DarthFerret said:
I also think another problem with our economy is the way people hold on to (or dont in this case) thier jobs. My father worked at his company for over 35 years. In fact, he only ever worked for 2 different ones in his lifetime. (Radio Shack in college, and then Xerox for the 35 yrs.) I myself did not complete my college education (because I am a stupid dumb-OINK), and have bounced around different jobs for the last 10 years.
That may or may not have any impact on the economy, but don't kid yourself into thinking that it has anything to do with your lack of college education or, for that matter, any lack of dedication.
No, I've seen studies on this. As for myself, I've worked for 5 different companies (one of them 3 different times), and had my own business for a couple of years. And I have a college degree.
Basically, any economic shift is also in part due to a shift is corporate attitude. It used to be that companies and employees had loyalty to each other. My dad did the same thing that your dad did.
Now days, you can be as loyal or disloyal as you like, but most (and I do mean most) employers aren't going to return that loyalty because they are all out to improve the bottom line. For example, we all know it's taboo to talk about how much you are getting paid, but in most cases, if you've been at your job for a few years, there is a good chance that people just now getting hired on at the same level you did back then are going to be getting paid more than you. Why? Because employers have learned that most people fear not having a job and don't go looking for a different job. They have no choice but to raise salaries for new employees, but existing employees are easy to placate with minimal, if any, raises.
It used to be that if you switched jobs often, it was a sign that you weren't focused. Now, it often means that your are a go-getter and you realize the only way to move up is to move on. Eventually, you end up in a position where have what you need to live on and/or are enjoying your job enough that you don't care that you might be able to make more elsewhere. If you are lucky, you end up in a position where the company has enough respect for you to be loyal and give you what you deserve.
Anyway, I realize that this is continuing Darth's "off topic" tangent.
Um...back on target...I'm of the opinion that anyone who wants to become a contributing member of society should be welcome in the country. But that means taxes, etc.
I'm all for going after the employers. Unfortunately, the situation gets really complicated really quickly. Fact of the matter is, most Americans don't want to work for the low wages that many immigrants will work for. At the same time, Americans have certain expectations on prices of goods which are based on the fact that competition forces certain industries into a position of hiring migrant workers or price themselves out of the market.
I think there are answers, but they involve adjusting expectations on what certain things cost, adjusting expectations on how much the business owners should be making, and targetting employers more than the immigrants to make sure rules are properly followed.
