Random Thoughts, Part Deux

It's obvious, except to tea party members, that I haven't written much for this blog in the past few months. However, you should know I've been giving a lot of thought to some of life's most intriguing questions.

Is it wetter underwater if you're there when it rains;

Is it shorter to New York than it is by plane;

Is it hotter down south than it is in summer;

If a grocery store offers flu shots, do they give them in the meat department because the meat industry has so much experience injecting hormones into meat; and,

Was Humpty Dumpty pushed?

Earlier this year, Virginia had an earthquake! This raises an important question. Whenever an earthquake hits California, crazed fundamentalists, such as Pat Robertson, claim God is punishing the state for its pro-gay policies. Very well! Since Virginia is one of the most conservative states in the United States and is controlled totally by conservatives, many of them born-again Christians, for what crime is God punishing Virginia?

Last year, during the Michigan governor's race, I commented on the absurdity of Rick Snyder's belief that government should be run like a business. At the time, I mocked Snyder by asking, based on the current Michigan economy, what the hell did he plan to do, lay off Michigan residents. It turns out the mocking was correct.

In August of this year, Snyder signed a law limiting welfare payments to 48 months. The result of the law is that welfare payments for approximately 41,000 Michigan residents ended on October 1 at a time when the Michigan economy continues to remain in the doldrums. In effect, Snyder and his anti-working class, anti-poor allies in the state legislature downsized 41,000 people. Don't hold your breath waiting for Snyder to limit tax subsidies, for the wealthy and Michigan corporations, to four years.

Since last year's mid-term elections, we've seen right wing extremists, such as Snyder and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, wage total war against the working class, the poor and collective bargaining rights. Meanwhile, tax subsidies for the wealthy and corporations continues. In Congress, right wing extremists attack workers' rights, Social Security, and health care reform. Although they gained control of the House of Representatives on a jobs platform, Republicans have yet to pass a single jobs bill. The only proposals they offer are continuing the failed policies of the past, namely, more tax cuts for the and more subsidies for corporations.

During another era, when the Republican Party was less extreme, a Republican president wrote, on November 8, 1954 in a letter to his brother, "Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid."

Fox News is designed to give ignorant people delusions of adequacy.

For at least the last three presidential elections, we've heard much rhetoric from Republicans lamenting the fact the party can't seem to garner much support among Latino voters. You'd think Latinos would be a natural constituency for the Republican Party since Latinos oppose same-sex marriage, have strong religious values and are very pro-family.

Have you seen any of the Republican presidential candidate debates? During a debate, several weeks ago, one of issues debated was immigration.

It's clear, to most observers, the Republican/Tea Party candidates are clueless. If the party holds out any chance of gaining a significant share of the Latino vote, conservative candidates will have to do a better job of debating the issue other than moving farther to the right.

Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, has stated numerous times "It is not safe on that border.” However, Perry's claim, similar to the claims made about the extremist Arizona immigration law, are undermined by the fact numerous law enforcement officials who work along have stated the border is than it has been in years. Furthermore, as I previously noted in this blog, federal crime statistics indicate that, even as the number of undocumented immigrants has increased, the U.S. crime rate has continued to drop.

Another approach, advocated by the more cerebrally-challenged Republican/Tea Party candidates is the "Let's Deport Them!" mantra. I doubt most of these people can count higher than ten, but can you imagine the costs associated with arresting and deporting 11 million undocumented immigrants? The only possible solution to solving this issue is comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants already in the United States.

The only other tactic of Republican/Tea Party candidates is to praise Sheriff Joe Arpaio. If you aren't familiar with the name, he's the notorious anti-immigrant Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona. For those of us old enough to remember, Arpaio is the Bull Connor of the present generation.

Did the name, Chenille, originate with a French woman who, in labor, looked down at the bedspread and decided it was a pretty name for a girl?

"The economic well-being of a country is not measured exclusively by the quantity of goods it produces but also by taking into account the manner in which they are produced and the level of equity in the distribution of income, which should allow everyone access to what is necessary for their personal development and perfection. An equitable distribution of income is to be sought on the basis of criteria not merely of commutative justice but also of social justice that is, considering, beyond the objective value of the work rendered, the human dignity of the subjects who perform it. Authentic economic well-being is pursued also by means of suitable social policies for the redistribution of income which, taking general conditions into account, look at merit as well as at the need of each citizen." (The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, 303)

Immigrants - Documented And Undocumented - Are Important Assets To The United States

Immigrants contribute more benefits to the United States than they receive in services. Contrary to American conservative propaganda, millions of undocumented immigrants pay taxes and, even if some don't pay taxes, they contribute in other ways such as consumer taxes. They perform millions of jobs including harvesting crops and play an important role in constructing new homes. If the American conservative position is correct - that undocumented immigrants violated U.S. laws by coming to the U.S. and should be arrested - American conservatives must demand, with the same level of intensity - the arrest and prosecution of U.S. business owners who hire undocumented workers. Research indicates strong enforcement efforts have a negative economic impact.

Undocumented and documented immigrants contribute to the enrichment of the United States with their culture and languages. Despite the rhetoric of American conservatives, immigrants learn English quickly and are willing to die for the United States. As of 2008, 65,000 immigrants had fought or were currently fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A report by the National Research Council, fulfilling a mandate by the U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform {a congressionally appointed organization was asked "to examine the effects of immigration on the national economy, on government revenues and spending, and on the future size and makeup of the nation's population."

The study, The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration, was released on May 17, 1997. The conclusion: immigrants - regardless of legal status - contribute more to the United States than they receive in benefits.

James P. Smith, RAND Corporation senior economist and one of the group's chairpersons, stated "Immigrants may be adding as much as $10 billion to the economy each year. The vast majority of Americans are enjoying a healthier economy as the result of the increased supply of labor and lower prices that result from immigration."

What would be the impact of providing a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants currently in the United States? The best answer is examining the result of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. "That legislation came about in the middle of a financial downturn, when unemployment was on the rise. What's interesting is that while the economy fell and we found ourselves in a recession, taxes on the recently legalized undocumented immigrants helped contribute to the economy."

A study by the libertarian Cato Institute stated that legalizing undocumented immigrants "would improve wages and working conditions for all workers." Two of the most important conclusions are that a national program to legalize current undocumented workers in the United States, with a law providing for new immigrants in the future, would increase productivity among immigrant workers and create jobs for other American workers. The gain would be approximately $180 billion over a ten year period. A more interesting conclusion concerned enforcement-only efforts. The study concluded such efforts would shrink the U.S. economy, reduce opportunities for high-skilled U.S. workers and the U.S. economy would lose $80 billion over a ten year period.

Note: In another posting, a discussion regarding job creation and the impact on health care.

Sources:

Jorge Ramos, A Country for All: An Immigrant Manifesto, Vintage Books, 2010, pp. 41-43.

James P. Smith and Barry Edmonston {Editors}, The New Americans: Economic, Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration, Washington, D.C., 1997 {Link: http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?booksearch=1&term=Search+This+Book&record_id=5779&bottom_Search+This+Book.x=13&bottom_Search+This+Book.y=18}

Peter B. Dixon and Maureen T. Rimmer, Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform, The Cato Institute, Trade Policy Analysis No. 40, August 13, 2009 {Link: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=10438}

Maribel Hastings, "Economic Arguments for Legalization," America's Voice, March 25, 2009

President Dwight D. Eisenhower On Social Security, Unemployment Insurance, Labor Laws and Farm Programs

"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security, unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group, of course, that believes you can do these things. Among them are H. L. Hunt (you possibly know his background), a few other Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid." (Dwight D. Eisenhower in a letter to his brother, Edgar, on November 8, 1954).