There are plenty of opinions out there. That's one of the problems. Cable TV is filled with opinion. We have opinion making a ton of money from pundits to bloggers and so one of the goals here is to look at the detailed facts. Let's get to the real statistics, the facts, the details and damn where they lead in terms of rhetoric or opinion that are currently popular.
So, what I'm implying is that this topic in my view is absolutely loaded with opinions. I mean you can get bogus posts from people who simply think it's grand to have unlimited global migration to people who have some sort of agenda to the other side of the coin, those who have some sort of socio-ethnic agenda.
This site is devoted to all things economic, United States, middle class focus, but with a caveat. Let's go into the nitty gritty facts and statistics on all of this and be objective.
It's much harder to do citizen research, to write up tables, charts, to get graphs but that's what I'm asking, hoping everyone does.
We simply do not have enough policy based on objective facts, statistics in the U.S. We do not have a long term national trade policy, most importantly an office truly analyzing the long term goals, effects, with a focus on what is in the best national interest and for the American people. We do not have a long term economic strategy either.
So, yes in a way I'm asking you to shift that paradigm and do not just echo what others may say but more look at the raw data.
Now George Borjas research (who clearly leans right and also for reduced immigration) is impeccable. Now he will maybe call for more PhD level immigrants but he makes no bones about the agenda...to lower wages. His math, his methodology are sound. That's why his blog is listed, not for his results per say but because he is thorough, an exceptional researcher.
I put Krugman in the middle column for pretty much the same reason. I would never list Thomas Friedman for example because he simply parrots multinational corporate executives and I'm not sure if he can even add 3 numbers together, never mind do raw economic research.
See the difference? Take this post. It's not cited, needs to be cited and one can also question if the increase in non-working population is due to the age increase, just as an example. One needs to look at the labor force in the United States itself. Try to estimate the underemployed, those that have rolled off the BLS statistics to conclude there is a correlation.
There is a page here which lists critical studies that were damning, revealing and in depth. For example, Blinder's estimate of how many US jobs are vulnerable to be offshore outsourced was a milestone in analysis.
If you know of studies on this level, we should include them on this page.
A major agenda of corporations is unfettered migration and it does affect wages. Anything that has sudden increases in the labor supply will, through the laws of supply and demand, lower wages. They want unlimited labor mobility and then want to control that mobility.
That said, if we're going to discuss this topic, I hope people use hard statistics because this is one issue fraught with peril and it's also critical to separate out the labor issues (the economic issues) versus the other.
Geographical location believe it or not, in many fields, isn't the only thing here. One can labor arbitrage in services whether that cheaper worker was brought into the U.S. via immigration or if they are sitting in their home country undercutting wages (outsourcing). So, one also needs to look at this in the big picture.
I do know the common business reasons for enabling illegal immigration and increasing it is to lower wages. Another is remittances, or money sent back to the home country, helping that economy. Then the claim that we need young people to prop up social security. On that score I don't believe it adds up financially.
All I ask when discussing this is cite your facts and make sure whatever you cite is dead on accurate, indisputable. There is a lot of misinformation out there and that includes even economists and think tanks, so each paper you need to go over it and make sure it's credible. Tread lightly. Thanks.
Pat Buchanan, regardless of how you may feel about him personally, wrote extensively on this topic in his recent book "Day of Recknoning"
The US need a break from both legal and illegal immigration - time to absorb and assimilate the huge inflow we already have.
There is no economic justification for flooding our population with an automatic underclass.
Not only do we have to stop the flow of illegals coming in for economic and security reasons, but we need to get smarter about who and how many we let in legally as well - just exactly what are they bringing to the party in terms of special skills, education or talent?
Of course illegally immigration is a symptom of globalization - Nafta has devastated the mexican ag industry - so trade reform must be a part of the solution to the immigration problem
I was just hoping that no one else noticed that I was responsible for the entire economic meltdown in this country. Maybe I should run up a whole bunch of debt on credit cards like every other patriotic American.
May I just point to the User Guide, over in the right hand column. There is a rating system on the site (which I spent a lot of time writing I might add!) which will demote posts from the front page, promote forums to the front page, give users increased positive juju and also has the ability to hide particularly not insightful comments.
One can also track on your comments to see who has replied and all sorts of goodies.
I bring this up because few are using any of these features.
Controlling what is on the front page by member consensus is the Democratic way.
Just a FYI, if you create a new account, log in, then you can track all of your comments, participate in the ratings (editing) system, post and I think I have signatures enabled if you want to link up to your own blog.
Though she's way too young to drink, my little cousin loves to see beer (and donuts too) being made. The rolling bottles, and all that stuff. I agree full heartily, support your local brewer!
Primarily I stick with Deschutes, Full Sail, or McMinnimen's. All local breweries that have major manufacturing centers in pubs so that you can go watch your beer being made.
My God, with the US losing it's economic competitiveness and assets right and left, now one cannot even drown their sorrows by getting rip roaring drunk on American beer!
Although I guess you can switch to Sam Adams.
You can bet money there will be layoffs. Although considering the tanking dollar, manufacturing in the US might be cheap enough so maybe that will help.
So glad the US is sinking so badly economically we might become a target for manufacturing on the cheap. Somehow I don't think this is what we have in mind in terms of building up US manufacturing.
I agree with you. Bush and his kind have looted and raped America for their own interests. We the people will get even. They rich will be made to pay for what they have done to America. Class warfare? You betcha.
When will someone arrest and try Bush and his administration for what they have done to this country? Do we need a repeat of the 1930s or another World War before they are held accountable?
There are plenty of opinions out there. That's one of the problems. Cable TV is filled with opinion. We have opinion making a ton of money from pundits to bloggers and so one of the goals here is to look at the detailed facts. Let's get to the real statistics, the facts, the details and damn where they lead in terms of rhetoric or opinion that are currently popular.
So, what I'm implying is that this topic in my view is absolutely loaded with opinions. I mean you can get bogus posts from people who simply think it's grand to have unlimited global migration to people who have some sort of agenda to the other side of the coin, those who have some sort of socio-ethnic agenda.
This site is devoted to all things economic, United States, middle class focus, but with a caveat. Let's go into the nitty gritty facts and statistics on all of this and be objective.
It's much harder to do citizen research, to write up tables, charts, to get graphs but that's what I'm asking, hoping everyone does.
We simply do not have enough policy based on objective facts, statistics in the U.S. We do not have a long term national trade policy, most importantly an office truly analyzing the long term goals, effects, with a focus on what is in the best national interest and for the American people. We do not have a long term economic strategy either.
So, yes in a way I'm asking you to shift that paradigm and do not just echo what others may say but more look at the raw data.
Now George Borjas research (who clearly leans right and also for reduced immigration) is impeccable. Now he will maybe call for more PhD level immigrants but he makes no bones about the agenda...to lower wages. His math, his methodology are sound. That's why his blog is listed, not for his results per say but because he is thorough, an exceptional researcher.
I put Krugman in the middle column for pretty much the same reason. I would never list Thomas Friedman for example because he simply parrots multinational corporate executives and I'm not sure if he can even add 3 numbers together, never mind do raw economic research.
See the difference? Take this post. It's not cited, needs to be cited and one can also question if the increase in non-working population is due to the age increase, just as an example. One needs to look at the labor force in the United States itself. Try to estimate the underemployed, those that have rolled off the BLS statistics to conclude there is a correlation.
Not sure what you are implying in your comment Robert?
My comment is my own opinion formed by many sourced, and I already cited above the primary source for the basis
Are you suggesting that opinion pieces are not permitted here?
There is a page here which lists critical studies that were damning, revealing and in depth. For example, Blinder's estimate of how many US jobs are vulnerable to be offshore outsourced was a milestone in analysis.
If you know of studies on this level, we should include them on this page.
A major agenda of corporations is unfettered migration and it does affect wages. Anything that has sudden increases in the labor supply will, through the laws of supply and demand, lower wages. They want unlimited labor mobility and then want to control that mobility.
That said, if we're going to discuss this topic, I hope people use hard statistics because this is one issue fraught with peril and it's also critical to separate out the labor issues (the economic issues) versus the other.
Geographical location believe it or not, in many fields, isn't the only thing here. One can labor arbitrage in services whether that cheaper worker was brought into the U.S. via immigration or if they are sitting in their home country undercutting wages (outsourcing). So, one also needs to look at this in the big picture.
I do know the common business reasons for enabling illegal immigration and increasing it is to lower wages. Another is remittances, or money sent back to the home country, helping that economy. Then the claim that we need young people to prop up social security. On that score I don't believe it adds up financially.
All I ask when discussing this is cite your facts and make sure whatever you cite is dead on accurate, indisputable. There is a lot of misinformation out there and that includes even economists and think tanks, so each paper you need to go over it and make sure it's credible. Tread lightly. Thanks.
Pat Buchanan, regardless of how you may feel about him personally, wrote extensively on this topic in his recent book "Day of Recknoning"
The US need a break from both legal and illegal immigration - time to absorb and assimilate the huge inflow we already have.
There is no economic justification for flooding our population with an automatic underclass.
Not only do we have to stop the flow of illegals coming in for economic and security reasons, but we need to get smarter about who and how many we let in legally as well - just exactly what are they bringing to the party in terms of special skills, education or talent?
Of course illegally immigration is a symptom of globalization - Nafta has devastated the mexican ag industry - so trade reform must be a part of the solution to the immigration problem
as in a nervous giggle. For future, typos, wrong word, "spell check" just email people and don't use the comments.
.....'tittering'?
I was just hoping that no one else noticed that I was responsible for the entire economic meltdown in this country. Maybe I should run up a whole bunch of debt on credit cards like every other patriotic American.
May I just point to the User Guide, over in the right hand column. There is a rating system on the site (which I spent a lot of time writing I might add!) which will demote posts from the front page, promote forums to the front page, give users increased positive juju and also has the ability to hide particularly not insightful comments.
One can also track on your comments to see who has replied and all sorts of goodies.
I bring this up because few are using any of these features.
Controlling what is on the front page by member consensus is the Democratic way.
Dit Bud is Voor U / Este Bud é pra você
Too Funny, that's Public Citizen's trade watch blog.
Just a FYI, if you create a new account, log in, then you can track all of your comments, participate in the ratings (editing) system, post and I think I have signatures enabled if you want to link up to your own blog.
This is a community blog (all things economics).
Actually there is crisis over the world not just U.S also in U.K. Mexico and other places.
Nice blog! I will subscribe to your blog stay in tune.
Check my blog too.
Business Management Tips
Best Regards.
Though she's way too young to drink, my little cousin loves to see beer (and donuts too) being made. The rolling bottles, and all that stuff. I agree full heartily, support your local brewer!
You know what, I was thinking the same exact thing!
Drink Locally, Whine Globally.
Primarily I stick with Deschutes, Full Sail, or McMinnimen's. All local breweries that have major manufacturing centers in pubs so that you can go watch your beer being made.
My God, with the US losing it's economic competitiveness and assets right and left, now one cannot even drown their sorrows by getting rip roaring drunk on American beer!
Although I guess you can switch to Sam Adams.
You can bet money there will be layoffs. Although considering the tanking dollar, manufacturing in the US might be cheap enough so maybe that will help.
So glad the US is sinking so badly economically we might become a target for manufacturing on the cheap. Somehow I don't think this is what we have in mind in terms of building up US manufacturing.
Class warfare has been going on for the last thirty years, and it ain't the lower and middle classes who are winning.
I agree with you. Bush and his kind have looted and raped America for their own interests. We the people will get even. They rich will be made to pay for what they have done to America. Class warfare? You betcha.
When will someone arrest and try Bush and his administration for what they have done to this country? Do we need a repeat of the 1930s or another World War before they are held accountable?
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