Rove’s “gaffe”
Sully picks up on a story about Karl Rove, insensitive ass. It appears that Rove, in his contribution to the immigration debate, remarked that “I don’t want my 17-year-old son to have to pick tomatoes or make beds in Las Vegas”; confirmed by ABC via ThinkProgress.
I don’t have a problem with that, however. It’s crudely put, I guess, and like most people with a pulse I am not generally predisposed to agreeing with Karl Rove, but it’s aimed at the people that complain about immigration of low-skilled workers to do, surprise, low-skilled jobs. The best way to avoid competition from these people is, hmm, not to be low-skilled and I can’t see that anyone, including those people that do fit the ‘low-skilled’ description, hold the ambition that their kids will be ‘low-skilled’. The idea that somehow the solution to the problems of low-skilled Americans is to protect them from competition seems like lunacy to me; the solution is to ensure that everyone gets the chance to get those skills, and that starts with an acceptable education being available to all. That some people won’t take advantage of it and will end up competing with low-skilled migrants at the bottom of the wage ladder is pretty much a certainty but, really, boo hoo.
In the meantime, why shouldn’t migrants that will do this work for cheap and by working hard (and still be better off than they were) get that work? It’s good for them and it’s good for those of us that like cheap tomatoes. People that don’t like cheap tomatoes can buy them from sources that make some convincing guarantee that they stick to all-American labour, without the government enforcing that choice on everyone by increasing the already fearsome bureacracy surrounding the business of employment. For the record, I don’t care if my hypothetical 17 year old child has to work in a Las Vegas hotel changing beds. I just want those employers to be able to get agreeable labour at the right sort of price and I don’t want a large pool of such available labour across a border to be restricted so that my unskilled child can get paid more for doing something that’s unskilled. For that matter, I don’t want a skilled workforce similarly restricted. Competition is the root of success and sure, where there’s competition, there’ll be losers, which should encourage us all to try to avoid being losers. Life’s tough, tell your friends.
So, to my mind, the solution to illegal immigration is to make immigration easier for people who will do the sorts of jobs that illegal immigrants do. I agree with the general sentiment that this won’t do Bush or Rove any good, but on this general subject, they’re right.
Competition is good yes. But compitition with people who are willing to work for half of what most Americans are is maybe not so good. There is no chance that it would hurt Carl Roves son. But it could hurt American cities and towns (that means us in the long run low skilled or not) if our low skilled workers are not able to make a living wage because Mexicans are able to do it for pennies beacuse they share rent with 19 other people. Think the inner city is bad now ?
I’m sure employers think it’sagreat idea for themselves. 3 bucks an hour no health dental or regulations. Then at the end of the day the Mexicans can go home to their MS13 owned and operated ghettos in the middle of our cities. Then in 20 years they can have a “workers revolution”. Ok I went too far..maybe.
We need an influx of new workers. I understand that. But if we want to avoid problems they have to be more than low wage apple pickers. That sweet deal won’t last. We will create all kinds of social problems.
Comment by Robbie — 2/10/2007 @ 3:32 pm
It seems to me that with maybe 10 million illegals already here, that competition is also already here. Americans are still moving South and West, though, to the same places as many of the migrants.
I agree that it shouldn’t just be apple pickers (although someone has to pick the apples). I also think that illegal immigration is a Bad Thing (because people breaking the law is bad forall the law). I’m just not too excited about the fact that competition will be harsh, because competition makes wealth (although some people seem to believe that wealth is a finite resource to be shared out).
If they were legal, they’d not be quite so cheap, but the void between cheap legal labour and cheap illegal labour would at least be closed somewhat. Of course, I’m also against the minimum wage…
Comment by Adam — 2/10/2007 @ 3:51 pm
It was both more offensive and funnier when Dean did it.
Comment by Paint CHiPs — 2/10/2007 @ 6:40 pm