrants are generally more liberal than US native conservatives and would, over time, diminish the power of the conservative movement. Shafley, in the forward, endorsed this proposition. Even if Democrats' belief in the demographics is destiny argument, it seems to be a driving preoccupation with some republicans..
3
Affordable housing is available in the pool of already-built housing, including foreclosed homes. Much is in small cities and in areas of the Midwest, which have lost population.
2
"Employers have apparently decided raising wages won’t work."
Construction is cyclical and requires skills beyond the pick and shovel. The whole point of high wages for construction workers is the cyclical and hazardous nature of the work. A construction worker must make enough when there is work to carry on through times when there is no work in order to be available for the next round of projects. If he is not paid enough he will give up on construction and move on to something else. This is what happened during the Great Recession and many of these workers are not coming back nor have they passed their skills on to the next generation of workers, leading to more on the job accidents and injuries when relatively unskilled newcomers must be hired. A decade is a long time to freeze a career.
Employers have killed incentive and not maintained the necessary pool of workers needed for growth.
Business requires a sustainable long term environment and long term thinking. Americans don't want diminishing returns for investing their own toil, sweat and time.
Construction is cyclical and requires skills beyond the pick and shovel. The whole point of high wages for construction workers is the cyclical and hazardous nature of the work. A construction worker must make enough when there is work to carry on through times when there is no work in order to be available for the next round of projects. If he is not paid enough he will give up on construction and move on to something else. This is what happened during the Great Recession and many of these workers are not coming back nor have they passed their skills on to the next generation of workers, leading to more on the job accidents and injuries when relatively unskilled newcomers must be hired. A decade is a long time to freeze a career.
Employers have killed incentive and not maintained the necessary pool of workers needed for growth.
Business requires a sustainable long term environment and long term thinking. Americans don't want diminishing returns for investing their own toil, sweat and time.
2
Great insights. Studies almost universally show that immigration has negligible impact on the labor opportunities of American citizens, even when considering impact on particular racial groups. What's more, immigrants drive economic growth in the small business sector. And they pay a disproportionate share of taxes in comparison to the services they receive. All in all, they are a boon to our economy.
Having worked in Mexican immigrant neighborhoods in the southwest, I know that most immigrant families bring the kind of work ethic and commitment to family that most Americans like to think of as core "American values." We white Americans need to stop cowering in fear of the changes immigrants bring to our culture and embrace the vibrancy they add to our communities. The way to move America forward is not by building walls and assigning quotas. It's by finding ways for all people in this country, citizen and immigrant alike, to contribute to the prosperity of our nation.
Having worked in Mexican immigrant neighborhoods in the southwest, I know that most immigrant families bring the kind of work ethic and commitment to family that most Americans like to think of as core "American values." We white Americans need to stop cowering in fear of the changes immigrants bring to our culture and embrace the vibrancy they add to our communities. The way to move America forward is not by building walls and assigning quotas. It's by finding ways for all people in this country, citizen and immigrant alike, to contribute to the prosperity of our nation.
2
For once it's not about the economy. It's about identity. America is a white, Christian nation, not something else that letting in all these immigrants of different races and ethnicities and religions and cultural values will make it.
1
Immigration, legal or otherwise, for the most part, is just another form of population increase and so should be fairly neutral with respect to employment: more people (the immigrants) means more goods and services are needed (i.e, more jobs) but also more job seekers.
The cultural effect of most immigration is insignificant when compared to the effects of technology and philosophy.
Machinery, radio, TV, effective birth control, legalized abortion, computers, the internet, and smart phones have all changed human culture far more than migration.
Philosophers and artists also exert a huge effect on culture. Think Christianity, Communism, Fascism, the EU, Martin Luther King, Jr,, Stonewall, the 1960's Counter Culture, the Beatles, FDR, Reagan, Trump, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and on and on.
Our culture 30 years from now will be very different. Not because of Mexican or Chinese immigrants, but because of scientists, engineers, philosophers and artists.
The cultural effect of most immigration is insignificant when compared to the effects of technology and philosophy.
Machinery, radio, TV, effective birth control, legalized abortion, computers, the internet, and smart phones have all changed human culture far more than migration.
Philosophers and artists also exert a huge effect on culture. Think Christianity, Communism, Fascism, the EU, Martin Luther King, Jr,, Stonewall, the 1960's Counter Culture, the Beatles, FDR, Reagan, Trump, Madonna, Lady Gaga, and on and on.
Our culture 30 years from now will be very different. Not because of Mexican or Chinese immigrants, but because of scientists, engineers, philosophers and artists.
1
I don't know why you expect our new president and the republicans who are now grovelling at his feet to be logical and intelligent. They've showed signs of neither.
Americans are not as averse to hard labor as you think. They have become averse to low wages with less benefits and less job security than their parents had when they worked at at similar jobs. The difference is strong Unions.
Organized labor fights and all workers benefit. Workers left on their own scramble for crumbs just to stay above water. The attack by conservatives on labor unions, which started with the Taft Hartley Act of 1947 and continues with the so call Right To Work laws has been devastating to workers.
A just society needs workers who are treated fairly in jobs that pay a living wage, with benefits and job security.
Organized labor fights and all workers benefit. Workers left on their own scramble for crumbs just to stay above water. The attack by conservatives on labor unions, which started with the Taft Hartley Act of 1947 and continues with the so call Right To Work laws has been devastating to workers.
A just society needs workers who are treated fairly in jobs that pay a living wage, with benefits and job security.
2
I've said many times, that Tea party members and supporters generally live in back-water areas and feel that the entire country should resemble their plain, unsophisticated look--bland, a suspicion of people with intellect, not well read and really bad food. Economic engine centers rely on diversity and dynamism. Both worlds can easily co-exist but for our myopic politicians.
1
From someone who lived and prospered in Houston, I heartily endorse your views of the city. However, there is one problem with Houston's diversified society; it is a city of progressives and this runs counter to GOP aspirations.
6
I’d like a better explanation of the problem with construction jobs, it seems like the higher-wages part is glossed over. ARE these firms offering higher wages and better benefits? Or are they just holding out, trying to save every last penny for themselves, and then whining about the result? I mean, why should someone go through the hard work and expense of learning a trade, and then assume the burden of doing work that’s bound to take a toll on your health, minus a strong commitment from employers? Or maybe the commitment is there, and the workers just aren’t. I’d just like a little more information.
So you noticed he's a little light on the information also.
There are 3 million long distance truck drivers today. In perhaps 15 to 20 years many of the trucks will be driven by robot who work 24 hours a day, don't need sleep breaks, showers or pensions. The robots will not join unions. The jobs that will remain will require advanced education. Also necessary is at least some recognition by the political class that the creative destruction of capitalism also results in negative externalities which need to be addressed with more than cliches about the wonders of the market.
5
Republican "solutions" often flow from a false binary, ignoring realities. This is a perfect example. Assume a closed environment where the only variable is available labor, and reducing it increases wages. Of course, America is not a closed environment and there are multiple variables, so the economy responds in a far more nuanced fashion than the simplistic proposition suggests.
We see the same false binary from Republicans wherever we look. In a closed environment where the only variable is wages, increasing the minimum wage hurts a business' bottom line and reduces employment. But of course, there are many variables. An increased wage leads to increased buying power, so the business makes more sales. It leads to more loyal workers, so less training time, more long-term employees, and ultimately more efficiency from a better trained and more stable workforce. But we never hear any of that, because we are faced with only a false and simplistic binary proposition.
We get the same in tax rates. Assume our only variable is the top tax bracket, and lowering it increases money available for spending. But of course, reality isn't that simple. People with more money are less likely to put it back in the economy through purchases, while people with less money inject it straight back into the economy for a greater stimulative effect.
In every case, the basic assumption, that everything flows from a defined binary choice in a closed environment, is the lie.
We see the same false binary from Republicans wherever we look. In a closed environment where the only variable is wages, increasing the minimum wage hurts a business' bottom line and reduces employment. But of course, there are many variables. An increased wage leads to increased buying power, so the business makes more sales. It leads to more loyal workers, so less training time, more long-term employees, and ultimately more efficiency from a better trained and more stable workforce. But we never hear any of that, because we are faced with only a false and simplistic binary proposition.
We get the same in tax rates. Assume our only variable is the top tax bracket, and lowering it increases money available for spending. But of course, reality isn't that simple. People with more money are less likely to put it back in the economy through purchases, while people with less money inject it straight back into the economy for a greater stimulative effect.
In every case, the basic assumption, that everything flows from a defined binary choice in a closed environment, is the lie.
3
The second biggest problem we face in this nation is what do we do with low skilled (and even medium skilled) workers going forward. (The biggest problem is that we were split 50/50 diametrically, and refuse to talk to each other to solve problems. Vector analysis shows that if you put equal forces 180 degrees opposite no motion is achieved!) Mr. Brooks has made a good argument that in the short run, we won't have problems with immigration labor, and that is good, because we need workers as the fertility of white people falls. In the long run we are going to have more and more automation affecting manufacture and even professional work. So what are people for? Even now we have a society that is propped up with demand for leisure items and chotskies as much as substantive value added commerce. "life is good" caps, cellphones that can tell you the capital of Tajikistan when the question comes up, larger and larger TV's so you can watch the nuances of NFL games, computers so you can waste your time making these comments! All workers and many entrepreneurs face the same thing, declining interest and desire for meaningful activity. We can all become the Granthams of Downton Abbey!
2
I'm glad to see Brooks starting a discussion about immigrants, labor and the future of our country, but i think he picked a weak issue (building construction labor), and his particular conclusion about the building industry is unsupported, even backward ... and building construction labor has nothing to do with the reason "For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
The Pew Trust Survey showed (cited from the WaPo) ..."Nationwide, ... the portion of unauthorized workers in professional or business jobs — including sales and office support — grew from 10 to 13 percent, while the portion in production and construction declined from 34 to 29%. As in the past, though, it said “a solid majority” still toil at low-wage jobs including farm labor. .... In Virginia, Maryland and DC, they are employed mainly in service jobs in hotels, restaurants, buildings and grounds, and private homes."
The reason illegal immigrants are disappearing from urban construction jobs is due to E-verify and enforcement.
Brooks is uncritical about builder's claims: any individual builder can get more labor rapidly by offering a few dollars more -- taking it from other contractors. They aren't offering it because they cannot make money on their projects if they do; that's why "they focus on high-end luxury homes, leaving affordable housing high and dry."
The Pew Trust Survey showed (cited from the WaPo) ..."Nationwide, ... the portion of unauthorized workers in professional or business jobs — including sales and office support — grew from 10 to 13 percent, while the portion in production and construction declined from 34 to 29%. As in the past, though, it said “a solid majority” still toil at low-wage jobs including farm labor. .... In Virginia, Maryland and DC, they are employed mainly in service jobs in hotels, restaurants, buildings and grounds, and private homes."
The reason illegal immigrants are disappearing from urban construction jobs is due to E-verify and enforcement.
Brooks is uncritical about builder's claims: any individual builder can get more labor rapidly by offering a few dollars more -- taking it from other contractors. They aren't offering it because they cannot make money on their projects if they do; that's why "they focus on high-end luxury homes, leaving affordable housing high and dry."
2
I live in Philadelphia. As liberal as I am, I do not support a need for immigrant, undocumented workers for the construction industry. There's a lot of construction going on here, as there is in a lot of cities. We are right now renovating our bathroom (in a 100-year-old row home), and we have the best contractors and workers we have ever had. They all work hard from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon and make a good living at what they do. All three are Italian-Americans. After WWII, when African-American constructors were replaced by Italian-Americans here in South Philadelphia they controlled construction, hired men they knew, and made enough money to buy a house and raise a family. Today, most contractors here are sub-contracting to Mexican men because they are very hard workers and are willing to work for very little money. Of course, this makes in much harder for people here to be hired.
Don't we want most of all to have our people able once again to make enough money to "achieve the American Dream": own a house, raise and educate their children and hope that their kids "will work with their minds and not their backs?" I do not believe we should deport many current residents, but I do believe that we should put our own people first--regardless whether their wages will make the housing developers able to build fewer new units and houses; I fear that once again there will too many apartments and condos that won't be filled.
Don't we want most of all to have our people able once again to make enough money to "achieve the American Dream": own a house, raise and educate their children and hope that their kids "will work with their minds and not their backs?" I do not believe we should deport many current residents, but I do believe that we should put our own people first--regardless whether their wages will make the housing developers able to build fewer new units and houses; I fear that once again there will too many apartments and condos that won't be filled.
2
At least we are finally having a big picture discussion about immigration. Most people I know out here in flyover country are ok with legal immigration, unhappy with illegal immigration, and confused as to the details of the legal system. They are unclear as to who gets to come and why vs. who did not get to come and why. Fix the illegal system and things will likely calm down. A better articulation of how the legal process works would also help.
2
It's simple enough. Conservatives, by definition, don't like change and, when change has occurred, want to return to the past. This effect is potentiated by some groups in society (e.g. white men) losing some of the power they once had and wanting to regain it. Additional impetus comes, in some instances, from a dislike of people of color or people with the experience of the wider world that escapes many from parochial middle America.
3
The Republican agenda of destroying American democracy and replacing it with a heartless kleptocracy, a kleptocracy that destroys the health, the education, the very joy of living is now in place. We are witnessing the end of the American dream. Addiction to greed, lust for more and more wealth and power, and the end of a civil, decent, caring society are now within the GOP's grasp. The Trumpists are coming for the immigrants - the liberals will be next, soon no one will be safe. Welcome to 1984.
5
The next step for the Republicans is to sponsor a bus ticket for unemployed coal miners to go pick lettuce in California.
Dust Bowl II.
Dust Bowl II.
4
David, if you ran for political office in the rest belt, or the South, you would never get elected, if this is your attitude toward immigration.
And that is the real point of Trump's election...he said what the lost and overburdened lower middle class needed to hear. They watched their jobs and industry be moved to more profitable countries where poor people would work for peanuts, and the profits could enrich the oligarchic investor class.
Address the concerns of those voters who watched their communities be devastated, and maybe you have a column. It isn't the labor shortage and immigration, it is job shortage and the emigration of business, and the simultaneous rise in housing costs. Can't work, can't pay the rent, or the kid's dental bills...
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
And that is the real point of Trump's election...he said what the lost and overburdened lower middle class needed to hear. They watched their jobs and industry be moved to more profitable countries where poor people would work for peanuts, and the profits could enrich the oligarchic investor class.
Address the concerns of those voters who watched their communities be devastated, and maybe you have a column. It isn't the labor shortage and immigration, it is job shortage and the emigration of business, and the simultaneous rise in housing costs. Can't work, can't pay the rent, or the kid's dental bills...
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
How could there be a booming construction business with Obama having destroyed the economy? Must be part of Republican logic I don't understand.
4
The protagonists are talking about LEGAL immigration – certainly Tom Cotton is. The distinction is important, since advocates of “open borders” seem not to SEE any distinction and simply give the Tom Cottons of the world all the ammo they need.
I encountered Cotton a few years ago, in the commentariat of the WSJ. It may still be the longest dialogue on record there. It was on the subject of the centenary of the Gettysburg Address and the disagreement centered on justifications for the Confederate view of our civil war (!) I defended the Union side, he the Confederate. What I learned is that Sen. Cotton probably is the most intelligent and well-informed hyper-conservative I’ve ever personally encountered. But there’s a diamond-hard edge to his social conservatism that isn’t open to less-strident worldviews.
My point is that Cotton and Perdue probably aren’t really arguing to adjust immigration to boost pay for Americans, but to keep America whiter. So, we should look elsewhere for a legitimate counterpoint to David’s lake-vs-river argument. And there is one.
Legal immigration is a long process, and doesn’t respond well to tweaks to address skill-demand needs – by the time a “tweak” has effect in the skill-mix of immigrants, the river’s ebb can become a flow from other sources. We should decide who should be our immigrants by what kind of country we want to become, not by what our needs are this instant for jobs that soon enough can and will be performed by robots.
I encountered Cotton a few years ago, in the commentariat of the WSJ. It may still be the longest dialogue on record there. It was on the subject of the centenary of the Gettysburg Address and the disagreement centered on justifications for the Confederate view of our civil war (!) I defended the Union side, he the Confederate. What I learned is that Sen. Cotton probably is the most intelligent and well-informed hyper-conservative I’ve ever personally encountered. But there’s a diamond-hard edge to his social conservatism that isn’t open to less-strident worldviews.
My point is that Cotton and Perdue probably aren’t really arguing to adjust immigration to boost pay for Americans, but to keep America whiter. So, we should look elsewhere for a legitimate counterpoint to David’s lake-vs-river argument. And there is one.
Legal immigration is a long process, and doesn’t respond well to tweaks to address skill-demand needs – by the time a “tweak” has effect in the skill-mix of immigrants, the river’s ebb can become a flow from other sources. We should decide who should be our immigrants by what kind of country we want to become, not by what our needs are this instant for jobs that soon enough can and will be performed by robots.
7
Nice try. Tom Cotton and David Perdue are nothing more that short slighted bigots from a region that made bigotry an integral part of their political DNA. They are not traditional Republicans any more than Democrats are Stalinists. Both are neo-Confederates who joined the GOP after Nixon fully embraced the infamous "Southern Strategy" in 1968 and willingly surrendered their past political ideals for political gain by supporting racism and racial division. Tom Cotton and David Perdue are mere manifestations of that long-held Republican trend.
Christopher:
Obviously, you didn't read my comment. What you assert about Cotton in particular is what I wrote about him myself, only in a more respectful and civilized manner.
What's more, Cotton is an extremist and represents NO claimed "long-held Republican trend".
Obviously, you didn't read my comment. What you assert about Cotton in particular is what I wrote about him myself, only in a more respectful and civilized manner.
What's more, Cotton is an extremist and represents NO claimed "long-held Republican trend".
DB, please don't patronize us with ''lakes'' and ''rivers.''
Put simply, economic growth is the product of productivity and population growth. First generation immigrants and their childredn are the primary drivers of population growth in the US. Restrict immigration and you restrict economic growth on both counts, as immigrants are also disproportionately involved in forming new tech businesses.
Brooks does not make the point that he should, namely that not only is the Cotton-Perdue plan anti-growth, it is also in keeping with the current mainstream Republican racism and xenophobia. The Senators are in league with Bannon, Sessions and Miller, who really seem to believe we would be better off if we were just more white.
Cotton was on CBS this morning and was asked directly about his plan to replace the ACA, to which he answered there are ''lots of ideas and concepts,'' but somehow he didn't articulate a plan. As in, there isn't one after more than 60 votes to repeal ''Obamacare.''
Who do they think they are kidding?
Put simply, economic growth is the product of productivity and population growth. First generation immigrants and their childredn are the primary drivers of population growth in the US. Restrict immigration and you restrict economic growth on both counts, as immigrants are also disproportionately involved in forming new tech businesses.
Brooks does not make the point that he should, namely that not only is the Cotton-Perdue plan anti-growth, it is also in keeping with the current mainstream Republican racism and xenophobia. The Senators are in league with Bannon, Sessions and Miller, who really seem to believe we would be better off if we were just more white.
Cotton was on CBS this morning and was asked directly about his plan to replace the ACA, to which he answered there are ''lots of ideas and concepts,'' but somehow he didn't articulate a plan. As in, there isn't one after more than 60 votes to repeal ''Obamacare.''
Who do they think they are kidding?
9
@ClearEye
Princeton
Are you metaphor phobic?
Princeton
Are you metaphor phobic?
That's way too "simple". Growth minus welfare, medicaid, and subsidized housing = 0 real growth.
Let me get the economic anti-immigrant reasoning straight: white people employ brown people instead of other white people. They pay the brown people lower wages than they would pay other white people. Therefore the other white people won't do the work. If the brown people disappeared, the white people would be forced to pay the other white people better wages—which means they could pay those higher wages now, right? Or, if forced to pay the higher wages, their business will fold, and the other white people still won't have work.
Those aggrieved other white people continue to vote for the party of the white people who want to pay low wages. But the poor prospects of the aggrieved other white people—that's the fault of the brown people.
Am I getting this right? I don't want to be a liberal elitist not understanding the grievances of white people. Even though I'm a white person earning half what they feel entitled to but with decades of experience and far more education than they bothered to obtain.
One of the reasons non-slaveholding, poorer white people opposed freeing enslaved Africans was that they would have to compete for work and wages against the newly freed, who would be eager to work hard now that they would be compensated for their labor, and since they were coming from nothing, presumably would work for less. Do the outlines of this reasoning from the aggrieved other white people have a similar contour?
Those aggrieved other white people continue to vote for the party of the white people who want to pay low wages. But the poor prospects of the aggrieved other white people—that's the fault of the brown people.
Am I getting this right? I don't want to be a liberal elitist not understanding the grievances of white people. Even though I'm a white person earning half what they feel entitled to but with decades of experience and far more education than they bothered to obtain.
One of the reasons non-slaveholding, poorer white people opposed freeing enslaved Africans was that they would have to compete for work and wages against the newly freed, who would be eager to work hard now that they would be compensated for their labor, and since they were coming from nothing, presumably would work for less. Do the outlines of this reasoning from the aggrieved other white people have a similar contour?
47
You are indeed 'getting this right'.....The whites are not phobic or fearful of the 'browns'. They resent and hate the 'browns'' very existence because karmically, (if you believe that sort of stuff) retribution is inevitable, and logistically, the browns do indeed do the work that they will not do. It's a cycle, and I believe the most vehement of racists are those folks whose not-so-distant past intertwined too closely with the 'browns'.
David, here's a thought that has been ruminating around my brain for the last couple of days.
Imagine if American businesses didn't see labor as a cost that needed to be brought as low as possible.
Imagine if wages were higher, significantly higher, in fact.
Imagine if both parties in two parent families didn't have to work in order to keep a roof over their heads, send their children to college, and retain access to healthcare.
Wouldn't that be a happier society? Wouldn't that be a healthier society? Wouldn't that be a more welcoming society? Wouldn't that be a society with an overflow of jobs for people who actually wanted to work (instead of a society with a shortage of jobs for those who desperately needed to work)?
There are legitimate issues surrounding immigration, but almost all those issues could be better addressed if the "powers that be" viewed their fellow Americans more as stakeholders in a great national enterprise instead of rubes to be taken, and expenditures to be eliminated, in their great race to "the top".
David, let me suggest that every ill that today afflicts America began with the narcissistic selfishness that lay at the heart of the Reagan devolution.
And now we are led by a narcissist-in-Chief.
Imagine if American businesses didn't see labor as a cost that needed to be brought as low as possible.
Imagine if wages were higher, significantly higher, in fact.
Imagine if both parties in two parent families didn't have to work in order to keep a roof over their heads, send their children to college, and retain access to healthcare.
Wouldn't that be a happier society? Wouldn't that be a healthier society? Wouldn't that be a more welcoming society? Wouldn't that be a society with an overflow of jobs for people who actually wanted to work (instead of a society with a shortage of jobs for those who desperately needed to work)?
There are legitimate issues surrounding immigration, but almost all those issues could be better addressed if the "powers that be" viewed their fellow Americans more as stakeholders in a great national enterprise instead of rubes to be taken, and expenditures to be eliminated, in their great race to "the top".
David, let me suggest that every ill that today afflicts America began with the narcissistic selfishness that lay at the heart of the Reagan devolution.
And now we are led by a narcissist-in-Chief.
49
As always, M. Carnicelli is on the money.
1
There are most likely millions of unfulfilled jobs, especially high tech and highly skilled positions. The nation's tech companies are desperate for engineers. They need and want immigrants to fill them. Factories need highly skilled machinists. I just bought a CNC router for my shop for only $4500. I can now make make many of my own parts instead of having them made for me. But it's going to take me at least a month to figure out how to program and use it. Those are the kinds of jobs we have now.
Business will not hire unqualified people. The sad truth is that millions of unemployed do not have the skills needed to fill them. Even sadder, many do not have the intellectual acuity to acquire those skills. Many are addicted to opiates and alcohol making them unreliable.
The immigrants did not create their situation and are not responsible for someone else not having the fortitude and skills to do available work. Cutting educational opportunities does. Privatizing everything does. Cutting taxes does. Not having votech training does. Drug addiction does. Eliminating trade unions does.
It's just easier to blame others and then give more tax cuts to the super wealthy who profit from it all.
Business will not hire unqualified people. The sad truth is that millions of unemployed do not have the skills needed to fill them. Even sadder, many do not have the intellectual acuity to acquire those skills. Many are addicted to opiates and alcohol making them unreliable.
The immigrants did not create their situation and are not responsible for someone else not having the fortitude and skills to do available work. Cutting educational opportunities does. Privatizing everything does. Cutting taxes does. Not having votech training does. Drug addiction does. Eliminating trade unions does.
It's just easier to blame others and then give more tax cuts to the super wealthy who profit from it all.
22
The nation's tech companies are looking for engineers who will accept lower pay and want to use the H1b visa program to find them. It is not about a shortage of Americans who want to do the work.
1
Margo,
This nation has a terrible shortage of engineers. That's why we have an H1B visa program. The truth is our kids either aren't interested or can't get through school. I'm an engineer. The degree is very difficult, many wash out. Wanting a good job and being able to perform at a god job are two different things. Engineers make good money even with the immigrants.
This nation has a terrible shortage of engineers. That's why we have an H1B visa program. The truth is our kids either aren't interested or can't get through school. I'm an engineer. The degree is very difficult, many wash out. Wanting a good job and being able to perform at a god job are two different things. Engineers make good money even with the immigrants.
1
In our globally connected world, the market and prices of goods and services determine the direction of flow of trade. The developed countries with low growth of population are going to be challenged on these fronts with the availability of huge number of skilled and non-skilled workers from under developed countries, whose baseline requirements for leading a good life are much lower than those in developed countries. This will be a reality going forward, where we like it or not.
Trying to find a way to balance this out, would seem a much better method than simply closing the doors, as then, we would require the consumer to buy goods and services at the higher cost, which would not work, at home and abroad.
Trying to find a way to balance this out, would seem a much better method than simply closing the doors, as then, we would require the consumer to buy goods and services at the higher cost, which would not work, at home and abroad.
5
Construction jobs are hard to fill because few people have the skills for those jobs. The government is so busy telling everyone that they should go to college, whether they are college material or not, they don't bother to get trained to do anything else. Maybe if high schools taught basic carpenter skills, and other vocational skills, instead of silly test taking skills, there wouldn't be a labor shortage in the trades.
17
not true: aside from small business independent contractors (who only hire short crews as they need them, not a stable source of job creation), many building boom construction jobs that used to go to trained credentialed union workers are being put out to bid for non-union -- which in turn depend on the supply of immigrant workers willing to work for low pay and no benefits, which in turn permits companies to cut corners on safety training and compliance as well as compensation. if america honored its heritage of organized labor, unions could expand their ranks. the kind of training needed for the construction trades is best obtained in an apprenticeship training program, where "silly test taking skills" are also taught to provide workers with the numerous written and practical trade certifications and periodic renewals that are required (the alternative being selling fake credentials, another non-union scandal to cut corners that we have seen in the news: handing out cards for blood money while not really training workers properly in "silly test taking skills" that are part of every manual labor trade today).
Right now prevailing wage is under attack and there is the mis-nomered "right to work" movement that takes work away from unions and allows for many labor abuses to prey on migrant workers. It is in neither group's favor.
Right now prevailing wage is under attack and there is the mis-nomered "right to work" movement that takes work away from unions and allows for many labor abuses to prey on migrant workers. It is in neither group's favor.
1
Yes and no. Building trades are seasonal in some areas. Unless they are unionized, they get few benefits. They can make decent money though.
So what you are saying is that if there were not a glut of illegals willing to work for slave wages, wages would have to go up? If wages went up, more people would be willing to learn these skills? I think that is the point.
America the beautiful is becoming America the miserly before our very eyes.
4
So the primary available labor pool of skilled masons is illegal and on this side of the wall?
3
In the South, probably. They aren't anything special, they do a decent job. In the west, masons are white and they do a very good job.
Trump imported Polish masons to union break in New York, not all illegals are Hispanic.
When immigration bills are discussed and introduced, where are the chicken and beef industries? These vast operations, located in primarily red states, provide us not only with our daily meals, but, in some cases, a new/old paradigm for a community's economic and cultural growth and sustainability not in spite of, but because of its immigrant population. NPR, Feb. 19th aired an inspiring story about how this is working in, of all places, Garden City Kansas. Maybe all of our communities, big and small, should take a lesson from this model of successful community building.
Oh those congressmen and their graphs.
Wonder if Paul Ryan will drag his out, the ones he used in April 2011 at the town hall meeting in Wisconsin he used to convince us elders that his vouchers held the promise for our Medicare. After all, he's still trying to contain himself for the voucher pounce. For sure he will have graphs, more graphs.
Too bad Ryan and Senator Ron Johnson "were not available" for the town hall meetings us taxpayers in Wisconsin wanted THEM to attend.....the other way around.
Oh well, we're just paying their salaries, no matter to them to show up!
Wonder if Paul Ryan will drag his out, the ones he used in April 2011 at the town hall meeting in Wisconsin he used to convince us elders that his vouchers held the promise for our Medicare. After all, he's still trying to contain himself for the voucher pounce. For sure he will have graphs, more graphs.
Too bad Ryan and Senator Ron Johnson "were not available" for the town hall meetings us taxpayers in Wisconsin wanted THEM to attend.....the other way around.
Oh well, we're just paying their salaries, no matter to them to show up!
7
Another thing --- immigrants that start businesses are given tax breaks. Where I live, one brother started a business, where the other brother worked. When, the grace period was up, the other brother became the new owner, receiving the same tax breaks, and when that was up, they disappeared.
1
Rebecca: Like when businesses are given tax incentives to locate in a town, stick around for a brief period, and then move to a lower wage right to work (for less) state where they can start the process again?
1
Consider whether construction jobs offer healthcare, retirement benefits, etc. Often there is a surge of construction jobs - then not. So what do folks in the construction industry have as alternative jobs. Consider also the fact that state legislatures dissuade union organization and disallow a minimum wage for construction bidding on government contracts. Consider how "shop class" has been eliminated from public schools and never existed in charter or voucher schools. Trades are not considered worth teaching in high schools where everyone is told college is the answer to a life fulfilling, well-paying, long term job. Vocational schools are underfunded by state legislatures and what did exist in terms of obligatory curricula about "shop" has been eliminated. Immigrants bring skills and an attitude about the value of labor that our fellow citizens have lost. Ask those politicians who seek eliminating a huge number of immigrants - not just from Mexico, Central America, South America - but also Africa and other nations - who is doing their gardening? cleaning their homes? roofing their houses? clearing the tables? being nanny to their offspring? It is so true that many Americans are freed to self-actualize by the work immigrants do.
9
Mr Brooks ignores the reality that in commonly known spots all over the country contractors pick up day laborers for low cash rates, most of which is sent overseas to the undocumented workers relatives.
4
For very small home projects, OK they do.
Trust me. You cannot run a good-sized job like that.
Trust me. You cannot run a good-sized job like that.
What could possibly be your point? They are stealing jobs that americans want? Pull-eaze...
1
The state of Maine has used migrant workers since there were crops of blueberries and cabbages to be picked. Now the population of younger citizens is decreasing as more people reside to retire there. Why in heaven's name Maine cannot recognize the pit they are digging for themselves in vilifying the very people who advanced the state's agricultural input to the nation should be held as a microcosm in this recovering from the failure of trickle down.
7
I am glad Brooks has covered this aspect of the emerging deportation push. It does not appear that the Republican leadership is thinking ahead much. There will be many unanticipated consequences to fiddling with labor supply in sectors such as construction, agriculture, and food services. Right or wrong, in many metros these include significant representation by immigrant workers (legal and illegal). I can think of many families who have used undocumented individuals to provide care for elderly family members, as another example. Their alternatives? Institutional care that they cannot begin to afford. I am struck by the fact that the current political leadership doesn't connect any of the dots. The Republicans' blindness toward the forces they may be unleashing will be interesting to watch - though likely painful to experience.
5
Lack of frontal lobes? Or pure lunacy!
America is in big trouble till we get his under control!
America is in big trouble till we get his under control!
In 1969, the average construction laborer made $4.33 per hr. According to the BLS CPI Inflation calculator, that would be $28.65 in 2017 dollars. A quick google search for construction laborer jobs in my state shows employers offering $12-$18 per hr., for what is essentially a job that will one day leave your body a mess. The low end is not even a living wage for a family. In 1969 a single bread-winner could earn a comfortable, if not extravagant, living. So tell me again why offering higher wages won't help employers find workers?
12
We need far more immigrants, but coming into a country with a high minimum wage and strong social safety net with a swift and sane path to citizenship. They need to be funnelled into our many underpopulated regions. We need this population to make ourselves less vulnerable to China. They have one billion more people than we do. Jobs for a growing population here via infrastructure repair and improvement could be billed as a national defense measure. But for any of this to happen, American lives will have to become far less precarious and more prosperous. Everyone I talk to, Dem or Rep, in what we might call the working class, opposes immigration because their own lives are so uncertain. Making a convulted argument about lakes and rivers isn't going to work. Getting people safe, high paying jobs with benefits will. Of course, we have elected a government that will do the opposite but must hope that can be changed.
2
There are lots of studies that show the positive economic impact of current immigration rates. This activity is especially strong in low income communities. In Harlem for example, African immigrants have set up businesses and have revitalized all of West 116th street. The same is true for areas in the Bronx.
It should also be noted that while these senators offer no evidence that cutting immigration will increase wages through market forces, they both oppose a national minimum wage. And notice neither say anything about the H1-B visa's, a program routinely abused by corporate employers that drive white collar wages down.
It should also be noted that while these senators offer no evidence that cutting immigration will increase wages through market forces, they both oppose a national minimum wage. And notice neither say anything about the H1-B visa's, a program routinely abused by corporate employers that drive white collar wages down.
The Cotton Purdue bill should be renamed "The Bill for American survival." They should have reduced the number of legal immigrants to perhaps 1000 and those only the best and brightest.
3
And you think these best and brightest will be willing to work in the nursing home in which you will reside and wipe your backside for minimum wages? If not, perhaps a former coal miner might be willing to take on the task?
Would employers really forgo expansion because of a purported labor shortage? Somehow, I think that's not the whole story.
I believe immigration is beneficial to a nation's economy. We can look to places like Japan for evidence that an aging society with a low birth rate is not dynamic. One of the problems in some European countries has been that there has not been enough growth in population to support the welfare states people have become accustomed to.
Despite that, immigration, like globalization creates winners and losers. We can try to control immigration to address the needs of the losers, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way, or we can do something else. Perhaps provide a stronger safety net to ease transitions.
I believe immigration is beneficial to a nation's economy. We can look to places like Japan for evidence that an aging society with a low birth rate is not dynamic. One of the problems in some European countries has been that there has not been enough growth in population to support the welfare states people have become accustomed to.
Despite that, immigration, like globalization creates winners and losers. We can try to control immigration to address the needs of the losers, and I don't mean that in a derogatory way, or we can do something else. Perhaps provide a stronger safety net to ease transitions.
1
"Plausible argument...until you actually get out in the real world" describes much of Republican ideology.
5
You are arguing economic logic with a party that has renounced science and reason and is motivated by irrational fear. It's time to fully renounce the GOP and declare your support for the one group that can stop them, the Democrats.
8
I find it mind boggling the number of seemingly educated people in our government with such an ignorance of basic economics. Do they not teach economics 101 in schools anymore?? This reminds me of the Luxury Tax that was passed back in the 90's that virtually wiped out the Yacht industry in the US. Looks great politically but is disastrous in application.
1
Bingo. My husband is in the boat business so I know what you're talking about.
My understanding it's not legal immigration that's the problem anyway. Talk about trying to deal with issues using the wrong ideas.
I agree with other writers. Focus on college is damaging the country and I teach at a college. A lot and regretfully I mean a lot of my students can't read or string a sentence together. Period. It's awful. Try to read a "paper" with no paragraphs, word salad, etc. Appalling. It's exhausting talking about this. When we quit devaluing manual labor we might get somewhere.
Interestingly, my husband used to sell boats (and these are big boats mind you) to doctors and lawyers. Now he sells mostly to owners of electrical companies, plumbers and the like. All these started at the bottom. However, seemingly they do know how to read.
It starts with reading. It's not about legal immigrants. Period.
My understanding it's not legal immigration that's the problem anyway. Talk about trying to deal with issues using the wrong ideas.
I agree with other writers. Focus on college is damaging the country and I teach at a college. A lot and regretfully I mean a lot of my students can't read or string a sentence together. Period. It's awful. Try to read a "paper" with no paragraphs, word salad, etc. Appalling. It's exhausting talking about this. When we quit devaluing manual labor we might get somewhere.
Interestingly, my husband used to sell boats (and these are big boats mind you) to doctors and lawyers. Now he sells mostly to owners of electrical companies, plumbers and the like. All these started at the bottom. However, seemingly they do know how to read.
It starts with reading. It's not about legal immigrants. Period.
Immigration is an important economic and societal issue. From an economic perspective if our birth rate is stagnant we will not have enough people to grow our economy which will place a strain on our Country. It's a problem shared by much of the developed world so if we are to continue running the Country without comprehensive immigration reform we will be making a grave mistake.
The second part of immigration is a societal issue as it is one factor that defines how we are perceived in the world and how we perceive each other. That piece is harder to assess as their is too much emotion involved to have a rational discussion surrounding the issue. Underlying all of the noise is our penchant to blame others for our difficulties. Rather then blaming people we need effective policies and compromise. Absent better policies we will all loose.
Congress has created the mess by not passing comprehensive immigration reform. This is not a topic that has not been discussed. President Bush tried, President Obama tried and now we are left with a broken system and President Trumps divisive rhetoric. All we needed was Congress to act on something that would have provided a fresh start. Like too many issues that are solvable Congress has once again let the American people down.
The second part of immigration is a societal issue as it is one factor that defines how we are perceived in the world and how we perceive each other. That piece is harder to assess as their is too much emotion involved to have a rational discussion surrounding the issue. Underlying all of the noise is our penchant to blame others for our difficulties. Rather then blaming people we need effective policies and compromise. Absent better policies we will all loose.
Congress has created the mess by not passing comprehensive immigration reform. This is not a topic that has not been discussed. President Bush tried, President Obama tried and now we are left with a broken system and President Trumps divisive rhetoric. All we needed was Congress to act on something that would have provided a fresh start. Like too many issues that are solvable Congress has once again let the American people down.
1
You do not need to grow an economy. You can maintain an economy and use resources appropriately.
We have millions that will live off welfare and drug sales. They need to be working.
We have millions that will live off welfare and drug sales. They need to be working.
Embracing the future is the key. So many policies proposed by Republicans in government seem like so many plays at the end of a game to shore up what their wealthy constituents have won, rather than protecting and fostering a better future for the nation. Future-minded policy promotes fair and sensible immigration; studies, innovates, and expands opportunities for education; seeks to provide access to healthcare for all in order to prevent misfortune from completely ruining lives; invests in infrastructure without any public-private strings enriching a few at public expense; and safeguards the environment for everyone over the immediate economic interests of a few right now.
When we look at policies proposed, we need to ask: will this be fair to everyone 10, 20, 50 years down the line, or just benefit a subsection of today's status quo, particularly today's winners? Policies benefitting the later are toxic, are cancer to our nation, and should be treated as such.
When we look at policies proposed, we need to ask: will this be fair to everyone 10, 20, 50 years down the line, or just benefit a subsection of today's status quo, particularly today's winners? Policies benefitting the later are toxic, are cancer to our nation, and should be treated as such.
1
"Those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s" are still around. They're Bernie-bots that complain about gentrification and exurban sprawl in the same breath.
2
If we simply deported those who had broken laws (outside of immigration) in this country, the vast majority of undocumented workers and legal immigrants would stay put.
As for Congress and the White House? They'd be the first ones to land on the other side of the fence.
As for Congress and the White House? They'd be the first ones to land on the other side of the fence.
1
I still don't understand why 99% of the people that vote GOP vote for that party since its policies have always served the rich and uber rich and not the working class. True the dems haven't done their job either. Before we get all intellectual about policy and which way the river flows we need to vote out big money, the corrosive agent that stopped the dems for representing the working class all these decades. Keep voting out the incumbents until they get the message. Let's start with the basics first.
That's an intended "once" in the last paragraph.
Republicans continue to probe themselves as smart people doing dumb things. Appealing to the base, they continue to ignore facts at the nation's peril. It is not their problem, by the time everything hits the fan they will have been voted out of office and once again will blame democrats for all our woes
I had to go back & check to see if it was David Brooks. Except for the zinger at the end (& I'm not sure what he's talking about there), this could be a Democratic column.
& thanks for pointing out that the Repubs want to cut legal immigration too.
It is a death-wish. & it's happening. I have to figure when to freeze my (booming) retirement funds into bonds.
& thanks for pointing out that the Repubs want to cut legal immigration too.
It is a death-wish. & it's happening. I have to figure when to freeze my (booming) retirement funds into bonds.
Sorry David, but has it occurred to you that people aren't going into the construction industry because wages are depressed due to the influx of immigrants willing to work for low wages. Are the illegal immigrants even getting minimum wage?
2
One wonders how many American high school dropouts are clamoring for a job washing dishes in a restaurant or performing back-breaking labor in some hot agricultural field. The so-called job loss caused by immigrants is just another way for Republicans to con the rubes. They are solving a problem that barely exists, if it exists at all.
1
The problem with this comment is that we have to assume there can be no need to wash dishes without immigrant labor...
The GOP starting traveling down this path after the election of Obama.
Hate and ignorance will only carry a national party so far before the people revolt.
Hate and ignorance will only carry a national party so far before the people revolt.
1
So you're telling me that jobs in high demand don't tend to pay more? I'm sure this isn't always true, but I'll need more convincing to believe it isn't generally so. And what exactly are the more pleasant jobs that working-class Americans are now able to do thanks to low-skilled immigrants? I'm skeptical. Not outright dismissive, but skeptical.
So employers say raising wages won't pull more workers into the construction workforce? Why should we believe this? Have they tried it?
2
"For the life of me, I can’t figure out why so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston."
David, the economic process you have described is complex and non-linear. It is difficult to explain and difficult to understand the explanation. The party is being driven before a wave of populism from so-called 'low information voters'. Could it be that the calculation being made is a short term one? Namely that the base is insufficiently educated to understand any policy not aligned with common sense. To me this implies the party is not looking to fix persistent problems using uncommon sense but instead to apply the ideas of the everyman. Somewhere in this is a political calculation that the base is not smart enough to understand a subtle argument. I believe the truth to be closer to the idea that the public face of the party is not skilled enough to communicate a subtle and complex truth in an elegant and simple fashion in order to sell a possibly unpopular solution...as FDR did with the banking holiday. In short, the elites of the right are, I believe, severely underestimating the intelligence of the working class and thus guaranteeing the nation will be worse off in 4 years. Perhaps the intent is to blame it all on the president and all for for more years worth someone with a more intellectual bent?
David, the economic process you have described is complex and non-linear. It is difficult to explain and difficult to understand the explanation. The party is being driven before a wave of populism from so-called 'low information voters'. Could it be that the calculation being made is a short term one? Namely that the base is insufficiently educated to understand any policy not aligned with common sense. To me this implies the party is not looking to fix persistent problems using uncommon sense but instead to apply the ideas of the everyman. Somewhere in this is a political calculation that the base is not smart enough to understand a subtle argument. I believe the truth to be closer to the idea that the public face of the party is not skilled enough to communicate a subtle and complex truth in an elegant and simple fashion in order to sell a possibly unpopular solution...as FDR did with the banking holiday. In short, the elites of the right are, I believe, severely underestimating the intelligence of the working class and thus guaranteeing the nation will be worse off in 4 years. Perhaps the intent is to blame it all on the president and all for for more years worth someone with a more intellectual bent?
I don't know what Brooks is talking about. Every recession causes more people in the building trades to leave Greater Boston. And yet here we are, building an entirely new city of 10,000,000 square feet, including the new GE HQ, in the Boston Innovation District. MIT is preparing to build millions of square feet more of lab and residential buildings in Cambridge. Somerville has become Portlandia East, with another entirely new city built around the new Assembly Square stop on the Orange Line of the MBTA. We found the workers somewhere. And we made the workers we have far more productive.
Further, the advanced robotics cluster here promises to eliminate ever more jobs now done by people, including many military positions and healthcare positions.
There is a serious question how we will occupy and give dignity to all the low-skill people we have, let alone keeping the flood gates of the low-skilled wide open. Heaven knows that is not how Canada handles its immigration system, and as a result has seen far less disruption.
The largest single social problem of the next 50 years is likely to be a serious oversupply of folks in the bottom half of the normal curve.
Further, the advanced robotics cluster here promises to eliminate ever more jobs now done by people, including many military positions and healthcare positions.
There is a serious question how we will occupy and give dignity to all the low-skill people we have, let alone keeping the flood gates of the low-skilled wide open. Heaven knows that is not how Canada handles its immigration system, and as a result has seen far less disruption.
The largest single social problem of the next 50 years is likely to be a serious oversupply of folks in the bottom half of the normal curve.
5
Mexico City is crumbling as it surface collapse into the depleted aquifer on which it rests. The barrier reefs on which some 700 - 800 million people depend on for sustenance, are dying. Climate change is real and the world's population is on the move. This nativist spasm is unlike previous such vulgarities in that there is an underlying existential question that supports it: "if not now, when?" . Humanity is beginning to cluster around viable space and water resources. We will need to manage that towards the greatest utility. It has begun.
16
If you want to see a country with no immigration, look at Japan. Their economy took off when they rebuilt and modernized after WW2, and by the 1970's you could find Americans talking about how they would rule the world and we would all need to learn Japanese. Then their economy hit a demographic wall, and that's where they're staying. They are an advanced modern society now, but their growth is has slowed to a crawl because they lack immigration.
5
Can't figure out why Republican senators don't want more immigrants?
The immigrants who want to come here are not white and not Christian.
But Mr. Brooks metaphor is an apt one. Our country will stagnate without "new" blood.
The immigrants who want to come here are not white and not Christian.
But Mr. Brooks metaphor is an apt one. Our country will stagnate without "new" blood.
4
"Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s."
This is frankenpolicy, a statement like this, grafting a cherry picked bad republican policy used to get votes from low income whites onto liberals never associated with that policy to get your base to reject that cherry picked gop to lie to voters and win their votes.
No, you, the gop and white voters must own what they did. This is gop bad policy all the way and you must clean up your own mess and clean it up.
Show you're not a shill for the lying liars running the place now. Take it up with trump, not NYT readers whose political and moral compass never wavered.
Own your own mess.
This is frankenpolicy, a statement like this, grafting a cherry picked bad republican policy used to get votes from low income whites onto liberals never associated with that policy to get your base to reject that cherry picked gop to lie to voters and win their votes.
No, you, the gop and white voters must own what they did. This is gop bad policy all the way and you must clean up your own mess and clean it up.
Show you're not a shill for the lying liars running the place now. Take it up with trump, not NYT readers whose political and moral compass never wavered.
Own your own mess.
6
It is not that we sometimes need low-skilled laborers. The issue is that we are a nation of laws and the illegal immigrants broke our laws. We do not allow any other country to send their citizens here without a formal application process. Why would Hispanics be any different?
2
The article is about LEGAL IMMIGRATION.
2
Sorry, the article is about legal immigrants. The Senators want to cut the number of legal immigrants in half, to 500,000.
1
Perhaps it would be useful to actually read this editorial--limiting legal immigration is the topic at hand here.
The Republican Party is less a big tent than a giant scab on the body of our nation that covers an unhealed festering wound. It must be ripped off, and antiseptic and sunlight applied. Then with immigration to help trigger a surge out of economic stagnation, we can get on with the nation's business once again.
5
"If the Cotton-Perdue bill became law, the working-age population would shrink, the nation would age and America would decline."
This, of course, is an outcome no Republican publicly acknowledges knowing or even considering. Looking a generation into the future is just not something politicians of any kind do; they all want immediate gratification they can use in fundraising appeals or reelection campaigns.
While this country called Rome slowly burns to death, the politicians called Nero continue to fiddle.
This, of course, is an outcome no Republican publicly acknowledges knowing or even considering. Looking a generation into the future is just not something politicians of any kind do; they all want immediate gratification they can use in fundraising appeals or reelection campaigns.
While this country called Rome slowly burns to death, the politicians called Nero continue to fiddle.
6
The problem with both Brooks's thesis and the Cotton/Perdue bill is that they see economic processes as the result of some infinitely mutable, natural process. Jobs are structured deliberately, by people, in highly specific ways. Jobs often go "unfilled" because employers have designed the jobs badly or list them not at all seriously.
"I could do a lot more tiling jobs if I could find more crews" often translates to "If I had lots of expert tilers who could manage themselves, schedule themselves and pay me half their meager salaries, I imagine my business getting bigger."
As we see in Germany, to create a high-wage economy it takes LOTS of planning, forethought and a cooperative, productive relationship among employers, educators and workers. As long as American companies (and, indeed, America) are managed by salesmen instead of serious-minded people, we can't get a high-wage economy. We'll have flash at the top and mindless, low-productivity enterprises at the bottom.
Limiting low-skilled (mostly illegal) immigration can, in fact, raise wages - but only if companies make the necessary changes instead of going for the fast buck.
"I could do a lot more tiling jobs if I could find more crews" often translates to "If I had lots of expert tilers who could manage themselves, schedule themselves and pay me half their meager salaries, I imagine my business getting bigger."
As we see in Germany, to create a high-wage economy it takes LOTS of planning, forethought and a cooperative, productive relationship among employers, educators and workers. As long as American companies (and, indeed, America) are managed by salesmen instead of serious-minded people, we can't get a high-wage economy. We'll have flash at the top and mindless, low-productivity enterprises at the bottom.
Limiting low-skilled (mostly illegal) immigration can, in fact, raise wages - but only if companies make the necessary changes instead of going for the fast buck.
6
David Brooks, after many years of your columns leaving me sputtering with indignation and exclaiming to anyone in the room, "he's wrong! He doesn't have any justification for that conclusion!" your columns this year have given me hope that American conservatives can change their minds and opinions for the better. You are an example I hope many others can follow.
Old habits die hard, so even this excellent column of yours is structured around a theoretical analogy (lake and river) - but in all the essential areas you discuss facts, figures and real data, instead of theory without substance and anecdote.
Please keep doing this. Continue your renaissance into truth and wisdom. Keep informing us of facts instead of unsubstantiated theory. Tell all your conservative acquaintances. Every day. Please help us in the real world in this time of crisis.
Old habits die hard, so even this excellent column of yours is structured around a theoretical analogy (lake and river) - but in all the essential areas you discuss facts, figures and real data, instead of theory without substance and anecdote.
Please keep doing this. Continue your renaissance into truth and wisdom. Keep informing us of facts instead of unsubstantiated theory. Tell all your conservative acquaintances. Every day. Please help us in the real world in this time of crisis.
14
Read Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post! She too, a female lawyer of the Right, is writing eloquently, on a daily basis - against the "Crazy" of the GOP far right.
Only two Senators with a national death wish? These days it's the entire Trump Republican party that's determined to drive our nation into the abyss.
15
I have to agree with a number of other comments.
Here in Florida it's is incredibly hard to find good reliable people to work on your home. When it comes down to it I decide to use my money to get best value , not because of the lowest price.
Latin immigrants have picked up a lot of those jobs and simply done a bettter job. They still have the same costs as anyone else, so prices are very close , but they show up and do the work. In fact they have to worker harder to overcome the very stereotypes Cotton And Perdue are promoting.
Here in Florida it's is incredibly hard to find good reliable people to work on your home. When it comes down to it I decide to use my money to get best value , not because of the lowest price.
Latin immigrants have picked up a lot of those jobs and simply done a bettter job. They still have the same costs as anyone else, so prices are very close , but they show up and do the work. In fact they have to worker harder to overcome the very stereotypes Cotton And Perdue are promoting.
14
If David really can’t figure out why Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like Houston then he needs to take a time-out and look a little deeper into the current Republican psyche. The immigration issue is not about the economy, it is not about jobs, it is not about crime. It is about losing one’s culture to foreign influences. Culture represents who we are, not just what we do. The Republicans have purposely chosen to win votes by feeding the fears and frustrations of those who feel their so-called American way of life is threatened by outsiders. They have decided to offer simplistic solutions to complex issues by scapegoating immigrants. It’s that simple. And with Trump, they’ve learned once again that the strategy works. Unfortunately, the results of scapegoating and simplistic answers are always disastrous.
46
Face it, the so-called Republicans have sold out. But first, let's dispel some of the myths here.
There has always been a skill problem in construction. The shortage showing up now is because of the financial recession and mortgage bubble when the skilled construction workers decided to go back to south of the border when Mexico's construction prospered due to the rise of oil.
To be clear, this is not to dispute offshore outsourcing has gone amuck starting in the Bush era and exacerbated by the financial recession instigated by those MBA spreadsheet pushers. But as far as one can tell, practitioners of this black art were the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. So it is the Tea Party and the reactionaries who sold America out to start.
Now people like Congressmen Cotton and Perdue decide to sell their soul to the devil, playing the economic nationalism per Bannon card.
Not only the GOP have been manufacturing facts - Ms KellyAnn Conway called it alternative fact - but also they twist it to fit the sold-out vision. The condemnation goes beyond the libertarian and the reactionary. These days you can count genuine Republicans, conservative or not, with one hand.
Speaker Ryan's twisted logic in repealing ACA is that people would have freedom to buy what they want - but he seems to omit the affordable piece of it. ACA would have worked if everyone participated and contributed to its enhancements.
America is repeating Australian practice in mid 20th Century, Not good
There has always been a skill problem in construction. The shortage showing up now is because of the financial recession and mortgage bubble when the skilled construction workers decided to go back to south of the border when Mexico's construction prospered due to the rise of oil.
To be clear, this is not to dispute offshore outsourcing has gone amuck starting in the Bush era and exacerbated by the financial recession instigated by those MBA spreadsheet pushers. But as far as one can tell, practitioners of this black art were the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. So it is the Tea Party and the reactionaries who sold America out to start.
Now people like Congressmen Cotton and Perdue decide to sell their soul to the devil, playing the economic nationalism per Bannon card.
Not only the GOP have been manufacturing facts - Ms KellyAnn Conway called it alternative fact - but also they twist it to fit the sold-out vision. The condemnation goes beyond the libertarian and the reactionary. These days you can count genuine Republicans, conservative or not, with one hand.
Speaker Ryan's twisted logic in repealing ACA is that people would have freedom to buy what they want - but he seems to omit the affordable piece of it. ACA would have worked if everyone participated and contributed to its enhancements.
America is repeating Australian practice in mid 20th Century, Not good
3
Wage increases haven't yet affected most of America and the rise is grudgingly being offered by employers. In the entire immigration/deportation discussion, I rarely hear of any employers being given anything more than a slap on the wrist. The occasional raid on a meat packing plant where they catch large numbers but on the whole, small business and agriculture has been exempt. Immigrants come here and want to work. Willing employers are overlooking their status. The only ones who bear any risk is the immigrant.
12
Politicians have to figure out how to solve 2 major problems with a coordinated plan. Everyone knows that Social Security is progressively running low on funds and the forthcoming crisis is being kicked down the road.
Concurrently, the reality is that there are millions of low-skilled jobs that won't be filled unless there are hard-working migrants who will do them for a minimal salary. So start a huge guest worker program and levy a special tax on these people such that they pay into Social Security for the privilege of working here and make it so they can't get any of the benefits of the program no matter the circumstance.
And while we're at it, convince American students to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) because there are currently millions of high-paying, high-tech jobs that either go begging or are filled by high-skilled foreigners.
Concurrently, the reality is that there are millions of low-skilled jobs that won't be filled unless there are hard-working migrants who will do them for a minimal salary. So start a huge guest worker program and levy a special tax on these people such that they pay into Social Security for the privilege of working here and make it so they can't get any of the benefits of the program no matter the circumstance.
And while we're at it, convince American students to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) because there are currently millions of high-paying, high-tech jobs that either go begging or are filled by high-skilled foreigners.
4
"So start a huge guest worker program and levy a special tax on these people such that they pay into Social Security for the privilege of working here and make it so they can't get any of the benefits of the program no matter the circumstance."
You have described the H1B visa in a nutshell. Though, the sponsoring company can always apply for a green card which is subject to national quotas and hence longer wait times for people from countries like India.
You have described the H1B visa in a nutshell. Though, the sponsoring company can always apply for a green card which is subject to national quotas and hence longer wait times for people from countries like India.
If workers are making a minimum wage in the U S I doubt that they will be able to pay a special fee into Social Security. These people should not be treated as " slaves" or share croppers. We have already done this as a country and it was shameful.
As all immigrants, they should be allowed to be free to flourish. But I do agree we should give green cards to all foreign STEM graduates- we are losing a lot of talent.
As all immigrants, they should be allowed to be free to flourish. But I do agree we should give green cards to all foreign STEM graduates- we are losing a lot of talent.
There are Americans who have been displaced from their jobs by employers using loopholes or simply improperly using the little audited skilled worker visas: H1b, L1 and B1.
Stop saying Americans are not studying STEM or able to work in STEM fields because that is not true.
Stop saying Americans are not studying STEM or able to work in STEM fields because that is not true.
Why bother to actually do some research and base policy on that, when you can do what makes you feel good, gets you votes, and then justify it by making stuff up? --much easier.
15
Not surprisingly since it's Brooks's signature, he misses the point completely. Cotton, Purdue, Bannon, the GOP generally don't care about employment, labor, wages or any of that heady economic mumbo jumbo. They wanna wash the scum from the streets and purify the U.S. of A. to make it as White and Christian as possible. It really couldn't be more transparent. Why does Brooks dignify their views with an intellectual theory?
32
The wonderful yet hidden part of this piece is that Mr. Brooks has conceded that market forces do not work. The analogy of the river versus the lake is just another way of saying that increased wages have not increased labor supply. Markets do not work when left on their own. Brooks is admitting that the cornerstone of conservative economic thought is nonsense.
22
An example of a booming town of about 30,000 people with great diversity is Garden City in southwestern KS. NPR did a story on the town early in the week. I know the town well since I go there several times a year. Immigration since the 1970's has made the town boom. New immigration regulations may dry up the labor force for meat packing plants, which provide a heavy base for town, and regional, finances. Those meat packing jobs are not going to be filled by the native born population. The jobs are difficult and already have high turnover. But, people coming to the area from war-torn places see the jobs as a way out.
15
It looks like Mr. Brooks is channeling Dr. Krugman.
10
Well said.
As I travel through my home town in upstate NY, looking at the empty, run-down homes, incan Andy dream of what it would be like to get an influx of latinos, Syrians, Vietnamese willing to work and invest to make it a vibrant city. As it once was, when it was a destination for Ukrainian, polish, Irish, English and Italian immigrants; the descendants of which make up a large portion of the xenophobic white folks who voted for trump.
As I travel through my home town in upstate NY, looking at the empty, run-down homes, incan Andy dream of what it would be like to get an influx of latinos, Syrians, Vietnamese willing to work and invest to make it a vibrant city. As it once was, when it was a destination for Ukrainian, polish, Irish, English and Italian immigrants; the descendants of which make up a large portion of the xenophobic white folks who voted for trump.
28
Hey, can you really tough guys arrange to deport me back to Ireland? My ancestors came in around 1840. ( they were despised and ridiculed by the majority back then too)
Its starting to look like a real nice place to go to.
Erin Go Bragh
Its starting to look like a real nice place to go to.
Erin Go Bragh
40
Mr. Brooks' gratuitous ending of, "Cotton and Perdue are the second coming of those static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum liberals one used to meet in the 1970s," wrecked an otherwise sound piece. Liberals didn't want to round up and toss out all the immigrants. Nor did we want to ban Muslims. Nor promote the hatred of all non-white people in our nation.
This is the Republican party giving itself over to the alt-right, only white radicals that were once shunned. It's the Southern Strategy come to fruition.
This is what happens when you embrace the haters.
The current Republican Party has no precedent in our history. May its life be short and never repeated.
This is the Republican party giving itself over to the alt-right, only white radicals that were once shunned. It's the Southern Strategy come to fruition.
This is what happens when you embrace the haters.
The current Republican Party has no precedent in our history. May its life be short and never repeated.
55
I recently read something that cited a study that stated 15% of white working age men are either on disability or taking opioids. (Ergo the high suicide rate, I surmise.) These are the same folks who complain about jobs and immigration. No one has the guts to tell them THEY themselves are the only reason they are not working.
Brooks is spot on in this article. Those unskilled high school graduates who complain that immigrants have taken their jobs are quite frankly a little lazy, refuse to up their skills (something all of us middle class worker have had to do), and so choose to be angry.
True story of two work teams. One a group of young legal immigrants who negotiate roofing contracts in the north during the summers, and a work group from the same employer who are white. The first group was on the job by 7am. Worked hard all day til 7pm and finished the job perfectly. They took a lunch break. At the end of the day they cleaned up. Job was done perfectly. The neighbor was impressed and hired the same company who sent out the white crew. They didn't start til 9am. Whined about conditions. Made a mess and took three days, did a terrible job. I'd hire the immigrant crew every time.
If immigrants are really taking your job, it's because your quality of work is poor and you act like you deserve it. You don't.
Brooks is spot on in this article. Those unskilled high school graduates who complain that immigrants have taken their jobs are quite frankly a little lazy, refuse to up their skills (something all of us middle class worker have had to do), and so choose to be angry.
True story of two work teams. One a group of young legal immigrants who negotiate roofing contracts in the north during the summers, and a work group from the same employer who are white. The first group was on the job by 7am. Worked hard all day til 7pm and finished the job perfectly. They took a lunch break. At the end of the day they cleaned up. Job was done perfectly. The neighbor was impressed and hired the same company who sent out the white crew. They didn't start til 9am. Whined about conditions. Made a mess and took three days, did a terrible job. I'd hire the immigrant crew every time.
If immigrants are really taking your job, it's because your quality of work is poor and you act like you deserve it. You don't.
137
Is this the Perdue from chicken farming? He relies on those illegal people to feed, clean the chicken coops (or maybe they are not kept clean). Is this the Perdue that uses illegal immigrants to slaughter and prepare the chickens for market? Who will take care of the chickens. I understand it is a messing and smelly job. Wouldn't think most Americans would like doing this.
Also Alabama farmers were very distressed when Alabama sent its illegal population running. Crops rotted in the fields because it was just too laborious for the American to perform.
Also Alabama farmers were very distressed when Alabama sent its illegal population running. Crops rotted in the fields because it was just too laborious for the American to perform.
30
To answer your question no. That's a different Perdue. The Perdue family of Maryland don't say much but seem quite aware that they depend on immigrant labor to process your chicken. It is not a job that so called regular Americans want to do.
The Perdue family that does the chicken farming is from the Eastern shore of Maryland. I had the pleasure as a nurse in Baltimore to take care of the founder when he was an older gentlemen.
That would be a happy coincidence since Cotton's home os Dardanelle, AR--home of the Tyson chicken 'processing plant' that employs countless immigrants as well.
The solution to the problem of low wages and people fleeing blue collar labor is obvious: stronger unions.
Don't expect the republicans, even our friendly neighborhood republican, Mr. Brooks, to admit to this fact, though.
Don't expect the republicans, even our friendly neighborhood republican, Mr. Brooks, to admit to this fact, though.
197
I agree, but make sure the top isn't crooked --- that is where unions ran into trouble.
2
The white supremacist republicans -- the only "immigration" they want is the return of slavery.
31
Brilliant. Just when there is some momentum for curbing illegal immigration they want to curb legal immigration. How does that make sense? Just for the left, who should keep their name calling accurate, those who want to curb illegal immigration are normal citizens who like their country to have borders, and those who want to curb legal immigration are the xenophobes.
7
Unfortunately, the normal Trump supporter isn't making such distinctions. They mostly are xenophobes, who see the world divided into authentic Americans like themselves and everyone else. Immigrants (especially those with non European backgrounds), legal or not, are all grouped together as threats to the American identity.
8
Another another fine column by Mr. Brooks, the crown jewel of the Times opinion section.
I say this even though I disagree with about 90% of what he says.
I say this even though I disagree with about 90% of what he says.
7
David,
There's another factor that gives people the ability to flow from job to job, it's called affordable (or even universal) healthcare. Wait, the Democrats introduced this a while back didn't they? Oh, sorry, I forgot, this is not a nightmare it's real. DJT is, ostensibly, our so-called president; that means that all NYT articles are fake as is anything that contradicts the dictator-in-chief.
I'm thinking of moving somewhere where there's a more effective government that cares more about its people, Somalia comes to mind. Maybe I could start a second career as a pirate?
There's another factor that gives people the ability to flow from job to job, it's called affordable (or even universal) healthcare. Wait, the Democrats introduced this a while back didn't they? Oh, sorry, I forgot, this is not a nightmare it's real. DJT is, ostensibly, our so-called president; that means that all NYT articles are fake as is anything that contradicts the dictator-in-chief.
I'm thinking of moving somewhere where there's a more effective government that cares more about its people, Somalia comes to mind. Maybe I could start a second career as a pirate?
18
Houston is my hometown and I'd like to offer a different perspective on the attitudes toward immigration. The diversity is great to those of us who value it. However, the fact that there are so many nationalities represented is not based on blue-collar wages. The oil/petrochemical industry means there are companies from all over the globe with offices there. The Texas Medical Center brings in medical and research talent from all over as well. The business-friendly culture and cost of living mean more big-name companies set up shop there.
For all that, it takes blue-collar jobs to make the Ship Channel run and construction go up, and plenty of those jobs are filled by immigrants. You're glossing over a LOT of resentment from the typical GOP demographic about their presence. You chose a poor example of immigrant tolerance in the Rodeo committees, as those are (hard-working) social opportunities to make the event run, and have nothing to do with welcoming newcomers. The city overall welcomes immigrants but I can assure you plenty of the citizens themselves do not. And that brings us back to why "so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston." The Republicans are those resentful citizens who don't value diversity, not the corporations or the research hospitals.
For all that, it takes blue-collar jobs to make the Ship Channel run and construction go up, and plenty of those jobs are filled by immigrants. You're glossing over a LOT of resentment from the typical GOP demographic about their presence. You chose a poor example of immigrant tolerance in the Rodeo committees, as those are (hard-working) social opportunities to make the event run, and have nothing to do with welcoming newcomers. The city overall welcomes immigrants but I can assure you plenty of the citizens themselves do not. And that brings us back to why "so many Republicans prefer a dying white America to a place like, say, Houston." The Republicans are those resentful citizens who don't value diversity, not the corporations or the research hospitals.
510
You may or may not be correct. My question is: are those blue collar workers trained? I agree that good jobs are disappearing. But there are lots of blue collar jobs that are going unfilled. What is causing some of this gap? I know that many coal miners want to go back to work? Is there enough work? Are they willing to relocate and be re-trained? Just asking the questions, I don't have the answers.
Immigrants largely do either highly skilled jobs there aren't enough Americans to do, or low skilled jobs most Americans aren't willing to do. Others start businesses which either create jobs for other Americans or at least keep their own families employed. Just go to a hospital and look at the surgeons then look at the orderlies pushing the wheelchairs and imagine them gone. On your way home stop at a gas station or mini mart to get gas or some milk from a newly arrived family working their hearts out to succeed. If Cotton has his way, blue collar jobs will not become plentiful, but we will have gaping holes in essential sectors of our economy.
384
I think you left out the highly skilled jobs that immigrants are willing to work for a lot less money. Ask US Citizens and LEGAL immigrants who work in construction, automotive repair, and IT to name a few. Their livelihood is being impacted by illegals and people being hired under MISUSE of the H1B visa program.
Republicans are looking for someone to blame for their inability to write meaningful policy. They spent eight years debunking the ACA and still cannot improve or replace it. Americans expected free healthcare - this is s country that spends hundreds of dollars a month for cable TV, gas for huge trucks, and assault weapons - but not health insurance. Not all immigrants are poor - they are educated and work in our hospitals, tech industry, science and engineering. Republicans say they hate big government - but they legislate against free enterprise and invade our personal lives. Trump and his merry band of bubble dwellers are stifling our country - hate, divisiveness, and social equality. Ambitious people drive our economy, rural America has been rusting for decades - immigrants are building business while natives gather in bars, diners, and the shooting range.
57
It's the wage
It's the salary
They are too low
It's the salary
They are too low
4
I had to go back and check the by line.
If it wasn't signed David Brooks, I'd swear Paul Krugman wrote this column.
David Brooks writes a critically reasoned column? I feel the Earth move under my feet.
If it wasn't signed David Brooks, I'd swear Paul Krugman wrote this column.
David Brooks writes a critically reasoned column? I feel the Earth move under my feet.
12
I think that Rep.Cottons brain is made of cotton, I wonder who he thinks will go after the field jobs? I betcha he will put those welfare types out plucking oranges!
10
We in the building trades movement have known the points of this article for years and now Some are pulling their heads out of the sand s of ignoring the reality , good but late
10
This is what happens when you elect politicians who last year were, say, an eye doctor, the idle rich, a failed businessman, an ex-soldier or a poultry farmer and suddenly are thrust into a position of power.
They read a conspiracy theory tract on economics or the 3rd rate novel of a lovelorn hack (Ayn Rand) and now they're macroeconomic experts, in charge of ruining the economy of an entire country.
They read a conspiracy theory tract on economics or the 3rd rate novel of a lovelorn hack (Ayn Rand) and now they're macroeconomic experts, in charge of ruining the economy of an entire country.
71
I don't have much faith in anybody these days and "incredibly dynamic" can become "incredibly chaotic" in a matter of seconds, and as the old saying goes, "especially when the coffee and tobacco are gone!" The last place I want to be is where 145 languages are screaming, "fire"!
As far as blue collar wages go, any man willing to work for peanuts, is a drag on wages - blue-collar and white-collar, but until 535 members in Congress stand up for the people they are supposed to represent, or the rich man grows a conscience, wages will remain "dying" in your "dying white America." I wonder where all the money is coming from in Houston? Nothing is ever as it seems, Mr. Brooks.
As far as blue collar wages go, any man willing to work for peanuts, is a drag on wages - blue-collar and white-collar, but until 535 members in Congress stand up for the people they are supposed to represent, or the rich man grows a conscience, wages will remain "dying" in your "dying white America." I wonder where all the money is coming from in Houston? Nothing is ever as it seems, Mr. Brooks.
7
With observations like, " Immigrants freed natives to do more pleasant work," you are arguing for an underclass. I find that a bit offensive.
4
Then you ate foolish and unrealistic. It has been ever thus, and, as the newcomers work and prosper, they send their children to college and the next generation becomes white collar. Then, newcomers to this country take the less-desirable jobs.
Your offense points to an attitude that views a less desirable job as less important, respectable or somehow embarassing. Every job has a dignity about it, every job is important. Without meat packers, custodians, people who wash dishes, pick fruit, tar roads, lay roofing in the middle of August, collect tolls in a booth, this country would grind immediately to a halt. There is absolutely zero wrong, shameful or underclass with "less desirable" jobs or the people who do them. Those jobs provide for families.
Your offense points to an attitude that views a less desirable job as less important, respectable or somehow embarassing. Every job has a dignity about it, every job is important. Without meat packers, custodians, people who wash dishes, pick fruit, tar roads, lay roofing in the middle of August, collect tolls in a booth, this country would grind immediately to a halt. There is absolutely zero wrong, shameful or underclass with "less desirable" jobs or the people who do them. Those jobs provide for families.
Let's face it. This is all part of the MAGA Trump/ GOP agenda to keep America white at any cost. It is doomed to failure over the long term. It's not surprising how many educated conservatives want to make America more stupid by creating low level jobs that no one but immigrants are willing to take in an effort to move up the economic ladder. I'm waiting for the GOP to roll out the Reagan workfare program again. In other words if you want social welfare support get a job cleaning toilets or banging nails and in doing so Trump can claim millions of jobs he created.
9
Immigrants have become the enemy of the country, Mr. Brooks, especially if they have the wrong skin color
A man in Kansas city supposedly yelled, "get out of my country," and shot two young men from India, one of whom later died. http://nydn.us/2lt231F
The survivor's father was unsure whether he'd ask his two sons living in the US to "leave the country," The Times reported. https://nyti.ms/2lCmozK
These assaults on immigrants have become more common after the ascendancy of Trump. If these assaults continue, immigrants may not be so eager to come to the US and Senators Cotton and Purdue may not have to introduce their bill.
A man in Kansas city supposedly yelled, "get out of my country," and shot two young men from India, one of whom later died. http://nydn.us/2lt231F
The survivor's father was unsure whether he'd ask his two sons living in the US to "leave the country," The Times reported. https://nyti.ms/2lCmozK
These assaults on immigrants have become more common after the ascendancy of Trump. If these assaults continue, immigrants may not be so eager to come to the US and Senators Cotton and Purdue may not have to introduce their bill.
9
"... immigration bill that would cut the number of legal immigrants to this country each year in half ..."
Except for native Americans who migrated here over ten thousand years ago, everyone here is an immigrant or recent descendant of one.
The vast majority of immigrants arrive here with a drive and work ethic to succeed. This drive is generally dissipated after a few generations. The great grandchildren take how good they have life here for granted, they lose sight of what it is their great grandparents saw in America.
So here is my alternative plan: Deport all Americans who don't have at least one grandparent who is not off the boat. These people have lost their way, and have taken for granted how good they have it here. For example, a large proportion of groper-don's supporters fall into this category, and they are wrecking America for everybody. For everyone we deport, we can open up a slot for an immigrant who will come here and make this place better than it was before they arrived.
Except for native Americans who migrated here over ten thousand years ago, everyone here is an immigrant or recent descendant of one.
The vast majority of immigrants arrive here with a drive and work ethic to succeed. This drive is generally dissipated after a few generations. The great grandchildren take how good they have life here for granted, they lose sight of what it is their great grandparents saw in America.
So here is my alternative plan: Deport all Americans who don't have at least one grandparent who is not off the boat. These people have lost their way, and have taken for granted how good they have it here. For example, a large proportion of groper-don's supporters fall into this category, and they are wrecking America for everybody. For everyone we deport, we can open up a slot for an immigrant who will come here and make this place better than it was before they arrived.
7
For the life of all of us, David Brooks, we can't comprehend why Republicans prefer a dying white America to a growing and healthy America. SOCRATES - commenter from Verona, New Jersey - has said it better than all the other commenters this morning - we can read and re-read his brilliant comment at "9 minutes ago". Thank you for your column, "The National Death Wish", David, but Socrates has hit ithe nail on the head, hit the homer out of the ball park with his "Grand Old Poverty" and " make nationally-assisted suicide great again:GOP 2017."
8
Immigration, political/economic trends in the U.S. and Europe as well?
It would appear that the Western world, to counter and control everything from environmental problems to immigration to threats from powers such as Russia and China, is headed toward something of the emotionally subdued and strongly administrative mentality of powers such as Germany and Japan post WW2.
Both right and left wings across the Western world agree violence is a deep problem--both try to control violence whether that means authoritarianism/religion or left wing administrative state. We can probably expect a stalemate between the two in increased bureaucracy, regimentation, control, surveillance of people. Emotion played down, increased control of art and spoken not to mention written word, bureaucracy, officialdom, administration played up.
Increased control of people, playing down of the particular whether that means religion, ethnic group or race or national culture or "threatening individuality" (everything from criminality to difficult to control genius). Simply construct houses, make lines, squares and circles, move people according to diagrams, place people into position here and there.
"Pleasant life" which favors the bureaucrat, middle of the road writer, easy taste in music, light psychology, not too brutal and certainly controlled sporting life, a world in which no doubt women will flourish...That which is tempestuous and/or projects gets cut down to size. Switzerland the ideal?
It would appear that the Western world, to counter and control everything from environmental problems to immigration to threats from powers such as Russia and China, is headed toward something of the emotionally subdued and strongly administrative mentality of powers such as Germany and Japan post WW2.
Both right and left wings across the Western world agree violence is a deep problem--both try to control violence whether that means authoritarianism/religion or left wing administrative state. We can probably expect a stalemate between the two in increased bureaucracy, regimentation, control, surveillance of people. Emotion played down, increased control of art and spoken not to mention written word, bureaucracy, officialdom, administration played up.
Increased control of people, playing down of the particular whether that means religion, ethnic group or race or national culture or "threatening individuality" (everything from criminality to difficult to control genius). Simply construct houses, make lines, squares and circles, move people according to diagrams, place people into position here and there.
"Pleasant life" which favors the bureaucrat, middle of the road writer, easy taste in music, light psychology, not too brutal and certainly controlled sporting life, a world in which no doubt women will flourish...That which is tempestuous and/or projects gets cut down to size. Switzerland the ideal?
1
First, Houston is no paradise; it has a very high crime rate, for example. And many of us boring "white bread" US citizens don't want neighbors who belong to gangs, breed pit bulls or butcher goats, chickens and pigs in their back yard. Also, Brooks is wrong about immigration and employment. Enlarging the labor pool DOES destroy workers' leverage, driving down wages and working conditions. Even Cesar Chavez was against open borders, because he understood the law of supply and demand. Furthermore, Brooks fails to acknowledge either the effect of open borders on the few remaining natural areas in the US or the problems of immigration and offshoring. What is the point of bringing millions of workers into the US when entire industries have already been offshored, and automation will very soon eliminate even more jobs?
6
Behold: the Face of Dying, White America. It is as ugly and ravaged as we knew it would be. Such disdain, distaste, lack of empathy and understanding and naked, pathetic fear is exactly why much of middle America is becoming stagnant and failing. And we have what passes today for the GOP to thank for stoking the fires of ignorance and ugliness.
2
They like "their" white America because at the heart of it, they are racists.
“If you think they're going to give you your country back ..." Steve Bannon (yesterday).
See that word! "your" This "new order" -- they think they (whites) own the country. Everyone else is just not as human as they are.
I just saw "I Am Not Your Negro" and if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor because racism is the basis of many of our problems right now.
“If you think they're going to give you your country back ..." Steve Bannon (yesterday).
See that word! "your" This "new order" -- they think they (whites) own the country. Everyone else is just not as human as they are.
I just saw "I Am Not Your Negro" and if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor because racism is the basis of many of our problems right now.
19
This is the biggest bunch of baloney I have ever heard. Many of those men who have been fighting for African-American rights in the voting booth for years, (they voted for Obama), but now, they are facing their own woe, and where are you? Boy, that's gratitude!
1
Please tell me who the "your" is in Bannon's statement "your country back." Who is he saying the country belongs to?
And your use of the word gratitude suggests that I (and, honestly, you have no idea what gender or race I am) have been granted a favor by someone else. Who is that someone else? white men?
Whenever somebody argues that immigrants take job away I have one simple response:
"People who live/work here also consume here."
Thus they contribute to GDP both in creation of goods and services and the consumption."
End of story! Argument dismissed! False!
"People who live/work here also consume here."
Thus they contribute to GDP both in creation of goods and services and the consumption."
End of story! Argument dismissed! False!
9
Why wasn't this the last paragraph:
Cotton and Perdue are static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum legislators. They’ll dry up the river. I wish they had a little more faith in freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity.
What was the point of taking a shot at liberals, even if you had to go back to the 1970s to do it?
Cotton and Perdue are static mind-set/slow-growth/zero-sum legislators. They’ll dry up the river. I wish they had a little more faith in freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity.
What was the point of taking a shot at liberals, even if you had to go back to the 1970s to do it?
5
Just had to through in the jab at liberals at the end. Thing is who were these zero sum game liberals and to which policy are you referring? The only zero sum game I know is resources and the environment. While not absolute, it is important to realize oil is zero sum. The more you burn the less you have. Fracking has extended its life, and a few billion barrels of reserves of tar sands, but that has increased the cost of recovery, and more important their use requires much more pollution just to recover. And even if that cost falls, the burning of them will most likely destroy the planet. So if that's what you are talking about then yep zero sum. But clean energy could always change that to growth and still environmentally safe. Republicans have always been only oil and gas, and have restricted us to a zero sum game
7
Here's a question Mr. Brooks never explores: have those builders TRIED to raise wages to attract more workers?
River or lake....a lot of employers in need of trained, skilled workers have completely forgotten basic labor economics.
River or lake....a lot of employers in need of trained, skilled workers have completely forgotten basic labor economics.
5
Trade unions are the answer.
I think republicans are hellbent on one party rule. They want all legislatures, governorships, the presidency and the courts. They will do whatever it takes, to wir, tolerating Trump-Bannon. They know that immigrants tilt democratoic. Thus is just one more tactic in a multi pronged strategy to do away with all opposition.
9
Unfortunately to get people flowing to the jobs they want requires government programs for education, training, apprenticeships, and placement and that means government spending an anathema to the Republican party and much of the American public. Cutting off immigration doesn't cost anything and sounds like a solution to people who don’t understand economics and don’t read studies.
The real problem we face, our true death wish, stems from a belief that government is the problem, a false premise that Republicans have been selling since Reagan. There is always the possibility of bad governance (see Trump) but government isn’t bad. Government is how people in democratic societies pool resources, advance the common good and ensure fairness and justice, all things that usually hurt the rich masters of Republican politicians.
Until the American people firmly and decisively reject Republican values and see government once again as a force for good there will be no progress and no reform. I don’t see this happening anytime soon. So, sorry David, but any talk of innovative ways to improve the country is just that, talk.
The real problem we face, our true death wish, stems from a belief that government is the problem, a false premise that Republicans have been selling since Reagan. There is always the possibility of bad governance (see Trump) but government isn’t bad. Government is how people in democratic societies pool resources, advance the common good and ensure fairness and justice, all things that usually hurt the rich masters of Republican politicians.
Until the American people firmly and decisively reject Republican values and see government once again as a force for good there will be no progress and no reform. I don’t see this happening anytime soon. So, sorry David, but any talk of innovative ways to improve the country is just that, talk.
20
If only Lincoln had let the south go. Slavery would have died a natural death, and we would be free of reactionary senators named (perfectly) Cotton and Perdue.
Imagine how the north would thrive today without the drag of foul bigotry wafting up from the south.
Imagine how the north would thrive today without the drag of foul bigotry wafting up from the south.
29
From where I sit, the goal of the Trump plan is to create jobs by eliminating the competition for those jobs. If the immigrants are expelled, the Americans displaced by market conditions will have jobs. Think about it: your good paying, well benefited jobs are gone. You accept government assistance with benefits. Now the Republican plan is: create a job market and eliminate or reduce government assistance and benefits and force people to take low paying jobs with no or unaffordable benefits. And if you think the market intends on helping small boats rise, you haven't been paying attention. The workforce will NOT be allowed to be a drag on profit. And having to take a much lower standard of living with no disposable income and lousy benefits and having to work 80 hours a week to try and make ends meet will do exactly what for morale? And remember this: while all this is going on, you are not saving for retirement. And they want to cut social security, too. Now, don't you feel better? Help is on the way.
14
Hurray for Houston!
4
I think it's a mistake to think there's any kind of coherent or well-thought-out economic philosophy behind what Republicans advocate. Basically, the entire Republican economic platform can be reduced (and understood) by one simple attitude:
"I don't want anybody else putting their grubby hands on my stuff."
It's a doctrine of selfishness, which sees (as Romney put it) the world divided into makers and takers, with the makers mostly people like the vast majority of Republicans (i.e., White, Christian, with conservative values) and the takers everyone else.
Let's not mislead ourselves into thinking this is anything new with Trump. Trump has made the crassness of the doctrine of selfishness impossible to disguise, but it's been at the heart of Republicanism for a long time.
"I don't want anybody else putting their grubby hands on my stuff."
It's a doctrine of selfishness, which sees (as Romney put it) the world divided into makers and takers, with the makers mostly people like the vast majority of Republicans (i.e., White, Christian, with conservative values) and the takers everyone else.
Let's not mislead ourselves into thinking this is anything new with Trump. Trump has made the crassness of the doctrine of selfishness impossible to disguise, but it's been at the heart of Republicanism for a long time.
30
Well it's obvious Mr. Brooks, that you have to, if you already haven't, leave the Republican party, for three reasons.
A. You have compassion.
B. You are living in the real world.
C. You believe in facts.
A. You have compassion.
B. You are living in the real world.
C. You believe in facts.
22
In North Carolina there is a handyman whose slogan, on the side of his van, is "we show up."
Friends have run through five contractors on their home, unable to find anyone who would do what they say.
It took three weeks to get a roof replaced. No one would show up. When they did, they took a deposit and didn't return until it suited them, not their clients. I moved away from the American south, after selling my own business due to the abysmal labor pool, and returned to the northeast.
By contrast, our new neighbor, in the bustling "tri-state area", contracted a roofer. They came when then said they would. A team of laborers, all of them latino, swarmed the house at 7 in the morning, tearing off shingles, replacing plywood. By two in the afternoon, the job was done and a worker was sweeping the lawn and driveway with a magnet to pick up any stray nails. They did an impeccable job.
There's a vast difference between the work ethic of those under high economic stress, in the more expensive areas of the country, and places like rural North Carolina where they brag about things moving at a slower pace. I never saw anyone in North Carolina actually hustle. Not laborers...unless they were immigrants.
Immigrants hustle. There is no sense of entitlement. There is the job that must get done and a family to feed. Ain't that America, you and me. It's really something to see, baby.
Friends have run through five contractors on their home, unable to find anyone who would do what they say.
It took three weeks to get a roof replaced. No one would show up. When they did, they took a deposit and didn't return until it suited them, not their clients. I moved away from the American south, after selling my own business due to the abysmal labor pool, and returned to the northeast.
By contrast, our new neighbor, in the bustling "tri-state area", contracted a roofer. They came when then said they would. A team of laborers, all of them latino, swarmed the house at 7 in the morning, tearing off shingles, replacing plywood. By two in the afternoon, the job was done and a worker was sweeping the lawn and driveway with a magnet to pick up any stray nails. They did an impeccable job.
There's a vast difference between the work ethic of those under high economic stress, in the more expensive areas of the country, and places like rural North Carolina where they brag about things moving at a slower pace. I never saw anyone in North Carolina actually hustle. Not laborers...unless they were immigrants.
Immigrants hustle. There is no sense of entitlement. There is the job that must get done and a family to feed. Ain't that America, you and me. It's really something to see, baby.
72
Had this same experience! Thanks for sharing it.
1
As usual with David Brooks, one reads the first three quarters of the essay thinking that he has laid out the facts in such a way that the conclusion is foregone, only to find him going off the rails at end. The problem? Liberals!! they're acting like liberals!
9
Thank you, Mr. Brooks, for your rational promotion for inclusion and tolerance for immigrants, instead of the nativist economic grievance of populism, promoted by Senators Cotton and Purdue. My wife, an immigrant from Colombia, has lived the American dream of opportunity through hard work, competitiveness and perseverance. Isn't that the essence of capitalism, that Republicans now reject?
5
Here's a couple of conclusions I'm drawing from this:
=> Construction companies are bidding low for projects assuming that cheap labor will be available despite the realities you describe about the workforce Why aren't they adjusting their bids so they can increase wages? Presumably these construction companies pay their CEOs and chief engineers top dollar to attract and retain them. Why not do the same for their workers?
=> Could the increase in volunteers at the Rodeo in Houston be a result of the fact that wages are so low in the region that the only way people can attend this event is by offering to volunteer?
=> Could the "healthiest philanthropic sector" in Houston be the result of overcompensating CEOs? Maybe if wages for workers were higher in Houston there wouldn't be the need for as much philanthropy.
=> And last but clearly not least: how long can we sustain a fast-growth economy that funnels $$$ to the top .1% while paying as liitle s possible to the 99.9%? Maybe we should have a slow growth economy that pays a living wage to everyone willing to put in a day's work.
=> Construction companies are bidding low for projects assuming that cheap labor will be available despite the realities you describe about the workforce Why aren't they adjusting their bids so they can increase wages? Presumably these construction companies pay their CEOs and chief engineers top dollar to attract and retain them. Why not do the same for their workers?
=> Could the increase in volunteers at the Rodeo in Houston be a result of the fact that wages are so low in the region that the only way people can attend this event is by offering to volunteer?
=> Could the "healthiest philanthropic sector" in Houston be the result of overcompensating CEOs? Maybe if wages for workers were higher in Houston there wouldn't be the need for as much philanthropy.
=> And last but clearly not least: how long can we sustain a fast-growth economy that funnels $$$ to the top .1% while paying as liitle s possible to the 99.9%? Maybe we should have a slow growth economy that pays a living wage to everyone willing to put in a day's work.
7
Why bother with reality and facts ......again
The GOP : more stupid politicians who regard thinking through problems beyond their jobs description
The GOP : more stupid politicians who regard thinking through problems beyond their jobs description
3
Yup, but here's the thing: you've made a very basic analysis of the GOP position on immigration showing clearly why it's bad policy.
This has been obvious for a long time, so why does your party hold on to, and push for, things that obviously make no sense?
I'm no fan of the democrats, but the GOP policies have been wrong on just about everything for decades now and yet: no change in position.
Tax cuts and deregulation led to the near total collapse of not just our economic system, but the world's.
The GOP answer: more tax cuts and deregulation!
On immigration, if draconian GOP policies are enacted:
-Will the unemployed white workers of western PA or MI take the jobs picking strawberries etc. in CA for min wage minus expenses? NO
-Will the middle class Trump voters in GA or AZ find working class whites to be nannies for their kids and mow their lawns? NO
-Will small business owners (like contractors) all of a sudden start to hire the white working class at triple the cost (to say nothing of payroll taxes, insurance, etc.) NO
All the policies the Trump voters advocate will be hurting themselves the most. No thought was given to this reality.
No thought at the level of GOP lawmakers about the real world.
Now, finally, some thought from you Mr. Brooks.
It is welcome.
But why did it take this disastrous election for you to see some common sense? And will you now rethink other terrible policies you've advocated for years?
I hope so.
This has been obvious for a long time, so why does your party hold on to, and push for, things that obviously make no sense?
I'm no fan of the democrats, but the GOP policies have been wrong on just about everything for decades now and yet: no change in position.
Tax cuts and deregulation led to the near total collapse of not just our economic system, but the world's.
The GOP answer: more tax cuts and deregulation!
On immigration, if draconian GOP policies are enacted:
-Will the unemployed white workers of western PA or MI take the jobs picking strawberries etc. in CA for min wage minus expenses? NO
-Will the middle class Trump voters in GA or AZ find working class whites to be nannies for their kids and mow their lawns? NO
-Will small business owners (like contractors) all of a sudden start to hire the white working class at triple the cost (to say nothing of payroll taxes, insurance, etc.) NO
All the policies the Trump voters advocate will be hurting themselves the most. No thought was given to this reality.
No thought at the level of GOP lawmakers about the real world.
Now, finally, some thought from you Mr. Brooks.
It is welcome.
But why did it take this disastrous election for you to see some common sense? And will you now rethink other terrible policies you've advocated for years?
I hope so.
8
Just a little FYI addition to your comments- a white young woman who works as a nanny in Decatur( Atlanta) will make a minimum of $20.00 an hour. I agree that your child care provider should make a living wage and without immigrants Americans can expect to pay a lot more for service providers of all types.
1
Its been apparently mis-attributed to Isaac Newton but once again it needs to be said, "We build too many walls and not enough bridges"
3
Immigrants bring vitality and fresh ideas to our aging system. They are here to fulfill dreams and pursue opportunities. We benefit enormously from their hard work and determination. These are gifts we can not afford to lose.
4
This ought to appeal to our GOP friends:
We need all those new fica payers
We need all those new fica payers
3
If you are unemployed or underpaid, you don't care about some obscure study- especially if you are among the low information crowd that brought Trump his victory. You can see people all around you, taking your kinds of work and doing it with great energy.
Every wave of immigrants has helped this country grow richer, but those at the bottom have always despised the "intruders". For Republicans, this hate has been woven into their entire racist political quilt.
David, it is time to come to terms with the fact that this is no longer your parents Republican party. When the south was forced to dismantle their apartheid state with the passage of the Civil Rights Act they rapidly took over the GOP. The recent election has sealed the deal- the South has risen again.
Stop ignoring the elephant in the room- call it out, and maybe this nation can finally purge the poisonous residue of slavery and the Civil War that insidiously dominates our politics. All of us, and especially the South are its victims. Confession and forgiveness are in order to make our country whole.
Every wave of immigrants has helped this country grow richer, but those at the bottom have always despised the "intruders". For Republicans, this hate has been woven into their entire racist political quilt.
David, it is time to come to terms with the fact that this is no longer your parents Republican party. When the south was forced to dismantle their apartheid state with the passage of the Civil Rights Act they rapidly took over the GOP. The recent election has sealed the deal- the South has risen again.
Stop ignoring the elephant in the room- call it out, and maybe this nation can finally purge the poisonous residue of slavery and the Civil War that insidiously dominates our politics. All of us, and especially the South are its victims. Confession and forgiveness are in order to make our country whole.
5
Why not mention U.S. total fertility rate around 1.85, well below replacement level of 2.1 births per female. Our population will shrink considerably without immigration.
6
Simple supply and demand economics escapes the writer, a closet socialist or free enterprise dolt he is perhaps The labor shortage represents the gap between wages offered and wages desired. Quantity supplied is short of quantity demanded. The gap will close when the employer pays what the market demands, raises compensation. There is nothing baffling here. The issue is low pay offers, nothing else. We all know about how poorly paid corporate executives are and the chronic shortage in that sector, right? Immigrants are not the issue in the capitalist system. Those on top keeping it an unreasonable share for themselves is interfering with free market forces perhaps?
2
"I wish they had a little more faith in freedom, dynamism and human ingenuity." Unlikely, as their points of view are learned from the stagnant pond in which they are doing their swimming, the conservative movement.
Simple, naive logic drives too much of what congress thinks - crime, regulation, education, the budget, taxes, and as you pointed out, immigration. But the simple arguments are after all simplistic and necessarily incapable of capturing the subtle realities necessary for good decision-making.
By substituting trite (think Ayn Rand) philosophies for ground truth just because "you" think that it makes sense and seems logical, will in the long run funnel any river into an abyss. The GOP is guiding us all into some pretty treacherous white water - hope you have your life preserver on.
Simple, naive logic drives too much of what congress thinks - crime, regulation, education, the budget, taxes, and as you pointed out, immigration. But the simple arguments are after all simplistic and necessarily incapable of capturing the subtle realities necessary for good decision-making.
By substituting trite (think Ayn Rand) philosophies for ground truth just because "you" think that it makes sense and seems logical, will in the long run funnel any river into an abyss. The GOP is guiding us all into some pretty treacherous white water - hope you have your life preserver on.
8
Labor is complex. Americans resent the visible and real loss of jobs to immigrants - The Disney fiasco, in which US programmers were told to train their replacements who were brought in on abused H1-B visas is an example.
The man who replaced my roof is struggling because he is losing work to other roofers who are using day labor and undercutting his prices, leaving his long term steady employees, and his family business, at risk.
When abuse is visible and obvious, so is resentment.
The reality of the impact of immigration and labor is a lot more complex. It both eliminates work and creates it - landscapers who get more contracts for stone work and patios support the building suppliers and the workers who manufacture patio block. Workers, legal and illegal, rent housing, buy groceries, buy clothes for their kids.
We are going to find out how it affects each community because our workers are going to start going underground. But most likely we will blame the result on regulations, or Obama, a perennial if illogical favorite.
The man who replaced my roof is struggling because he is losing work to other roofers who are using day labor and undercutting his prices, leaving his long term steady employees, and his family business, at risk.
When abuse is visible and obvious, so is resentment.
The reality of the impact of immigration and labor is a lot more complex. It both eliminates work and creates it - landscapers who get more contracts for stone work and patios support the building suppliers and the workers who manufacture patio block. Workers, legal and illegal, rent housing, buy groceries, buy clothes for their kids.
We are going to find out how it affects each community because our workers are going to start going underground. But most likely we will blame the result on regulations, or Obama, a perennial if illogical favorite.
232
Why do Republicans prefer a "dying white America"?
Because most have never ventured out of their whites only enclaves.
If they did, they would see that they have nothing to fear. Those brown and black folks are also very hard working.
Because most have never ventured out of their whites only enclaves.
If they did, they would see that they have nothing to fear. Those brown and black folks are also very hard working.
11
Well David, that the economy is a complex and dynamic system has long been recognized. That you question using simplistic immigration policy as an economic tool is reasonable. The larger question is what can government do to enable economic opportunity ? Deregulate? Eliminate rights for laborers to organize? Support minimum wage standards? Or how about a nationalized health care? Or cuts taxes on the wealthy? Infrastructure? Repeal Dodd-Frank? You chose some low hanging fruit that is pretty safe now since immigrant labor is supported by many of the so-called moderate GOP so they can both get high value tech workers and low cost labor and increase earnngs. If you support immigrant labor then about migrant worker permits and a minimum wage? Easy to critique, hard to solve.
97
What I always find bizarre from law and order Republicans when they rail about illegal immigrants taking American jobs is the fact they absolve the employers of these people from any responsibilities. Instead of spending money on walls and immigrant round ups lets put some employers in jail for 20 years. Oh can't do that, these people are the real base of the Republican Party. Oh that's right Trump employed illegal immigrants to demolish the building where Trump tower now stands, never mind.
1485
I grew up in a blue-collar town where all the men worked at one of the mills & factories in the area, including Bethlehem Steel. Almost all were union workers. They made good money after the great wave of CIO organizing in the 1930s -- and they went on strike multiple times to increase their hourly wage, gain or improve health & pension benefits and demand new health & safety rules. Those jobs were HARD and they killed a lot of people. They poisoned the air and water in our community. This was not a Utopia, by any means. And the number of jobs began to decline way back in the late 70s, long before anyone had heard of NAFTA and immigration was relatively limited. Some of the older men who came out of that world believe that younger men today "don't want to work" -- at least not as hard as they had to work back in the day, when they might work double-shifts (16 straight hours) in fire and filth, inhaling asbestos with every breath, in order to bring home a bigger paycheck. But you know who probably would take sign on for those hard, dirty jobs if they miraculously re-appeared? Immigrants. Not native-born Americans who look with distaste on that kind of back-breaking labor today.
Hear, hear!
So you are a farmer and you have a crop in the field that needs to be harvested. People are coming that want to harvest that crop. So you propose putting that farmer in prison if he hires people who are here without the proper documentation?
Now he has a problem. If he hires undocumented workers he goes to prison; however, if he only hires people who are here legally then he does not have enough workers and his crop rots in the field and he loses his farm.
Does putting employers in prison really solve the problem or simply exchange one problem for a different one?
Now he has a problem. If he hires undocumented workers he goes to prison; however, if he only hires people who are here legally then he does not have enough workers and his crop rots in the field and he loses his farm.
Does putting employers in prison really solve the problem or simply exchange one problem for a different one?
Brooks is right on the money... literally. The elderly will comprise 20% of the US population by 2025, greatly straining the nation's capacity to fund social safety nets such as social security but also to maintain strong economic leadership. Other countries such as Japan, Greece, and Italy are already straining under the growing imbalance of aged populations. Leveraging immigration to our economic advantage makes sense... denying it is a fool's errand.
480
Guess we can use Sarahs death panels then!
2
Yes, and it gives Republicans another reason to eliminate Social Security and Medicare, so all those millions begging on the streets and dying in the gutters will finally make them feel good about themselves.
Social Secutity funding would be just fine if Republicans would stop demonizing the paying of taxes. Just a small increase in the Social Security tax would make it solvent.
But no. They're too wedded to dismantling government to make the obvious fix to social security.
I agree with your point about economic leadership, though. Immigration has always contributed to America's exceptional productivity; we just need to place more value on and better compensate people for working at jobs that many now see as "menial." Workers at these jobs, no matter their country of origin, make our country run.
But no. They're too wedded to dismantling government to make the obvious fix to social security.
I agree with your point about economic leadership, though. Immigration has always contributed to America's exceptional productivity; we just need to place more value on and better compensate people for working at jobs that many now see as "menial." Workers at these jobs, no matter their country of origin, make our country run.
1
My husband's father and his immigrant wife waded through thirteen years of bureaucracy getting a green card for her sister to come live in the U.S. After ten years here, our aunt is now a U.S. citizen who owns a nice home and two cars. She did it all on her own by working three part-time jobs, menial and without benefits, that nobody else wanted to do.
When our aunt arrived in the U.S., she found out for herself that our streets are not paved with gold. She had to work as hard here as she did in the developing country she came from -- but this time not merely to subsist. She was able to obtain the American dream. She and people like her help make America great. We need more people like her, not fewer.
Oh, and she knows the Constitution better than our so-called president.
When our aunt arrived in the U.S., she found out for herself that our streets are not paved with gold. She had to work as hard here as she did in the developing country she came from -- but this time not merely to subsist. She was able to obtain the American dream. She and people like her help make America great. We need more people like her, not fewer.
Oh, and she knows the Constitution better than our so-called president.
1559
Most immigrants know more about our history and constitution than most native born Americans. I know, I'm married to an immigrant (59 years and counting). He knows more about our country than most of our friends and relatives. Why? He's curious and he reads all the time.
2
The last line is the key. I'd be willing to wager most American citizens could not pass the test for citizenship, and forget about the civil service exam.
1
If no one wants to do a job--it just means the pay is not enough.
1
Maybe they prefer a dying, white America because the America votes Republican. Plus, they can run on xenophobia but not on steal from the middle class and poor to give to the rich.
I suspect the anti-immigrant stand that Republicans have is based less on jobs than the fear that naturalized immigrants and their children will vote Democrat.
3
It's prescription of neo-liberal that bounced back. Back in 1990s we ( in India) have been asked to open markets for free labour, capital and transfer of technology. This has enabled Pacific RIM to take cheap capital improve productivity due to low labour costs. Free markets allowed jobs to be shipped overseas and GATT had expedited the process. West should have invested in social safety nets and improve skills to masses to compete rather it laid back. Now it's double whammy with so called conservatives who promote free markets want protection from competition.
1
During my lifetime, the population of the US has more than doubled. That is not all for the good. I asked a Chinese colleague once how he compared the US to China, he said "China is very crowded". I saw the results of a survey once that stated 50% of the world would move to the US, if they could. Would that be a good thing? I don't think so. Immigration is the driver for the current increase in the US population. There are limits to growth.
5
Good lord. As if their immigration policy is serious rather than a ploy for holding on to the ignorant racist xenophobe vote, which they've spent decades cultivating, so that they can pass their beloved tax cuts for the rich and pay for them by gutting entitlements.
9
Mr. Brooks, you are trying to see the whole picture and to find a rational way to deal with what you see. You want to calmly read specialists about the relevant topics and figure out how the various threads of our society are woven together. Sounds like what Obama was trying to do. But you didn't like him.
Cotton and Perdue are examples of what you helped create (though they don't resemble you)-- outward nihilists, selfish hoarders. Bannon speaks of “deconstruction of the administrative state.” And that is only part of the aim of these men -- to dismantle the American system as we have known it for over 200 years. Yes, we have a system, built around immigrants, a revolution, a Constitution, and major social adjustments (a euphemism for genocide , slavery, civil war, economic dislocation, and finally a semblance of a a cosmopolitan thriving society), a civil culture of delicate tolerances, bolstered by tremendous wealth and power.
The convergence of one group trying to control that wealth and power with another group trying to hold on to their crumbs in the face of substantial economic change and geographical shape-changing, as some funny-named neighbors appear down the road, has led to deliberate attempts to grab even bigger slices of the pie by the first group and a destructive anger lashing out to the vulnerable by the other group.
The niceties of arguing over how much government input vs. free market forces for this or that policy now look oh so quaint.
Cotton and Perdue are examples of what you helped create (though they don't resemble you)-- outward nihilists, selfish hoarders. Bannon speaks of “deconstruction of the administrative state.” And that is only part of the aim of these men -- to dismantle the American system as we have known it for over 200 years. Yes, we have a system, built around immigrants, a revolution, a Constitution, and major social adjustments (a euphemism for genocide , slavery, civil war, economic dislocation, and finally a semblance of a a cosmopolitan thriving society), a civil culture of delicate tolerances, bolstered by tremendous wealth and power.
The convergence of one group trying to control that wealth and power with another group trying to hold on to their crumbs in the face of substantial economic change and geographical shape-changing, as some funny-named neighbors appear down the road, has led to deliberate attempts to grab even bigger slices of the pie by the first group and a destructive anger lashing out to the vulnerable by the other group.
The niceties of arguing over how much government input vs. free market forces for this or that policy now look oh so quaint.
5
The administration position on immigration is not a national death wish, as Mr. Douthat opines. It is a Republican death wish, plain and simple. Please do not include the majority of Americans in this narrow, mean-spirited philosophy
2
The idea is to encourage illegal immigrants, who can be readily exploited.
That is why Republicans oppose any means to regularity undocumented workers and be punitive to undocumented workers. The further back in the shadows they can be pushed, the more easily exploited they are, and the more they can be used as a hammer on citizen's wages.
And then politicians can benefit from the xenophobia that results from the pressure on wages.
A double win.
That is why Republicans oppose any means to regularity undocumented workers and be punitive to undocumented workers. The further back in the shadows they can be pushed, the more easily exploited they are, and the more they can be used as a hammer on citizen's wages.
And then politicians can benefit from the xenophobia that results from the pressure on wages.
A double win.
3
A shortage of workers may drive up wages, but it may not. Employers must choose between a larger more dynamic economy where unemployment is low and workers have more bargaining power and a smaller, less dynamic economy where unemployment is higher and workers have less bargaining power. It is not that employers have decided that raising wages wont work. They have decided that they prefer to preserve their power over against their workers even at the cost of fewer business opportunities.
From the standpoint the real estate industry, it is not a distortion of the flow of the economic river that people must spend more on housing and less on everything else. It is just a favorable flow of the economic river that represents a real estate sector that is competing successfully against other sectors of the economy. With respect to the flow of the economic river, one man's distortion is another's reward for hard work and clever planning.
From the standpoint the real estate industry, it is not a distortion of the flow of the economic river that people must spend more on housing and less on everything else. It is just a favorable flow of the economic river that represents a real estate sector that is competing successfully against other sectors of the economy. With respect to the flow of the economic river, one man's distortion is another's reward for hard work and clever planning.
1
To establish control of entrance into the country three things are needed: e-verify or a national identity card, an accurate registry of visas of people when they enter the country and when they leave, and an end of birthright citizenship.
It is essential that enforcement of law comes first. Grand bargains are b*ll sh*t, and everyone knows it.
.