Restricting Immigration Makes Americans Richer, Not Poorer
Over the summer, President Trump suspended many guest-worker visas for the duration of 2020.
Business groups like the Chamber of Commerce howled in outrage. Immigration and guest-worker programs grow the economy, they claim -- so by cutting off the flow of roughly 500,000 guest workers this year, President Trump is impeding the economic recovery and hurting Americans.
This is at odds with reality. Restricting the influx of foreign workers makes Americans better off, especially during times of high unemployment.
On the most elementary level, it's true that immigration grows the economy -- but only because it increases the total population. Measuring a country's economic wellbeing based on GDP alone, without factoring in population size, is silly.
Consider an example. Luxembourg's 2019 GDP totaled nearly $72 billion. That's 71st in the world -- far behind poverty-stricken nations like India and Nigeria, which have the world's fifth and 27thlargest economies, respectively.
But with a population of only 626,000, Luxembourg's per capita GDP exceeded $113,000 in 2019 -- making it the world's third-richest country on a per-person basis. India and Nigeria reported per capita GDPs of roughly $2,400. America's GDP per capita, for reference, was $67,000.
So the relevant question isn't whether high levels of immigration and guest-worker programs boost GDP. They do, in the same way that annexing Canada would boost U.S. GDP. What we need to take into account is that bigger isn’t always better.
Does importing millions of foreign workers make Americans better off? For tens of millions of Americans, the answer is no.
The Economic Policy Institute estimates that immigrants contributed about $743 billion to U.S. GDP in 2011, a little less than 15 percent of total GDP. Almost all of that money went to immigrants themselves as income.
Most of the remainder was captured by businesses, who benefit from cheaper labor. Harvard professor George Borjas finds that for every 10 percent increase in the size of a given labor pool due to immigration, workers' wages in that pool decline 3 percent.
Writing in 2016 based on then-current figures, Borjas concluded that "immigration has barely affected the total wealth of natives at all. Instead, it has changed how the pie is split, with the losers -- the workers who compete with immigrants, many of those being low-skilled Americans -- sending a roughly $500 billion check annually to the winners."
In other words, immigration is a boon for CEOs and shareholders. For regular American workers, it's an enormous drag on their earnings.
The National Academy of Sciences has reached a similar conclusion. It published an exhaustive report in 2016 examining the economic impact of immigration and found that American workers with similar skills as foreigners "may experience a wage reduction as a result of immigration-induced increases in labor supply."
No one, least of all me, will deny that many immigrants are hardworking and contribute to the United States. No one else should deny, either, that high levels of immigration drive down wages and displace American workers, who can and will do any job in the United States. The solution isn't to end immigration. What Congress needs to do is to reduce the overall level of immigration, and reform the system so that employers can’t use it to undermine the standing of American workers.
In order to bring about genuine immigration reform, the federal government needs to enforce the law to stop illegal border crossings and to hold criminal employers who hire illegal aliens accountable, as was the compromise that accompanied the 1986 amnesty. The laws are already on the books. What's lacking is political will. Congress also needs to finally follow the recommendations made by the Jordan Commission in 1996 and reduce annual admissions of legal permanent residents.
These are commonsense reforms that would benefit the American people, as well as allow newly arriving immigrants the opportunity to more easily assimilate, both economically and culturally.
America's economy is slowly recovering from COVID-19 -- but the unemployment rate remains above seven percent. Importing more foreign workers would boost GDP, but only at the cost of tens of millions of Americans' financial wellbeing. President Trump was right to suspend guest-worker visas. Whoever the next President is, he should keep in mind that "growth" is not substitute for an economy in which the average American has the chance to prosper.
Church of England paves the way for same-sex marriages after three years of behind-closed-doors arguments on issue
Satan worshippers Now
Archbishops have apologised for the 'damage and hurt' caused to the LGBT community as the Church of England yesterday paved the way for same-sex marriages after three years of behind-closed-doors arguments on the issue.
Leaders admitted 'talk of truth, holiness and discipleship has been wielded harshly' and promised to make a decision within two years on changing Anglican rules that say gay sex is sinful.
A group led by the Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Sarah Mullally, will devise a 'way forward for the Church in relation to human identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage'.
Church leaders have produced a 480-page book, with accompanying films, podcasts and education courses to explore the issue.
The Church has been deeply divided over gay rights since 1987, when its parliament, the General Synod, first voted to reinforce traditional teaching that gay sex is sinful. Earlier this year bishops restated the teaching that sex is for married couples only and that civil partnerships should be 'sexually abstinent friendships'.
Same-sex civil marriages were introduced in 2014 and their predecessor, civil partnerships that carry the rights of marriage in all but name, were brought in in 2005. However the legislation gave faith groups an effective opt-out.
Archbishop Welby said in a foreword to the book, written with the Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell, that the Church should be ashamed of causing hurt to gay people.
They said: 'As soon as we begin to consider questions of sexual identity and behaviour, we need to acknowledge the huge damage and hurt that has been caused where talk of truth, holiness and discipleship has been wielded harshly and not ministered as a healing balm.
'Especially amongst LGBTI+ people, every word we use – quite possibly including these in this very foreword, despite all the care we exercise – may cause pain.
'We have caused, and continue to cause, hurt and unnecessary suffering. For such acts, each of us, and the Church collectively, should be deeply ashamed and repentant. As archbishops, we are personally very sorry where we have contributed to this.
The Bishop of Coventry, the Right Reverend Christopher Cocksworth, who helped produced yesterday's new material, said: 'There is no doubt that there are certain decisions in 2022 that the Church will have to face.'
He added: 'There are some who feel this doctrine of marriage is ripe for development.'
Discussions are expected to be completed next year and to lead to 'a timely conclusion in 2022 which would then be put before Synod.'
The Synod has the power to enact legally-binding rules but its deliberations are lengthy. They could mean the first Church of England same-sex marriages would be solemnised by 2025.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, attempted a reform in 2017. But his scheme, which would have allowed blessing services but not marriage for gay couples, went down to an ignominious defeat in the Synod. It satisfied neither gay rights supporters nor conservative evangelicals, who combined to defeat it.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, attempted a reform in 2017 (File image of Justin Welby) +2
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, attempted a reform in 2017 (File image of Justin Welby)
The years since have been devoted to the secretive production of yesterday's book and films, called Living in Love and Faith.
The archbishops added: 'Defensiveness is felt, and aggression is experienced, both by those who long for change and by those who believe, sincerely, that change would be wrong and damaging.'
A further statement signed by all the CofE's bishops said: 'Disagreements are to be found among us as bishops. We do not agree on a number of matters relating to identity, sexuality, relationships and marriage.
'Some of those differences of view relate to the ethics and lifestyle of opposite sex relationships and some relate to questions around gender and pastoral provisions for transgender people. Most pressing among our differences are questions around same-sex relationships, and we recognize that here decisions in several interconnected areas need to be made with some urgency.'
Any new deal on gay rights and same-sex marriage may follow the same pattern as the row over women priests and bishops, which also ran for decades and ended in compromise. While women are now appointed as both priests and bishops, parishes where traditionalists hold sway continue to maintain men-only clergy.
Jayne Ozanne, a prominent LGBT campaigner and former member of the Archbishops Council, told the Telegraph she welcomed the Archbishops' apology, adding: 'But, listening and learning is not enough. We need to act now to ensure that safeguards are put in place to protect LGBT+ people.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8931963/Church-England-paves-way-sex-marriages.html
Ric Grenell Reacts as News Outlet Claims Buttigieg Will Be First Openly Gay Cabinet MemberA headline making the rounds on Twitter on Monday appeared to be a downright lie. "Joe Biden 'almost certain' to make Pete Buttigieg America's first out gay cabinet official. Here's where he could land," wrote PinkNews.
As social media users quickly noted, that milestone has already been checked off. Richard Grenell, who is openly gay, served as President Trump's U.S. ambassador to Germany and then as the acting Director of National Intelligence.
The most hilarious part about it is that PinkNews itself touted Grenell's historic appointment at the time.
Grenell, never one to shy away from a confrontation, demanded a fact check.
But, of course, no fact check came and the updated headline on PinkNews clarifies that Buttigieg would be the first full-time cabinet official. This screenshot shows that the words "full-time" were not in the original title.
"If confirmed, Buttigieg would be the first openly gay person ever to hold a full-time cabinet post – though controversial gay Trump official Richard Grenell previously held the cabinet-level role of Director of National Intelligence on an interim basis," the article now reads.
Buttigieg is reportedly being eyed for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations or a key role in the Department of Veterans' Affairs.
Australian government shuts down proposal to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait flags in parliament during important week for indigenous culture
The Morrison government has blocked a push to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in federal parliament's Senate chamber.
Three Indigenous senators moved a motion to coincide with NAIDOC Week to have the flags hoisted on the floor of the upper house.
Labor's Malarndirri McCarthy and Pat Dodson, along with Greens senator Lidia Thorpe wanted them raised alongside the Australian flag.
But coalition senators opposed the move, narrowly defeating the motion 29 to 28 votes.
Cabinet minister Anne Ruston said there were many other circumstances to fly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. 'The government believes the Australian national flag, which represents all Australians, is the only appropriate flag to be flown in the Senate chamber,' she told parliament.
The coalition then denied Senator McCarthy a chance to make a short statement on the issue, angering Labor frontbencher Murray Watt. 'This is NAIDOC Week. To deny a First Nations senator leave to speak for one minute on this motion is I think something the government will regret,' he said.
The government then relented, allowing Senator McCarthy and Senator Thorpe a chance to speak. 'Thank you so very much for allowing black people to speak about the black flag,' Senator Thorpe said.
Senator McCarthy said NAIDOC Week was a chance to show Australia politicians could unite the country. 'The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags are also national flags,' she said.
Senator Thorpe said she wasn't sure where other senators had come from, but her people had been in Australia for thousands of generations. 'Can I remind you all that we are on stolen land? The Aboriginal flag represents the oldest continuing living culture in the world,' she said.
'The Aboriginal flag is what we identify with, what we connect with, just as you connect with the colonial flag that you love and you appeal to.'
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Kristina Pimenova, once said to be the most beautiful girl in the world. Note blue eyes and blonde hair
Bliss: What every woman wants: to feel safe and secure in the arms of her man. Robert Irwin and Rorie Buckey. See
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