Immigration Idea, part 2

In my last post I began discussing immigration reform. I think I did a decent job of laying out the need for granting amnesty and providing legal status and identification to the millions of foreign workers already in this country and that may yet come to this country. I also mentioned that I had an idea for protecting Americans from losing their jobs to foreign workers. This is what I'd like to discuss in this post.

To begin with, the very act of legalizing and documenting the foreign workers will help with protecting jobs. One of the reasons why foreign workers can accept lower wages is that they are being paid under the table. Since the payments are undocumented, these salaries aren't taxed, which allows the foreign worker to net more than an American worker, even though they gross less. Here, of course, is an argument for documenting. The country will raise more money in tax revenue and foreign workers will have to demand higher wages. This is a start, but I don't feel that this alone will protect American workers.

In order to protect American workers, I think we need to take a lesson from our past and use a time-honored American political tradition. I feel the answer to the problem lies in ratios. I was convinced of this idea as I came to the realization that, on the one hand we need foreign workers, but on the other hand a lot of lower class Americans need these jobs too. A classic case of can't live with them, can't live without them. My solution is that we establish a set or sets of ratios to govern the employment of foreign workers. The ratio would be foreign workers per American worker. Different areas of the economy could have different ratios set up. For instance, in agriculture, where we are heavily dependent on foreign labor, the ratio may be something like a hundred foreign workers for every American worker, or perhaps higher, or even uncapped. In a more competitive industry the ratio would be much tighter. An example might be landscaping, where the ratio might be ten foreigners to every American. I feel these ratios could be set to govern foreign workers from the lowliest field laborer to highest company executives, scientists and engineers.

The obvious problem or difficulty to this system is how to set the ratios, and by whom will they be set. I think there will have to be collaboration between the Government, business leaders, unions, guilds and workers rights organizations. This is the area where the compromises will be made. I think we'll need to be flexible in this area and allow for changes to be made over time. Needs may change and so ratios should be adjustable. My thinking is that the government, perhaps the department of labor, will set and govern the ratios. This might be the simplest way of doing it, but I'm sure Congress will want and should have some say and/or oversight in the matter.

I think this plan offers some nice benefits. The first is that it allows for foreign workers while guaranteeing jobs for Americans. A construction company may want to hire fifty foreign workers, but to do so they may also be forced to hire ten Americans. Therefore the value of a U.S. citizen grows because he allows an employer to hire a set number of foreign employees. You may have to pay the American more, but that's off set by the value he brings in potential foreign labor. I think I should point out here a caveat to this plan. The ratios should apply to similar or near similar job levels. That means that if you have ten Americans in the corporate office, you can't apply them to the ratio. It's a laborer for a laborer, not an executive for a laborer. This is very important. Otherwise we really don't change anything. The reason I said "near similar" job levels is that perhaps we'd want to count supervisors at the lower level. For instance, a foreman over a small group of workers. This might work out so that the American is given the better job, over the foreign workers he allows the company to hire, though not necessarily. The main point is that you don't want a company of American executives and foreign laborers. You want a company that's hiring American and foreign workers to get the job done at the production level.

Another benefit of this program is that it helps to keep businesses in America. By lowering the cost of doing business here, it will be easier to keep businesses from outsourcing to other countries. That keeps Americans employed, which helps the overall economy. It also helps the tax base for local governments. If businesses are located here, they pay property taxes here (supposedly), which will help fund improvements in infrastructure. Along this same line, the foreign workers will also be paying taxes here, instead of in their home countries. They may send a portion of their earnings home, but they'll now be subjected to income taxes, as well as the sales taxes that they already pay for purchases made in the U.S. We may decide to exempt some workers from income tax, such as field laborers, but construction and tradesmen will have to pay the same as their American counterparts.

Another aspect of this plan is that with the legalization and inclusion of these laborers, they'll be able to join and be part of labor unions and work for improvements in working conditions and workers rights. At this time, there is some animosity between American and foreign laborers. With the implementation of this plan, they'll be able to work together. Instead of "stealing" jobs from Americans, the foreigner can work with the American for improvements and growth.

One last point I would like to make is that if we legalize these foreign workers we would have a theoretical cap on immigration, in the sense that American business would only be able to hire a finite number of foreign workers. Granted that number should be pretty large. We would need to decide whether the foreigners need to find a job before coming to America, or if they only need their identification card before crossing into the country in search of work. We may need to apply some limiting factors in this regard so that our social services aren't overrun. For instance, if we do allow anyone to come, with or without a job, we may let them use the social services, but then charge their home country for their use. Another idea would be to set up recruiting offices in the foreign countries. Businesses could match foreign workers with employers. The problem with this is what happens if they get here, work two weeks and then quit? Do we give them a certain amount of time to find a new job before kicking them out or can they sit here doing nothing indefinitely? Either way, who's going to enforce that? That's why I tend to lean more to allowing freer movement for workers. Once they're registered, using biometrics, they can come and go as they please. If they lose their job, let them go home for a couple of months to see their family, before coming back and getting a new job. I think something that we might want to do in order to limit the number of workers and for safety reasons is to make applicants for documentation pass a test. I don't think it should be a difficult test. Just something to make sure they can get around in America. It could be something like a basic English test covering things like the names of basic foods and colors. We may also want to include safety and warning words that commonly appear at work sights. The basic numbers and perhaps traffic signals and signs might also be important. I think the main point of the test is to make sure they won't be a hazard to the people around them once they get here and that they'll be able to function in a predominantly English speaking society.

I know this plan has a lot of holes in it, but I think it's a start. Once implemented it would definitely evolve over time. Part of this would be with our ratios and there governance and part of it would be with our relations with the foreign countries that supply these workers. The main point of this plan is that it protects Americans while offering a legal solution that is acceptable to foreign workers while supplying them with a voice our country. I think in the long run this plan offers a fair compromise to all the parties involved and creates a framework for future discussion and compromise.

I hope I've been clear in the outline of my plan, but I probably forgot to add in many points and ideas. I've probably overlooked many objections as well. I never intended this to be a finalized plan. I see this more as a starting place. Hopefully these ideas will grow into a workable solution and the gaps and objections can be worked out.

The beginnings of my thoughts on immigration reform.

Since yesterday, I've been thinking about which of my ideas I should start this blog with. Now, I'm aware that I previously stated that this would be a blog of random ideas, but since I've only just begun, I have a serious backlog of unused, uncooked, and unappreciated ideas (by "serious backlog", I mean, of course, five), all of which are clamoring for their moment to bask in the glow of the presence of the immortal Internet. After a period of short consideration, I decided that I would start off on the topic of U.S. immigration reform. I figure this is as good a place to start as any other, but since I really deplore writing about "any other" it was therefore quite easy for me to choose immigration reform from between the two. I enter upon this topic with some trepidation, it being a topic much discussed and bandied about by some of the worlds greatest thinkers, though for some reason, they're often ignored and we're left to hear much of the discussion from T.V. news anchors, who are intelligent, but alas decided to get their degrees in journalism and not in political science, sociology, or anthropology. Therefore, while I'm somewhat concerned that my ideas won't live up to the high standards of our nations great thinkers, I think I've got a fairly good chance of meeting the somewhat lower standards of a cable news channel anchor. With that self reassurance in mind I think I'll begin, though I may not be able to get through the entire idea in one post. Granted, since I've never actually taken the time to read other blogs, I'm not entirely sure how long a post should be or even if there is some sort of excepted norm, so like usual I'll just do my own thing and pray you'll forgive me if I offend your delicate sensibilities.

To begin with, I think the first thing that needs to be done with immigration is for everyone involved to come to the realization that it's here to stay and must be dealt with. This would seem to be a rather simple step, yet there are many people who don't want to recognize that there's a problem, or who think that if we ignore the problem it will eventually go away. As usual these people are deluding themselves and living in a fantasy world, namely Disney Land, which is a nice place to visit, but not a nice place to live as the Disney Land security personnel will be quick to inform you of if you try and live there. There seems to be a long standing tradition in this land of ignoring the problems of immigration, dating back to the fifteen hundreds when many of the tribes of people long established here didn't think it necessary to implement a plan for receiving and dealing with immigrants. A quick perusal through our history books will teach us of the disastrous results of such poor planning on the part of the natives. Indeed the very fact that these said history books are written in English should be a lesson of some sort, though I'm not entirely sure what said lesson should be. That being said, I think we should learn from their mistakes and, now that we're the natives, try and implement a better way of receiving new folks from distant lands.

At this point some of the deluded people will ask the question, "Do we really need immigrants?" I could just as easily ask them if they need their high definition TV. In truth we don't need immigrants in the severest sense of the word. Just like we don't need a car, or running shoes, or silverware, or cable, or chocolate. The point is that we want all of these things, with perhaps the notable exception of the running shoes, and when you think about it we should want immigrants too. Immigrants preform a lot of jobs that need to be done to improve our lives and at times lower prices. Here now is a sticking point. Immigrants can lower prices, but often this comes about because they've also lowered wages. Some people argue that immigrants are taking jobs away from Americans, while others argue that Americans don't want these jobs anyway. Often the reason why Americans don't want these jobs is not because of the nature of the work, but because the salaries have been depressed by immigrant labor. I think I have a solution to this problem, or at least perhaps the beginnings of a solution, which I'll get to latter, as I'm getting ahead of myself, which I must admit is physically a little uncomfortable.

The first thing that I believe needs to be done is for everyone to be identified and given legal identification. Everyone who's already in the U.S. should be granted amnesty and be allowed to stay, assuming they adhere to the new standards. In the identification process, when an immigrant registers, we must include biometrics, such as fingerprints, to solidify the identity of the person. I've heard of immigrants constantly changing their name or using different parts of their name to escape from law enforcement. This way, their fingerprints or eye scan or whatever will be their signature, no matter what they want to call themselves. This database would have to be accessible nationwide to agencies such as police departments and those that issue government licenses. This system probably won't be cheap, but it is necessary if we want to make a difference.

At this point I'd like to address the idea of granting amnesty. A lot of people are against this as they see it as a sign of rewarding people for breaking the law. Now, I can't really argue that point. In a sense we would be rewarding them, but in another sense it's merely a recognition that the previous laws were flawed. Eventually we have to come to our senses and realize that those laws are impotent and ignored and no longer apply. Times change and we need to change with them, that's why the forefathers of this country made provision to change the constitution as our situations changed. Imagine for a moment if we actually enforced those laws. In the short term there would be a lot of pain as the country adjusted to losing millions of people. In the long run we'd adjust, but would it be for the better? Would we have fixed the problems that caused this mess in the first place. Also, looking beyond our own pain, what would happen to the millions of outcasts? Would their homelands take them back, and how would they be received? That's just a part of why I believe amnesty is necessary. The other part is that we're trying to solve a problem. In order to solve it we need participation by all parties involved. If we don't grant amnesty, then the illegal immigrants in the country won't register and the problems will persist. We need them to register if we're to have any hope of changing things for the better. We can't properly run a country with millions of undocumented people living within our boarders.

I believe that there are several benefits to legalizing these immigrants. I'd like to point out here that by legalizing I don't mean granting citizenship. I merely mean allowing people to live and work within out boarders. The first benefit I'd like to comment on is that businesses, schools and governments could openly cater to them and form policies allowing for an easier transition into our culture. For example, it would be easier for private schools to advertise and offer services that would help the newcomers learn English or adapt to life here. Such operations are hampered at the present as people are afraid that if they go to such a school they may be discovered and deported. Businesses might also be more inclined to offer safety information or training in foreign languages, or offer training to help foreign workers learn terminology in English. They may not want to offer such things at this time, because they don't want the government to know that they're hiring undocumented workers. Another benefit is that it would help cut down on crime and labor abuses. If immigrants are given legal status and identification, they won't need to use stolen social security numbers or identities to get a job or financial credit. Also, workers may be more willing to report work place abuses if the fear of deportation is removed. They would be more likely to work with OSHA and if necessary the police. I think this also brings up another point. How often are crimes committed and the immigrant community refuses to talk to the police because they're afraid of deportation? I think most of these people are good people and would like to help the police. By documenting and legalizing them, we'd be helping to remove a hiding place for criminals. This leads me to another benefit, which is that immigrants will be able to take ownership or pride in their new land. I think they'll be more willing to make a positive impact in the community and become responsible members of society once we've adopted them into our society. This means they may be more willing to help with social activities and service projects. One other benefit that I see is that by documenting them we'll be able to determine who we want to allow to become a citizen. I don't think everyone that comes here wants to become a citizen of our country, but some do. If we document them, then we can put them on a sort of trial. If they behave themselves for a set number of years, then they can apply for citizenship. This might help us keep from allowing undesirables from gaining citizenship. This country as always wanted to receive the best that other lands have to offer, this just gives us a chance to test them beforehand, a type of initiation process. One last benefit is that once these people are using legal documentation and identification we can collect income tax on them. It seems to be somewhat difficult to collect taxes on salaries paid under the table. Once these people are legalized, their salaries will be placed on the books and the government can collect taxes on them. This will help pay for the programs and infrastructure needed to support them.

Well, I think I've written quite enough for today. I'm only halfway through my idea, but I think I'll finish it later. I hope you'll reserve judgement on the whole until then.

To begin with, an introduction of sorts.

To whom it may concern,
I've decided to start a blog at the behest of my friends and the displeasure of my family. I've never written a blog before or posted things to the World Wide Web, so pardon my missteps and faux pas has I attempt to create something of minor importance. I'd like to point out at this early date that I would have never thought of "blogging" had my friends not wearied me with there teasings to have me write about absolutely nothing of any real importance. You may ask the question, "Why would your friends enjoy reading a blog about nothing of any real importance, written by someone they could easily speak with in person?" If that is the case, then good for you. I'll leave you to discover the answer to that question on your own as you are apparently much more intelligent then I. My only request is that once you've discovered the answer, please share it with me and the rest of the world, as I'm sure such a momentous scientific break through will be of great use to the all of Western Civilization and perhaps even the entire world and parts of Mars and Saturn.

Quick side note. I really hate this interface that I'm using to type in. It's extremely slow, to the point that I'm three thoughts ahead of where I'm typing and I'm having a hard time catching my typos.

Anyway, back to me and my blog creation. As I pointed out in my header, this will be a blog of random thoughts that come my way. As such I won't tie myself down to any sort of posting schedule, as schedules and random events don't tend to get along, except on leap days, though I have to admit that's never actually been proven accurate and must be taken with a grain of salt. I'm planning, however, on trying to post something at least once a week. If I enjoy it or even just like it, then I'll probably post more often, however, should I come to despise this format, I'll probably post less often, and who could blame me for it? I will admit, that on some weeks I've been know to have a fairly large number of random thoughts, I may try and save them and spread them out over various weeks, or perhaps try and post them all at once.

I think this has made for a fairly adequate introduction. Perhaps I'll elaborate on myself as this blog progresses, but I'll let this do for now.