With all the carping Democrats do about Bush over the popular and necessary actions he has taken with regards to prosecuting the War on Terror, it's a shame that they miss some some of his truly offensive actions. The Bush Administration is refusing to take a position on illegal aliens obtaining US identification. This is a real security issue, as well as an economic issue, but the Democrats don't want to take advantage of it, so Bush gets away scott-free.
Bush administration officials yesterday angered lawmakers by refusing to take a position on illegal aliens obtaining U.S. driver's licenses and avoiding questions about its decision to recognize Mexican identification cards. ...Hopefully Republicans won't by shy about criticizing this kind of absurdity; if Gore were in office, mainstream Republicans would be all over him.Critics say the cards issued by the Mexican Embassy are easily falsified and used by illegal aliens to establish residency.
Stewart Verdery, Homeland Security assistant secretary, was asked directly whether states should issue identification cards to people who are in the United States illegally.
"I am not aware that the department or administration has taken a position on that," Mr. Verdery said.
A frustrated Rep. John Shadegg, Arizona Republican, responded: "It seems to me the administration had better get a policy, pretty quick."
Mr. Verdery told the panel yesterday the card can be "reliable in some cases," which committee Chairman Christopher Cox, California Republican, called a conflicting statement and a "problem."
"I can't imagine anything more unclear than for Homeland Security to say it may be good sometimes," Mr. Cox said.
You sound like a person who is serious about fighting illegal immigration. If so, I trust you would support the one thing that would most effectively stop it: criminal penalties for hiring illegal immigrants.
The reason why people come to this country illegally is to work. If we make it more unattractive to hire them, illegal immigrants won't find jobs and will stop coming.
Strangely, no one ever seems to suggest this.
Yeah, that's not a bad idea, I wouldn't oppose it. We should repeal minimum wage laws while we're at it, to remove the incentive for hiring illegals.
How do minimum wage laws provide incentive to hire illegals?
In any event, when you reduce the size of the labor pool by removing illegals from it, wages should rise because the supply of labor has gotten smaller. Minimum wage laws should not have any effect on that process.
Minimum wage laws give incentive to hire illegals because you can pay them less than minimum wage without anyone knowing or caring. It makes it so that Americans can't compete with illegals on the price of their labor.
Natural wages probably would rise, yes, but not necessarily to the minimum level required by law. Depends on where you live. Santa Monica has a very high minimum wage, for example, nearly $10 an hour I believe.
No city (at least in California) has a minimum wage that supercedes the state's minimum wage. It's not clear what the legality of such a law would be. There was such a proposal in Santa Monica, but it was defeated at the polls last November.
Various cities such as Los Angeles have a "living wage" law, but this only affects businesses that are working directly for the city.
Out of curiousity, what do you think could be done to increase the page -- and therefore the consumptive power -- of the low-income? Or do you think it's not worthwhile?
Err, that should have been "wages", not "page".
You're mistaken about Santa Monica, which passed its "Living Wage" law in 2001, setting the rate at $10.50 an hour to $12.25 an hour.
http://www.mckeown.net/lvngwage.html
It applies to:
Which is much higher than California's:
http://www.dir.ca.gov/Iwc/MinimumWageHistory.htm
I don't think it's the government's business how much anyone is paid. Wages are the concern of workers, and their prospective bosses. Workers should be free to unionize, and companies should be free to fire anyone at will.
the bush adminstration ignores the minumn wage....and alien issue...how can a president not cater to the american people and not uphold the constitition of the United States which he is sworn....maby he need to be the president of iraq....