Immigration Issues

Tyler Cowan presents a seminal analysis in his Review of the Brown, Haltiwanger, and Lane Paper. The lifestyle of the American people is improving, clearly recognizable to All who study the Expenditure patterns of Americans. But the question remains: Is it sustainable? Job Turnover stands as a problem, and a trouble which afflicts all of Production; the overall Cost resident in the Downtime. The later eats up the Profitability of previous Jobs, brings on the growth of Consumer debt which does not seem to decrease in future Jobs, and eliminates the practice of individual saving for retirement. The instability may have benefit for industry, but does it possess viability for the labor forces engaged in it?

Tyler has another good column in the NYTimes (read it). He worries about the incentive the United States presents to Mexican labor, which presently consists of desire for less-educated manual labor for men, while desiring more educated women for duties of Child-rearing etc. He knows the less-educated contain less chance of social integration in American society. He does not mention educated Mexican women have less inclination to be attracted to uneducated Mexican men in American society, but mentions the shortage of Mexican men in their native society. He stresses that American employment practices currently cripples Mexican educational practice, while building dysfunctional Social practice in the Mexican community among Transplants to the United States.

Mark Thoma reads the Cowan column, and basically agrees with Tyler’s assessment, adding some commentary of his own. The whole situation will present explosive conditions in future years. One thing which Neither mention consists of the need to redevelop the American desire to engage in manual labor. Mark has the greater sense that improved educational practice in Mexico will slow immigration of labor north, and that such educational gains must be accomplished for Mexico to survive as an economic and political entity. Both men lack the foresight to understand that immigration, what with Ageing of Labor and economic gain from education, will dry up in the years ahead. Americans will once again have to provide their own labor force, and the development of this labor force insists on Social programs of higher Minimum Wages, Job security, and provision of Health services. lgl