An economics, investment, trading and policy blog with a focus on Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). We seek the truth, avoid the mainstream and are virulently anti-neoliberalism.
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Friday, February 1, 2019
Prof. Wolff on "The Basics Economics of Immigration"
Richard Wolff takes a balanced look at immigration. Don't blame the liberals for it. It's a subsidy for the rich.
Excellent video. I agree with Richard Wolff on everything except the first 90 seconds…
“Immigration is an “enormous issue created by the Trump administration.” ~ Richard Wolff
Oh? Immigration is was not an issue before Trump? Europe had no immigration crisis before Trump? That’s dubious, but then, Wolff is speaking to Trump fans who think that immigrants are evil.
Richard Wolff seems to think that Trump alone was to blame for the partial government shut-down. In reality, BOTH SIDES caused the shut-down, meaning Trump and leading Democrats (e.g. Pelosi).
Trump wanted money for a wall. Democrats said no because…Trump. (Democrats had supported a wall, and had built much of it before Trump was elected.) Both sides were equally stubborn, and yet only one side was to blame? I need more convincing.
On to what I agree with...
“Immigration is an enormous subsidy to employers. Whether or not immigrants are allowed to enter the USA depends on the political attitude of employers. When employers are against it, it doesn’t happen. When employers support it, immigration happens whether or not employees support it.”
Yes. Recall that Trump employed hundreds of undocumented immigrants at his businesses and golf courses until this became public knowledge. Trump suddenly fired them all on 19 Jan 2019. Many had worked for him for over 20 years.
Democrats didn’t care about the victims. Democrats use immigrants as political pawns. Republicans use them as employees.
“Employers like immigrant employees because immigrants are helpless to resist abuse and exploitation.”
Yes, and when a business owner who employs illegals displeases someone high up in government, that someone takes revenge by sending ICE to conduct an immigrant raid on the employer.
Recall that during the 1930s depression, employers no longer needed immigrants, since American workers were willing to toil for peanuts. Therefore, during the “Mexican Repatriation” (1929-36) two million Latinos were forcibly rounded up, stuffed into cattle cars, shipped to Mexico, and kicked off the cattle trains. Sixty percent were U.S. citizens.
Later during World War 2 the USA was short of farm labor, so the US government brought back all the deported Latinos under the “Bracero Program” which began on 4 Aug 1942 and continued until 1964.
During WW II the US government conscripted 15,000 Mexican nationals, put them in uniforms and shipped them to Pacific Islands to absorb Japanese bullets. A few Mexican nationals were made into a fighter squadron called the Aztec Eagles, who fought against the Japanese in the Philippines. There were 33 Mexican fighter pilots, and they flew P-47s.
The US war machine needed Mexican petroleum. Therefore on 1 June 1942 two Mexican oil tankers were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. The USA claimed (with no proof) that Germany suck them. Therefore Mexico declared war on Germany six months before the USA did.
“Undocumented immigrants often pay no sales tax or FICA tax, but they pay all other taxes, and they rely less on social programs that do native-born Americans, since immigrants must keep a low profile.”
True. Speaking of low profiles, one of ICE’s dirty tricks is to hang around federal courthouses where they can grab immigrants who come to apply for legal permission to be in the USA. ICE agents also like to hang around churches where immigrants congregate.
“Undocumented immigrant crimes rates are statistically lower than the native population, because immigrants want to avoid attracting attention.”
True again. In the state where I live, 42% of the population is Latino, but only 1% of the prison population is Mexican nationals.
Thanks Konrad for showing us why the government is so essential for helping poor people and minorities. Without the government, unscrupulous people would pick on them and persecute them.
During WW II the US government conscripted 15,000 Mexican nationals, put them in uniforms and shipped them to Pacific Islands to absorb Japanese bullets.
James Lange was good, Kohrad, so I left YouTube on auto and chilled for the afternoon with similar tracks coming up. There was loads by David Parsons as well. Chill out music.
The Roddis-monkey wants to eliminate government altogether so that rich oligarchs own everything and everyone. The monkey imagines that this will allow him to magically become one of the oligarchs.
In ancient Israel, immigrants were welcome since the land was roughly equally owned by all Hebrews, with laws to keep it that way (e.g. Leviticus 25), and the immigrants served as wage-labor.
In the US, with government privileges for private credit creation, the prohibition against usury from one's fellow countrymen in Deuteronomy 23:19-20 is not only flouted but subsidized with the result that the assets in the US are NOT roughly equally owned and with the result that far too many US citizens depend on wage-labor themselves and are threatened by foreign labor.
Every time Roddis is challenged to address the fundamental contradictions of his libertarian wet dream he disappears.
Noah Way: Would you be complaining if the funny money system was used for social benefits like health care, education, public infrastructure, etc., instead of the war machine?
Roddis: Yes.
Noah Way: So it's not ok to wage war but it is ok to perform violence on people by denying them food, health care, education, etc?
Roddis: [no answer]
Roddis and his libertarian thieves would practice empathy and non-aggression by denying citizens any compassion at all including Medicare and social security - despite the fact that they are necessary precisely because of the predations of the rich.
Excellent video. I agree with Richard Wolff on everything except the first 90 seconds…
ReplyDelete“Immigration is an “enormous issue created by the Trump administration.” ~ Richard Wolff
Oh? Immigration is was not an issue before Trump? Europe had no immigration crisis before Trump? That’s dubious, but then, Wolff is speaking to Trump fans who think that immigrants are evil.
Richard Wolff seems to think that Trump alone was to blame for the partial government shut-down. In reality, BOTH SIDES caused the shut-down, meaning Trump and leading Democrats (e.g. Pelosi).
Trump wanted money for a wall. Democrats said no because…Trump. (Democrats had supported a wall, and had built much of it before Trump was elected.) Both sides were equally stubborn, and yet only one side was to blame? I need more convincing.
On to what I agree with...
“Immigration is an enormous subsidy to employers. Whether or not immigrants are allowed to enter the USA depends on the political attitude of employers. When employers are against it, it doesn’t happen. When employers support it, immigration happens whether or not employees support it.”
Yes. Recall that Trump employed hundreds of undocumented immigrants at his businesses and golf courses until this became public knowledge. Trump suddenly fired them all on 19 Jan 2019. Many had worked for him for over 20 years.
Democrats didn’t care about the victims. Democrats use immigrants as political pawns. Republicans use them as employees.
“Employers like immigrant employees because immigrants are helpless to resist abuse and exploitation.”
Yes, and when a business owner who employs illegals displeases someone high up in government, that someone takes revenge by sending ICE to conduct an immigrant raid on the employer.
Recall that during the 1930s depression, employers no longer needed immigrants, since American workers were willing to toil for peanuts. Therefore, during the “Mexican Repatriation” (1929-36) two million Latinos were forcibly rounded up, stuffed into cattle cars, shipped to Mexico, and kicked off the cattle trains. Sixty percent were U.S. citizens.
Later during World War 2 the USA was short of farm labor, so the US government brought back all the deported Latinos under the “Bracero Program” which began on 4 Aug 1942 and continued until 1964.
During WW II the US government conscripted 15,000 Mexican nationals, put them in uniforms and shipped them to Pacific Islands to absorb Japanese bullets. A few Mexican nationals were made into a fighter squadron called the Aztec Eagles, who fought against the Japanese in the Philippines. There were 33 Mexican fighter pilots, and they flew P-47s.
The US war machine needed Mexican petroleum. Therefore on 1 June 1942 two Mexican oil tankers were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. The USA claimed (with no proof) that Germany suck them. Therefore Mexico declared war on Germany six months before the USA did.
“Undocumented immigrants often pay no sales tax or FICA tax, but they pay all other taxes, and they rely less on social programs that do native-born Americans, since immigrants must keep a low profile.”
True. Speaking of low profiles, one of ICE’s dirty tricks is to hang around federal courthouses where they can grab immigrants who come to apply for legal permission to be in the USA. ICE agents also like to hang around churches where immigrants congregate.
“Undocumented immigrant crimes rates are statistically lower than the native population, because immigrants want to avoid attracting attention.”
True again. In the state where I live, 42% of the population is Latino, but only 1% of the prison population is Mexican nationals.
“Scapegoating immigrants is as old as America.”
It’s as old as human civilization.
Thanks Konrad for showing us why the government is so essential for helping poor people and minorities. Without the government, unscrupulous people would pick on them and persecute them.
ReplyDeleteDuring WW II the US government conscripted 15,000 Mexican nationals, put them in uniforms and shipped them to Pacific Islands to absorb Japanese bullets.
James Lange was good, Kohrad, so I left YouTube on auto and chilled for the afternoon with similar tracks coming up. There was loads by David Parsons as well. Chill out music.
ReplyDeleteThe Roddis-monkey wants to eliminate government altogether so that rich oligarchs own everything and everyone. The monkey imagines that this will allow him to magically become one of the oligarchs.
ReplyDeleteIn ancient Israel, immigrants were welcome since the land was roughly equally owned by all Hebrews, with laws to keep it that way (e.g. Leviticus 25), and the immigrants served as wage-labor.
ReplyDeleteIn the US, with government privileges for private credit creation, the prohibition against usury from one's fellow countrymen in Deuteronomy 23:19-20 is not only flouted but subsidized with the result that the assets in the US are NOT roughly equally owned and with the result that far too many US citizens depend on wage-labor themselves and are threatened by foreign labor.
In the UK, immigration (at least Muslim immigration) suits the political left because about 90% of Muslims vote Labour.
ReplyDeleteEvery time Roddis is challenged to address the fundamental contradictions of his libertarian wet dream he disappears.
ReplyDeleteNoah Way: Would you be complaining if the funny money system was used for social benefits like health care, education, public infrastructure, etc., instead of the war machine?
Roddis: Yes.
Noah Way: So it's not ok to wage war but it is ok to perform violence on people by denying them food, health care, education, etc?
Roddis: [no answer]
Roddis and his libertarian thieves would practice empathy and non-aggression by denying citizens any compassion at all including Medicare and social security - despite the fact that they are necessary precisely because of the predations of the rich.