HERBERT: Who's Getting the New Jobs?

[dw]

By BOB HERBERT in today's New York Times

A startling new study shows that all of the growth in the employed population in the United States over the past few years can be attributed to recently arrived immigrants.

The study found that from the beginning of 2001 through the first four months of 2004, the number of new immigrants who found work in the U.S. was 2.06 million, while the number of native-born and longer-term immigrant workers declined by more than 1.3 million.

The study, from the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University in Boston, is further confirmation that despite the recovery from the recession of 2001, American families are still struggling with serious issues of joblessness and underemployment.

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[2Design]

1. yes they are still getting visa and getting the full funding at colleges

[teryang]

2. Liberal immigration policy and lax enforcement

...are corporate policies designed to run down wages and compensation for American workers. This is why the standard of living for Americans has been steadily eroding for decades. Now we have outsourcing as the lastest escalation in the war of exploitation of the American labor and consumer markets.

[necso]

3. We have to move past looking at immigration

as a matter of race, ethnicity or "right". For many, if not most, Americans, the massive immigration of cheap, "disposable" labor into the country is an economic issue, one that they see effecting them and their neighbors.

It is time to drop all the useless handwringing and all the PC bullshit and take a stand that benefits the average American. There is a vast "center" in this country that would respond to a realistic, honest, nationalistic position on immigration.

(And, yes, I am in favor of restricting all forms of immigration including the use (abuse) of work visas, at least until such a time as the resultant decrease in the labor supply results in better pay, benefits and working conditions for the American worker.)

There is nothing wrong with being nationalistic, and a nationalism that moves beyond hollow rhetoric would appeal to many people. We don't need to be isolationist, racist, petty, mean or ignorant to be nationalistic. We merely have to consider the interests of this country first, regardless of whether we do so because America represents an ideal or simply because we happen to have been born here. Nations can thrive when they intelligently pursue their national interests, and they can falter when they do not!

Personally, I would like to see a better life for everyone on the planet, but the road to that life does not follow the path of marginalizing the worker -- Rather we must ensure the dignity of the worker and of work itself in order to make a better life for all ( -- well the fat cats might suffer a little). Starting at home and with our own citizens is not inherently a bad idea, no matter how hard some people might try to distort the discussion.

This is a very important editorial, but I expect its importance will be lost in the chaos that is our time... too bad!

[shrike]

4. This reminds me of what happened in the colonial empires

The issues and era were much different, but British, the Dutch and others would bring in outside workers, usually Chinese, to work the mines, plantations, etc. The Chinese ultimately obtained a higher status and standard of living than the native-born peoples, leading to incredible racial tensions, some of which persist today.

[benfranklin1776]

5. Kick

:kick: