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Milton Friedman on Illegal Immigration
- Thread starter jem
- Start date
A great Friedman story...
"At one of our dinners, Milton recalled traveling to an Asian country in the 1960s and visiting a worksite where a new canal was being built. He was shocked to see that, instead of modern tractors and earth movers, the workers had shovels. He asked why there were so few machines. The government bureaucrat explained: “You don’t understand. This is a jobs program.” To which Milton replied: “Oh, I thought you were trying to build a canal. If it’s jobs you want, then you should give these workers spoons, not shovels.”
"At one of our dinners, Milton recalled traveling to an Asian country in the 1960s and visiting a worksite where a new canal was being built. He was shocked to see that, instead of modern tractors and earth movers, the workers had shovels. He asked why there were so few machines. The government bureaucrat explained: “You don’t understand. This is a jobs program.” To which Milton replied: “Oh, I thought you were trying to build a canal. If it’s jobs you want, then you should give these workers spoons, not shovels.”
To be fair though, if you want a canal and jobs, using shovels could be considered an excellent compromise solution.A great Friedman story...
"At one of our dinners, Milton recalled traveling to an Asian country in the 1960s and visiting a worksite where a new canal was being built. He was shocked to see that, instead of modern tractors and earth movers, the workers had shovels. He asked why there were so few machines. The government bureaucrat explained: “You don’t understand. This is a jobs program.” To which Milton replied: “Oh, I thought you were trying to build a canal. If it’s jobs you want, then you should give these workers spoons, not shovels.”
but of course he knows that... one of his points being that if govt is going to be in the business of providing infrastructure the most intelligent and way to do it, is to do it efficiently.
(by the way. by doing it efficiently and having more projects... the same amount of jobs might be created. )
(by the way. by doing it efficiently and having more projects... the same amount of jobs might be created. )
To be fair though, if you want a canal and jobs, using shovels could be considered an excellent compromise solution.
End illegal immigration. Build a wall. Deport the illegals.
OR. End Medicare, Obamacare, Medicaid, Social Security, Section 8 Housing, Food stamps, income assistance.
Take your pick.
OR. End Medicare, Obamacare, Medicaid, Social Security, Section 8 Housing, Food stamps, income assistance.
Take your pick.
The efficiency of using shovels is that it achieves two goals.but of course he knows that... one of his points being that if govt is going to be in the business of providing infrastructure the most intelligent and way to do it, is to do it efficiently.
(by the way. by doing it efficiently and having more projects... the same amount of jobs might be created. )
two wrongs don't make a right
let's go back to 1914, open borders, no social security
all looks ok until you are Govennor Rick Perry in Texas and you look at all these illegal kids and it becomes obvious if you condemn them to a life with no education you don't have a heart.
two wrongs don't make a right
it is wrong to make anything, no matter how good it sounds, retirement income, education or healthcare free. Once you commit that wrong, no matter how many wrongs you commit after that will never make it right.
and the wrong they are commiting today is to try to close the border
all those kids in 1914 got free public education but it wasn't really free since we all chipped in a little based on our property or income. We as a people decided life would be better if all our citizens had a basic education. Then we decided it would be better if all old people at least had a subsistence income, but it was not free and we paid for it with SSI tax. Then we decided it would be better for all of us if old people didn't die because they couldn't afford healthcare, but it was not free, we paid for it in medicare taxes.
It becomes wrong when we try to pay out more in benefits than were paid in.
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The fallacy in uncle milty's thinking when applied in 2016 is that by having a baby, illegal immigrant parents can qualify for welfare. I learned this only recently from gwb and others. I was aware that illegals can't qualify for means tested benefits, and I was aware that the children born to illegals have been illogically treated as citizens, and therefore can qualify for benefits. But I was not aware that the child qualifying also qualified the parents, even if the parents are here illegally. So uncle Milty's thinking is good as it applies to before 1914 but bad as it applies to 2016.
To fix this all we would have to do is start interpreting the Constitution logically. But now, that's going to require the higher Courts get involved.
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ha, ha ,ha, two wrongs don't make a right. The wrong is means tested benefits. Social security and medicare and k thru 12 are not means tested. Get rid of means tested benefits and open the border, and enforce e verify.The fallacy in uncle milty's thinking when applied in 2016 is that by having a baby, illegal immigrant parents can qualify for welfare. I learned this only recently from gwb and others. I was aware that illegals can't qualify for means tested benefits, and I was aware that the children born to illegals have been illogically treated as citizens, and therefore can qualify for benefits. But I was not aware that the child qualifying also qualified the parents, even if the parents are here illegally. So uncle Milty's thinking is good as it applies to before 1914 but bad as it applies to 2016.
To fix this all we would have to do is start interpreting the Constitution logically. But now, that's going to require the higher Courts get involved.
That is why I am for foodstamps for all, regardless of income. I will glady pay a foodstamp tax based on my income so no citizen of USA ever goes to bed hungry no matter how addicted their parents are.
But I agree, the sticking point is, what is an American Citizen? I would say from your first payroll tax to your last dying day. My citizenship test is very simple. Do you live in USA? Did you pay taxes? I would eliminate all means tested benefits like the earned income tax credit and many others.
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