Aren't illegal mexican men taking all the construction jobs,and depressing the wage for that occupation?

that is unfortunately a VAST oversimplification of the problem...

the average home price in my area is FAR below national average but is still near 300k for a first home...

if you were to raise the construction costs by doubling the labour rate for construction... that would probrably triple or more the final cost of the home... (keep in mind all the suppliers of goods would have to increase THEIR payrates etc etc etc)

so now the home costs 3 times as much... and you make twice as much.. sounds like you are losing ground this way!!!

the bottom line is that nothing in economics is EVER simple... no illegal immigrants are NOT stealing the jobs from "honest hardworking Americans" the jobs they are doing are jobs most Americans dont WANT to do and certainly wouldn't want to have to pay that much to have done!!

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you are right americans did it.. and the average size of a home was just over 1000 sq feet.. ...

we had a choice allow illegals to do the work and get more for less.. or stick with what we had small undersized homes that people could barely afford..

the answer to labour problems has NEVER been to try to cling to old tech... doing so leads your country into the past... the answer is to LET underdeveloped countries do the labour.. train your work force to do more tech advanced jobs.. instead of having them roof.. have them learn to be the construction manager.. or drive the heavy equipment.. teach them drafting etc.....

this is NOT the first time this battle has been fought.. when tractors came out they felt the same then... when migrant workers were moving across the country picking crops they felt the same.. etc etc etc....

bottom line is the only constant in life is change... learn and evolve!

On the urging of the GOP led Congress Clinton signed the NAFTA bill into law. Probably a mistake. Yes, they do seem to have their greedy little paws in the honey jar, those of the people who outsource jobs to China and India. I say beware because cheap is just that. Look at all the problems with stuff made in China. Dangerous toys that we used to trust as safe for our kids. Now I am not sure what to get my nephews for Christmas for fear it will be harmful to them. Also the company I work for has contracted a company in India to handle part of the business. As soon as the contract is up we are dumping the Indian company as they are charging too much and delivering too little. Eventually this is going to bite the business owners in the tush. That will be an ugly sight. But greed is a very powerful emotion and so the conservatives will fight for it as much as they can. If we don't have cheap labor in Mexico, India, or China will we seek other countries, maybe in Africa? Basically what we could and should do is research, development and manufacture in the USA green energy. Europe and some in South America are way ahead of us. We need to, not only catch up but pass them. This is how we can restore our economy and create jobs. Bush has talked about alternative energy but not much has he done in the way of suggestions of how to do this or what kinds of bills he would sign. Google is starting a good thing by putting solar panels on their buildings. If many more companies did that we could have clean, renewable energy at a low price. Industry and the individual could both benefit. Kudos to Google.

Don't blame it on the illegals blame on the owners of the contstruction companies. They are the ones that are depressing the industry by under paying people and hire illegals in the first place. People want to keep blaming the illegals. They wouldn't come here if no one was hiring them.

Jim S.,

If any doesn't want to see the truth, it's you my friend. The wages have gone down because construction companies take advantage of illegals by paying them low and not offering any benefits. I'm calling a spade a spade sweetheart it's businesses who continue to exacerbate the issue by hiring illegal immigrants. But you refuse to see the writing on the wall. So open your eyes. If businesses refuse to hire illegals they wouldn't come here...get it?!

There are plenty of occupations out there that people can't live off of. That's why they get second jobs and room mates. Let's get another thing straight, not all illegal immigrants are Mexican, some are Guatemalan, or Columbian, or whatever. Yes, there is a difference, because they are different countries so they are HISPANICS. They don't have lower standards because they all live in a house together, hispanic people are family, close knit people...they are also trying to save money, why do you care how they live? Are you mad because a HISPANIC showed you out at work, and worked around you, made a better impression with the jefe (BOSS)???

These people come over here for a better life, if I was in their shoes, and lived in the conditions they do in their countries, I'd live my life trying to come to America too! I feel blessed everyday to have been born here, and appreciate that my parents struggled hard to come to this country. I can't put someone down that is trying to better themselves. Glad it makes you feel better though.

You have discovered the dirty little secret of why the government will not do any thing about the illegals. They are trying is lower the over wages paid to workers in this country and destroy the middle class, so we can become the North American Union with Mexico and Canada.

Yes they are. Not only that, but when they get hurt, they get free medical care because our hospitals have to treat all emergencies even if the person can't pay.

And it's not only the issue of Americans not wanting to accept low pay, it's that they want to work legally, and the illegal's are working under the table. It costs companies less more to pay under the table than to pay legally. And actually, the companies pay more for under the table work than for legal work, reason being taxes and other things that come out of ones pay and the work a company has to do to pay a person legally.

Illegals do not take jobs Americans wont work, they take jobs Americans who want to work legally wont be hired for because they want to do it legally. The crack down should be on these companies. This happens, and the housing market goes back up too, houses will cost more to build, so cost more to buy by the consumer.

A. It is not illegal to be a Mexican.

B. Mexican immigrants, legal or not are not dominating the construction industry, and lowering wages.

C. Construction companies that hire illegal immigrants are breaking the law and should be fined severely for it.

If you believe this to be true why not report those employers who hire them. Try being proactive and doing something about it instead of just ranting!

added...You are the one who isn't smart enough or skilled enough to keep a job. I don't have any problems getting good paying jobs or staying employed. Don't blame everyone else for your short comings , get some training you fool!

They are taking the jobs I agree. But there are too many American construction workers that won't work for anything but inflated union wages. Blame the unions for that. Blame the non-union businesses for hiring the illegals.

The blame should be placed on US Labor. US Labor generally wants too high wages and benfits befitting of the job. Americans need to come down to earth and realize we are living in a global society and must compete as such. If we don't we will be left behind.