I pledge allegiance
To the flags
Of the diverse states of the Americas,
And for all the countries
For which they stand,
Many nations,
Bajo Dios,
With Yankee dollars for all.

Also, our government puts a lot of consideration into a visa applicant with social credentials and education, but little or nothing into an applicant who is merely willing to work hard. They’re legally admitting a glut of people taking up the jobs we do want to do with H1B visas and ignoring the rest. Our government doesn’t put a value on simple hard work. Instead, they just ignore that the flood across the border of illegal labor is the result of their own policies.

In any event, I appreciate your comments – for a paper that backs up some of my assertion re:the importance of immigrants to the economy, I refer you to this paper by the libertiarian Cato Institute – the conclusions are much more generous than mine, but I agree with much of what it says…

#1. We need a steady flow of immigrants to power the engine of our economy.

Do we? I mean can you back this up with something other than an asshat CEO whining about not having timely access to cheap slave labor?

#2 We must recognize the historical role of immigrants in the idea and reality of America as a nation apart from all others.

While undoubtedly true that America gained massively from her earlier experiments with immigration there were also massive downsides and costs. Mostly to middle and lower class citizens, much like today.

As a blue collar guy there seems to be an argument that goes like this…Since we did it before we must keep doing it no matter what. Well is that true?

Do we require the enormous amounts of immigration we currently have, both legal and illegal? I tend to think no, I think it serves a variety of purposes none of which are terribly helpful to the averge American.

It tends to drive wages down and hinder the assimilation process. It tends to drag down the quality of education irrespective of however many dollars you throw at the problem and I think it’s demeaning to hear people such as our president display such contempt for the American people and it’s workers.

“Jobs Americans won’t do” is simply one of the most singularly pernicious phrases I’ve ever heard. Have you relly considered the import of that phrase? Have we as a nation truly become worthless?

As a person who has taken tremendous prde in doing a dangerous and dirty job I assure you there is no shortage of Americans willing to do these jobs, I know, I do one. What there is is a shortage of companies willing to pay good wages. Again, I’ve seen it.

I am a believer in capitalism, but pure capitalism does have a predatory side. Whenever you hear a CEO or the president whining about cheap labor take a moment and read about the formation of IBP beef, most instructive I assure you.