Illegals

For some stupid reason, I found myself watching Tom Brokaw's news show last night. The topic of the show was the huge increase in the numbers of illegals (specifically near Carbondale, Colorado) and the impact which it is having on the schools, businesses, etc. in the community and state.

One of the arguments you always hear, especially from business owners, is that if all the illegals were sent packing they wouldn't be able to find enough workers to fill their jobs. This is a lie! What they should be saying (if they want to be truthful about it) is that they would not be able to find enough workers, at the rate they would currently like to pay, to fill their jobs. In most cases, if the employers increased the salaries of the positions they are looking to fill, they would have plenty of hard working, legal workers to choose from. Whether it's cleaning hotel rooms or working in construction, the legal workers will come if you pay them well enough and what the market stipulates. It's the same model used for jobs that are dangerous and risky. You can always find someone willing to do it if the money is good.

I realize that this could lead to higher costs for the business owner and eventually the consumer. I'm all for business owners finding ways to keep prices down by legal means. But hiring people who are in our country illegally only encourages the offense. Many of them do not pay taxes, send much of the money they make elsewhere and are burdens on the education, health care and criminal justice systems. I like it when employers try to save a buck... because it might help be save a buck too. But do it legally.

Someones going to say, what's the difference between hiring illegals at a lower rate of pay here versus shipping jobs off to India? There's a big difference... sending a job to India isn't illegal. At least not yet.