Hanaguma

No. I am suggesting that government subsidies for those who are not working be cut. There are millions of people who are not working or looking for work, and for no discernable reason. They need to be gently encouraged to rejoin society and discover the joys of shifting for themselves, instead of relying on the goodwill of others.

Really? This link says that only 10% of restaurant workers are undocumented... https://www.foodandwine.com/fwpro/prioritize-undocumented-restaurant-workers-vaccine-coronavirus Pew Research says that 13% of construction workers and 21% of landscapers are illegal immigrants... https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2016/11/03/industries-of-unauthorized-immigrant-workers/ So, that means that 90% of restaurant workers, 87% of construction workers, and 80% of landscapers are either American citizens or legal residents.

From my previous link; https://www.epi.org/blog/how-much-would-it-cost-consumers-to-give-farmworkers-a-significant-raise-a-40-increase-in-pay-would-cost-just-25-per-household/ It says that a 40% increase in pay would cost 25 bucks per household. Therefore to double pay would cost 60 bucks, which means 5 dollars a month. Follow? The same place that says labor costs for all fresh fruit/veg amounts to about 10% of the retail cost to consumers. So doubling the pay for all workers would increase the cost by 10%, or the above $60 per year per family.

You think five bucks a month for a family is "significantly more expensive"? Biden has already spent a thousand dollars per family in America on the war in Ukraine. Which do you think is more important?

Yes, like I said, there is a difference between legal visa holders/immgrants and illegal workers. It is a very important distinction. The latter are much more vulnerable to exploitation and can easily fall through the cracks. But I was not wrong in my statement, as you asserted. Something like a third of ag workers are illegal immigrants.

Thank you for proving my point. I said, "less than a third of farm workers are illegal immigrants". Your link said 27% of all ag workers are undocumented. So I was erring in the wrong direction by overestimating. Sorry about that...

You are close to correct. According to this study, about 10% of the cost of agricultural products is labor. So, a $3 head of lettuce includes 30 cents of labour. https://www.epi.org/blog/how-much-would-it-cost-consumers-to-give-farmworkers-a-significant-raise-a-40-increase-in-pay-would-cost-just-25-per-household/ So, we could even double the pay for ag workers and still only increase the price of fresh foods by 10%. Doubling the pay would be a great incentive to get people working, even in tough jobs like these. And, for the average family, that would cost about an extra $60 per year on their grocery bill, or $5 a month. And for that extra money, they could be assured that their food was harvested by legal workers who were fully protected by labour laws and not exploited. A small price to pay for such a noble goal.

True, but you have to distinguish between legal residents and illegal immigrants. Nothing wrong with expanding visa programmes to get more workers IMHO, as long as it is regulated and the workers are vetted. But letting thousands of people pour over the border every day is not a solution to America's labour market woes. Think about poor New York City, where it costs upwards of $300 per night to feed and house illegal immigrants in hotels across the city. That adds up to 8-9000 bucks per month per family that are in the system. I am sure that regular Americans who are down on their luck would LOVE to be treated that way.

True, not just salary. But there are millions of able bodied Americans who are choosing not to work for reasons other than health or education. They are just taking time off, getting governemnt benefits, living off parents/partners, etc. It has become all too easy.

The idea of illegal immigrants doing the "stoop labour", as another poster put it, is a myth. They make up less than a third of agricultural workers in the US, and far less in other kinds of labour. There are millions of Americans who are choosing to sit on the sidelines and collect a cheque from Uncle Sugar. They need to be given incentive to get back into the workforce.

Agreed. Good idea, see you over there.

Ah, here we go, the old shibboleth about "jobs that Americans don't want". Do you realize how insulting that is to both Americans and immigrants? Americans are lazy, and immigrants are only good for cleaning toilets. True there is a shortage of skilled trades, but that can be rectified without hiring unqualified and unvetted foreign labour. If paying living wages puts some businesses out of business, then so be it. That is the reality of the economy. Better than the public subsidizing illegal immigrants to do the jobs, just to keep the business owners collective heads above water. Please tell me about these jobs that Americans won't do. Millions of Americans work on farms, in restaurant kitchens, on construction sites, etc. There is NO job that is majority illegal immigrant, and very few that are even half immigrant (both legal and illegal). The problem is providing incentive for the millions of Americans who have left the labour market, and importing an illegal underclass who are vulnerable to exploitation is not the solution.

Haven't seen too much reform from the Boy King. He won two elections while coming in 2nd in the popular vote, so not much incentive to change anything.

Yes, that's right. Their votes don't count towards the Presidency directly. And everyone, including the candidates, knows that going in. It creates a situation where a candidate needs to gain support in the entire country, not just concentrate on population centres.

Of course he has a chance.... IF he is the GOP nominee and if he, as you say, wins the Electoral College. That is the constitutional republic in action. Ditto if Biden wins again (if he is the Democratic nominee). Hyperventilating not necessary.

What possible danger? The precedent is set with the previous election. He can huff and puff but in the end nothing will happen. Have a little more faith in your fellow citizens and the system that the Founding Fathers left you.

Sorry, but no. Time to move on. The peaceful transition of power after the last election is the only evidence needed that hysteria over "the threat" is overblown.

An oversupply of cheap labour leads to downward pressure on wages, especially for poor Americans. Illegal immigrants will work for less. Why pay an American $20 an hour if a Venezualan will take $10? Especially if there are no consequences to hiring the Venezualan.

Really? There are a number of countries in which winning the popular vote (either a majority or plurality) is no guarantee of becoming the government. Canada 2021- the Conservatives got more votes than the Liberals, but the Liberals had a plurality of seats in Parliament and formed a government. Same in 2019.

Yep, that's him. The great threat to democracy /s If there ever were a threat, it ended on Jan 20 2021 when Biden was inaugurated. The rest is all posturing and preening, and massive ego on the part of the losing candidate (Trump).

Interesting that Joe suddenly has an interest in democracy. I guess he has already forgotten the peaceful transfer of power that happened in January 2021. His peaceful inauguration. The "very generous letter" (to quote the President) that Trump left for him in the Oval Office on inauguration day. The same Trump who wished the new administration "great luck and great success". https://edition.cnn.com/2021/01/20/politics/trump-letter-to-biden/index.html There is no threat to democracy. That idle paranoia is just being used as a scare tactic by the left to promote fear and division.

Wow, I thought you were talking about Nikki Haley there for a minute..., well except for 3.

Obvious solution? Keep them in custody until their hearings. Build camps along the border to house them. Immediately deport any who used a human smuggler- the wrist bands are usually a giveaway. AND also go after employers. It doesn't have to be an either/or solution.

As of now, the US has spent $1,000 per household on the Ukraine war. I think most people would rather have that money in their pockets, use it to buy food for their kids, pay the inflated prices to put gas in their cars, etc. NATO doesn't need to be renewed. It lost its purpose once the USSR and Warsaw Pact dissolved. Europe has more than enough money to defend itself without relying on Uncle Sugar.

Only the guy with possibly the most downloaded podcast in America, with 15 million subscribers and 3 BILLION views on Youtube. A hard to pin down guy in standard political terms. Leans libertarian, suppports drug legalization, endorsed Tulsi Gabbard in the 2020 election, a 2nd Amendment guy who also is in favor of universal health care. Also not afraid to talk to anyone on his show, a quality that more journalists should emulate.