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If there were no illegal aliens to provide cheap labor in the US what would happen to the economy?
By Rose | May 31, 2008
porthuronbilliam asked:
If the illegals were “sent packing,” would the US economy be better or worse? Without a cheap source of labor in the US,would more businesses simply move to foreign lands where the labor would be cheaper thus reducing jobs for Americans? Are illegals doing only the jobs Americans won’t do? Would there be more jobs for Americans and those immigrants who are here legally? Would wages go up due to there being less competition for jobs and employers couldn’t pay people “unofficially?” Would wages go down as Americans and legal immigrants fight for fewer jobs as businesses close down because they would have to pay more or would move out of the country? Would there be more tax dollars available to fund programs for citizens or would there be fewer tax dollars due to fewer jobs in the economy? Opinions one way or the other?
Aiden
If the illegals were “sent packing,” would the US economy be better or worse? Without a cheap source of labor in the US,would more businesses simply move to foreign lands where the labor would be cheaper thus reducing jobs for Americans? Are illegals doing only the jobs Americans won’t do? Would there be more jobs for Americans and those immigrants who are here legally? Would wages go up due to there being less competition for jobs and employers couldn’t pay people “unofficially?” Would wages go down as Americans and legal immigrants fight for fewer jobs as businesses close down because they would have to pay more or would move out of the country? Would there be more tax dollars available to fund programs for citizens or would there be fewer tax dollars due to fewer jobs in the economy? Opinions one way or the other?
Aiden
Topics: US Economy | 17 Comments »
May 31st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
If illegals have the “cheap labor” jobs…then does it matter if they move overseas, because Americans don’t have those jobs anyway….
Illegals pay no taxes, do not contribute to society…just take advantage of the numerous social programs….our economy would improve…if there were no illegals…the places that hire them with no papers would be forced to hire Americans..who would demand better wages, and better working environments, which the illegals can’t do because they would get caught.
June 3rd, 2008 at 11:14 am
The US economy woudl be wayyyy worse..they work cheap an do jobs we don’t want to do..they leave i bet they take those jobs wirth them
June 4th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
they did a movie on this question – go to blockbusters and ask about it.
June 6th, 2008 at 3:12 am
the fat *** white guys who sit around drinking beer all day would have to get jobs
June 8th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
There would be a lot more jobs for Americans. Americans will do any job, but they require a fair wage. As such, the economy would skyrocket.
Not only that, but we wouldn’t have to pay as much taxes because we wouldn’t have to support all of them when they get on welfare and want to put their kids in school for free.
There was a lady on Fox news a while back that ran a lawn maintenance company and she claimed that she couldn’t find any Americans to do the work and she was paying $30/hr. he reporter called her on her lie and had her place an on line ad for the position. Within minutes she had several dozen Americans that were willing to do the job.
Farms don’t hire illegals, they import them under farm visas. The fruit pickers and such are mostly legal.
I can name two construction workers that have years of experience that can’t get work because the illegals stole all the jobs.
June 9th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
haha. I guess everyone posting and answering this question forgot about May 1st, aka “a day without illegals” where the economy was hardly effected.
June 10th, 2008 at 1:11 am
To be honest, this country would not survive without cheap labor from “illegal” immigrants. Inflation would rise so much and the cost of living would be unbearable which would cause everyone to complain about the reasoning behind it.
Ever wonder why the minimum wage doesnt apply to farm jobs? It’s so Mexican laborers can get paid $2 an hour and cheap fruits and vegetables can be sold to grocery stores. Start paying $10 an hour and benefits to an American and the whole industry will be bankrupt. That is a sad reality.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:30 am
It is a fact that illegals will do work that Americans are too lazy to do. I personally have no problem with today’s situation. There are plenty of jobs available for all. Some would rather sit back & collect welfare and that won’t change no matter what we do.
Remember too that the “illegals” are spending the money they earn here and that goes right back into the economy. They are consumers and producers.
June 14th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Sure. You have to blame some-one right ?
Oh for the good old days of 1930s’ Germany.
Things were so much easier then. Even the lowest of the low could have tea with the highest officials.Nice how **** and ignorance brings everyone together.
June 15th, 2008 at 10:38 am
Although I think the immigrants should try to apply for citizenship, I realize its not the easiest thing to do. I think the American economy would fall apart because the immigrants are the foundation of our prosperity. They take the jobs that no one else wants, but are necessary in order for America to “survive”. And immigrants do pay taxes.. not income tax or things like that but they pay sales tax, and they don’t any of that back or any of the benefits from the government programs. Really they’re more helpful to us then they are to them. Plus the people that help immigrants into this country take advantage of them and that’s not fair. They’re just looking for a better life, one like yours and mine, and what right do we have to deny them that? If they’re willing to work harder than “Americans” then they deserve the jobs
June 17th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Illegal immigrants are an integral part of our work force…but making them legal will make things worse.
The “legals” won’t by law be able to work for less than minimum wage…so more illegals will be needed to take their place.
In an ideal situation, we get rid of the minimum wage…which only serves to make unemployable those that aren’t worth minimum wage.
Send the illegals home.
..and it there really are jobs that Americans just won’t do… we employ the prison inmates to these jobs.
June 19th, 2008 at 7:28 am
If there were no illegals to do the jobs … then likewise there wouldn’t be any illegals who would get welfare, hospitals, schooling, etc., etc. The fact that a large amount of illegals who work here get paid under the table and repatriate most of their wages to Mexico puts paid to the suggestion that they contribute to any large extent … those who actually DO pay taxes would have a low wage to start with, hence very low taxes would be paid … but plenty of welfare afforded to them … so, all in all, no matter what way you look at it, the U.S. would be economically better off without illegals ….
June 21st, 2008 at 10:58 pm
the welfare and medical systems wouldn’t be strained to the point they are.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:15 am
well I’m sure we’d survive… I had the absolute pleasure of living through “brown out day” May 1, 2006 the day the freeways weren’t f’d up by the immigrants. I got to work in no time, I also was excited that if anyone did hit my car, I was sure they were insured!! I don’t buy that Americans wont do the jobs that mexicans do. I am willing to pay more in taxes so we could pay higher wages… If getting rid of the illegal’s is going to cost me a bit more, but my commute is better, I don’t have to learn another language to buy groceries or I can call my cell phone company and understand the operator… then totally worth it. and excellent point about the medical system. we wouldn’t be losing all of our emergency clinics because the mexican’s use it as a regular doctor and then don’t pay the bill.. simply because they know they wont be turned away.. total. b.s.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:53 am
life would go on, we dont need all these illegals, they are costing us more than they are helping.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Americans would fills those jobs, and the dreamy numbers they spout about the unemployment rate in America might actually become accurate. The billions stolen every year from hard working, by illegals using their identities, would stop. And, the programs that were in place to help impovirshed Americans could actually go to them. If an American family of five goes down to the welfare office to get food stamps, and they make more than $20,000.00 a year they qualify for about fifty dollars a month. If they own a car, they qualify for nothing. President Bush two years ago, had to bump the poverty level up to $32,000.00 because of the rise of the cost of living, and the amount of Americans working for low wages.
My husband is a third generation American Mexican, and because of looking Mexican, he has been forced to work for sweat shop wages, and pay taxes. I live in a dump meant for some illegal, not an American. But, it is all we have because some crook thought they were better than Americans. I live in Texas and because of the Mexican gang problems, we have small police departments on our school campuses. I had to pull my children out of school, and away from the education that I had already paid for with my taxes because these criminals are educating there illegal children in American schools, and have no problem pushing their racism against anyone that is not Mexican.
They are criminals that need to deported, and have their countries held accountable for breaching national security, and endangering legal immigrants as well as Americans.
My American ancestory gives me the right to claim for tax exemption. Maybe I will claim that right and the illegals can start supporting me for a change, and think that other Americans should do the same. You can get a copy of the exemption form from your local IRS. Sorry about the gramar and spelling errors, but some illegal stole the education my parents taxes paid for.
However, it took everything that my husband and I had, but our children are going to college, and they are determined to make a change in the way our government neglects the American People, and the legal immigrants that go through hell to get here.
June 29th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I am offended as an American when i hear this twaddle about illegals being here to do “jobs americans will not do”.There is not a job that i am capible of doing that i will not do.One only requirement is that i want a wage that i can live on .After all of the bills are paid i would like to at least enjoy some weekend beer.