Sunday, June 06, 2021

Immigrants and Immigration in the US of A


The more one tries to learn about a situation, the less inclined one is to make public commentary on the situation.  Largely because then one realizes that many of those who do make commentary appear to inform themselves from very limited perspectives hatched either from misinformation or at best from scanty information about the topic.

Such lazy prognostications only serve to muddle and make more confusing situations that require earnest and studious attention.

One such topic is Immigrants and Immigration in the US of A.

All things considered it does appear proper for one to make known one's views if only to elevate the overall discussion to a more adult level.

On this issue many rely unfortunately on motherhood statements that do not anymore have bases in fact.  But they  still make for good theatre, and those sporting and advocating them are proud of themselves for their emotional show of compassion and generosity.  But overall it definitely does not move the needle nearer to understanding the situation and the inherent problems. And worse, of trying to mitigate the worsening situation.

How many take into account the number of legal immigrants the US takes in every year?  Do you know the number?  The US takes in about 1 million legal immigrants every year dating back many years.  Its population has burgeoned to 325 million, growing in leaps and bounds in the process. 

How many illegals are in the US? The estimate hasn't moved or been updated for a good number of years.  As if the number does not increase with daily illegal border crossings. Accelerated by de-facto open borders policy coupled with official invitations to come.  Anyway, as few as 12 million to as many as 20-30 million.  California the most populous state has close to 40 million residents.  The illegals are mostly low-skilled and least educated, which because of this there is no doubt the systems have been overwrought and corrupted in more ways than one can imagine.  Ergo, actual and real population should be more.

Social programs of the past designed to address this situation have only exacerbated monetary and fiscal problems of the country.  What is now the total debt of the US? What about deficits and shortfalls?  How many states are close to being insolvent?  Bailouts anyone?  Not to worry, humongous spending bills are just around the corner.  MMT to the rescue.

The richest and most powerful establishment elites in the US have aligned and conspired with government of all political flavors to continue the flood of cheap labor via illegal migration, to decimate the American middle-class which had been the stable and reliable anchor of the US economy and which assured it of high standards of living.  Now most data show that the middle class continues to shrink as early as the 80's, while the richest few accumulate more wealth.  Talk about lopsidedness. The last administration addressed this and was able to improve employment figures in areas not seen in ages. 

But the pandemic and all is accelerating this untenable situation.  Government's reckless moves in response add instead to the burdens.  Imagine right now it suffers from high unemployment, yet available labor is less than adequate to supply a heating economy.  Why? Because government makes unemployment benefits better than employment.

When is the tipping point?