As almost everyone should know by now, the state of Arizona has passed a new law that would require citizens to carry identity papers and would force their police officers to start racially profiling people in the state. Yesterday, I posted about two Texas state legislators who are going to introduce a similar law in the Texas legislature next year (the legislature won't meet again until early 2011).
Now Hank Gilbert, Democratic candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, has decided that it is time for honest politicians to step up and oppose the idea of such a racist and unconstitutional law. Gilbert says the law is not only wrong, but it will hurt Texas financially. He's not talking about people boycotting the state (as is happening to Arizona). He's talking about the serious damage it would do to Texas agriculture, and thus to all Texans. Here is what Gilbert had to say:
"If you want to talk about driving up food costs, slashing tax revenues, and damaging our economy, then Leo Berman's bill is exactly what you want. I cannot imagine someone proposing something so irresponsible or damaging to Texas agriculture."
"The fact of the matter is this: undocumented immigrants make up a significant segment of the agricultural labor force in Texas. These men and women help Texas grow food not just for our state, but for the rest of the nation. If you take away their ability to move freely within our society and survive without being under constant threat of police action, they will go somewhere else for jobs."
"Now, I know that's probably what Representative Berman wants-he'd rather undocumented individuals go to Oklahoma or Louisiana to work. But the fact is that we have a vital ag industry in Texas, and we have work for people who come to Texas from Latin America and Mexico."
"While it may be good Republican politics to scream and shout about illegal immigration, it is both bad economics and tantamount to racial profiling. I personally do not want to live in a state where Hispanic Americans are constantly stopped and asked for their 'papers.' It is reminiscent of living in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union where identity papers were required at all times. Texas doesn't need that. Human beings from south of our border who are coming and working in Texas-who contribute more in tax revenue than they cost the state in services -deserve some dignity. It is not the responsibility of the state to enforce or enact Federal immigration laws."
"At the end of the day, it's exactly the thing you'd want to do if you want to cause long-term damage to the economy in Texas."
"If the supply of foreign workers were to dry up (say, through actually enforcing the immigration law, for starters), employers would respond to this new, tighter, labor market in two ways. One, they would offer higher wages, increased benefits, and improved working conditions, so as to recruit and retain people from the remaining pool of workers. At the same time, the same employers would look for ways to eliminate some of the jobs they now are having trouble filling. The result would be a new equilibrium, with blue-collar workers making somewhat better money, but each one of those workers being more productive."
ReplyDelete"Many people fear the first part of such a response, claiming that prices for fruits and vegetables would skyrocket, fueling inflation. But since all unskilled labor - from Americans and foreigners, in all industries - accounts for such a small part of our economy, perhaps four percent of GDP, we can tighten the labor market without any fear of sparking meaningful inflation. Agricultural economist Philip Martin has pointed out that labor accounts for only about ten percent of the retail price of a head of lettuce, for instance, so even doubling the wages of pickers would have little noticeable effect on consumers."
Source: Jobs Americans Won't Do: Voodoo Economics from the White House by Mark Krikorian (January 2004)