The unemployeement % is 4.7. If we removed the illegal alliens would it become a negative number?

I've been steadily employed pretty much since leaving high school. It hasn't made me rich, but I pay my bills and have some left over, I think people that want a job find a job, people that want a free ride find that, too.

I read a story a couple days ago that claims that illegal aliens aren't impacting job numbers. I say 'who cares'? At issue is that they're in the country ILLEGALLY. No if's, and's, or but's about it.

Mexico's our worst offender on illegal immigration. It follows that dealing with Mexico first and foremost on illegal immigration will be to our greatest benefit. A great 1st step there would be to physically deny people unlawful access to our country, and that will happen best by completing the border fence. Sure, it's 1800+ miles, but there's way more freeways in america than that, and while some object to The Great Wall Of The Americas, call it a colossal waste of money, the American Maginot Line etc., the fact remains that Mexico's largely dysfunctional as a country, can't/won't support its' own people, which is why they're in america in the first place, and the only way that's ever going to change is if they have no choice about it anymore.

Employment numbers are only statistics, and it's a matter of dispute as to how honest/accurate they'll ever really be, as it kind of depends on who writes them etc.

I say 'support the US Border Patrol', and write your state officials and ask Hard Questions about the issue, to make sure that someone in your state legislature's at least given the opportunity to hear from one of its' Citizens on the issue in plain-spoken and honest fashion.

Illegal immigration is a Big Problem, and not just for the United States. Solving it will not be the work of 15 minutes. There's about 6.6 BILLION people walking the earth today, again, that's one of those statistics, take it for what it's worth. But, assuming for a moment that it's correct and accurate, or even ball-park,

then ask the question of what our immigration policy should be in a world of 6.6 billion and how lax we can realistically afford to be in administering any such policy. Financial pressure from those that stand to make material gains from lax enforcement also plays a factor in this. It's not an easy snap-decision type thing.

Part of the question is 'who are we as a country', and why we don't practice parity with other countries on immigration law.

We as a country are 10 times more generous on immigration than our nearest competitor, but this one's not about competition, it's about common sense, and what kind of trouble we might end up setting ourselves up for in the future. It's Decision Time in 2006 america, we need to decide if/when we're going to actually start enforcing some of the laws that have been on the books for years, and whether to get some people out of office who have conflicts of interest on the border issue. Recall elections are a lawful part of what goes on in our system, and while they may be unpopular, they are nonetheless a legitimate step when it's realized that people in a position to make some honest decisions about things have undue influence going on from somewhere, preventing them from being honest. Now, while some might say that 'honest politician' is the Mother Of All Oxymorons, I hold(however foolishly) that it's not impossible nor unrealistic to ask that our public officials try to 'police' themselves in such matters, too. Mexico is nothing if not a poster child for corruption in public office, if we're to avoid becoming a hopeless mess like Mexico then it stands to reason that we should strive for higher standards on things like enforcing existing laws, fairly, correctly, and thoroughly.

The 'answer' in my mind on illegal immigration is fairly straightforward, let's get the border fence built. Make the US Border Patrol more robust, more capable of doing its' job,

get city/state police AND citizens working with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, ensure employer compliance with relevant laws, and maybe even just go ahead and start presenting Mexico with the 'bill' for services rendered on a regular basis, so's that their government realizes that THEIR negligence has caused undue burden on the United States. We're not made of money, and it's time they woke up to that fact. In fact, the National Debt, the sum total of all monies owed, there, is somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.4 trillion dollars, dollars that will be paid interest on in the future through tax remittances from US citizens. Not only are WE paying for all of this stupidity through lack of public services, overcrowding, infrastructure problems, crime, etc, but your GREAT-GRANDKIDS will be paying for it too, should you be inclined to have any. I, for one, would simply like to see the relevant laws enforced, and those persons that have no lawful business whatsoever in our country REMOVED. Get em out, have done with it. After THAT job is done, then we start talking about 'guest workers' or whatever...but put companies and people in general in a position of understanding and appreciating that some of the shadier practices that they've indulged in in the past really aren't benefiting anyone else, and in fact are placing the aforementioned undue burden on some of our cities and communities, Los Angeles as an example is now believed to be spending some 1 billion dollars annually on public services rendered to illegals, incarceration, employment, healthcare, housing, transportation, all of these things represent money OUT of the taxpayer's wallet, and it stands to reason that from that perspective, some of our shadier 'representatives' look at the influx of illegal aliens as a GODSEND, because it lets em have a justification to frolic in their favorite playground...your WALLET...

I don't think it would. If you are referring to Mexicans, in our community, these people work very hard in the onion fields, baling straw, working in Factories and I have to yet; to see them pay for their Groceries with Food Stamps. I work in our County Jail as a Shift Supervisor with the Local Sheriff's Office. We see a lot of Bonds everyday, Cash and Property and the Hispanics are pretty much the only ones that pay the Cash. The biggest problem, that I see with the Hispanics, is that they should have to learn how to speak English before coming to our Country and secondly, they should have to go straight to their Local Patrol Barracks or wherever License are obtained in that particular City and get a Driver's License and then off to the Social Security Office and Get a S.S. Card. The Hispanics that we see come through our Facility with a Driver's License are very few and a Social Security Card is about the same. If they have their Mexican License while they're driving and have their passport on them when they are stopped or go through a road check; then their Mexican License are Valid in our State.You see very little of this, also. And the reason you can't get a job--If it is a teenager, they've probably got better things to do. Older people, in our state, love the Welfare System. Some go out and look; but, are they really really serious about a job?

Unemployment is a relative term! Those are the "official" numbers of those currently drawing Unemployment Compensation, not the actual unemployed who ran out of benefits long ago!

You go work for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week with no benefits for $6,000 a year!

You would have to live under a bridge for those type wages!

My problem is the drain on services, particularly education which is now failing our own children in border states and areas where illegals concentrate. We pay for that for our own children and subsidize it for the poor. When it is stretched to cover so many who are not even legally here, it can no longer properly serve our own.

However, on jobs, this is an up economy. What happens when there is a down economy? And wages are down, even if employment is higher.

if illegals were removed, the unemployment rate would increase. The business that rely on them would have to shut down & lay off their legal employees- managers, supervisors, accountants, etc who would join the unemployed.

The existence of cheap illegal labor creates a net gain for employment. & more importantly, the gain is in higher wage jobs compared with those occupied by the illegals.

Well, I'm disabled for 1.

2, the government blackmailes me.. Says I can't get a job till I've completed my VA medical claims...

I can't get social security cus I'm not of the minority-- and because I'm "disabled." Somehow that knocks me off the eligability list.

Nor, can I draw unemployment because of my VA medical claims..

The government has even taken the time to fire me because I didn't comply with their request.

---So.. I'm kinda stuck. But I do try...

I just get screwed even more. The illegals being here-- getting the freebies for what? Did they serve the country?

No..

It makes no god damn sense!

--Rob :(

It Would Drop To Around One Percent

Unemployment can never be a negative number.

The best you can hope for is full employment.

Please not that I said "Full Employment" instead of "Zero Unemployment". If you take a class in economics, you will learn what I mean.

According to the lasted science on the subject, you are correct. If it were not are the illegal aliens, The Bush's presidency would be the first to have no one in the US unemployed.

What a wonder Panamanian it would be.

The only reason it is so low is their unemplyment ran out!

Don't you realise that?

It doesn't have anything to do with honest LEGAL AMERICAN citizens having a job.All that records is how many are recieving benefits.

When your benefits end you must have a job,right?

NOT!

But that is how it is counted.

4.7% is like no unemployment.It wouldn't drop.You have to consider the ppl that are disabled,or for whatever reason can't work.Those are the 4.7%.