Oh Come On you big tough rightweiners admit defeat! Oh I mean't right wingers I'm so sorry I really am...You can't answer the question because you would illegally cross the border wouldn't you??? I love being right.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Immigration officers are investigating workplaces in every state in the U.S. to check whether they are hiring illegal workers.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement told members of Congress in an e-mail Wednesday morning that it is beginning audits of documents that employees fill out when they are hired. The documents are known as I-9's.

President Barack Obama has said his administration's strategy for stemming illegal immigration is focusing on employers who hire illegal workers.

The Bush administration was criticized for raiding businesses and arresting workers but not doing enough to go after the employers who hire them.

Isnt just like a Liberalcrat...picking on hard working business owners...

Yeah a hard working business owner that is employing illegal workers and thus breaking the law. A hard working business owner that is paying a reduced wage and therefore lowering wages for American workers. A hard working business owner that could be paying illegals under the table and thus not paying proper taxes. And lastly, a hard working business owner that is only concerned with his own profits and does not worry about the damage he is doing to the economic fabric of the United States.

That is something to be proud of.

Unfortunately the benefits of illegal immigrant labor are mostly extended to the business owner and not passed on to the consumer. As this catastrophic wave of illegal immigrants has grown in this country over the last several years the cost of consumer goods and services has steadily risen.

Up until the housing market crashed the cost of new homes was growing out of control while illegal immigrant labor grew. The disparity between illegal immigrant wages and standard American wages fell solely to the builders bottom line and was not passed on to consumers. The same is true in manufacturing and the service sector. The only thing that has benefited business profit margins.

Like everything else that currently drives this country greed is the impetus behind this movement. Until such time as Wall Street's expectations of profit levels are tempered you will continue to see businesses engaged in this type of detrimental behavior.

Well, there were several other factors in the rising cost of goods and services including but not limited to energy and supply costs.

Again, there were other factors. The cost of steel increased, the cost of transporting materials, taxes increased, the cost of materials themselves increased. Again, there are several other factors that were taken into consideration outside of illegal immigrant workers.

Thank you for inadvertently proving my point.

As you have so astutely observed there were a multitude of other factors that continued to increase in price over time. These factors impacted all businesses in a sector fairly equally. These factors are what would be considered noncontrollable costs.

While the material needs of a business are noncontrollable costs as the market sets those prices, labor is a controllable cost for a business. You can control your labor costs though several ways. Employee count, controlling overtime and wages are the most important factors in labor costs. Some businesses made the decision to use illegal immigrant labor in order to lessen their labor costs. However, they continued to sell their goods and services at the same market rates as those businesses that lost their integrity and ethical foundation and employed illegal immigrant labor.

Again, the use of illegal immigrant labor only benefited the greedy business owners and corporations and did not benefit the American consumer. Additionally, it continues to erode the economic and ethical fabric of the country.

Additionally, it continues to erode the economic and ethical fabric of the country.

So your argument would be that if you threw out ALL of the illegal immigrants, that prices would remain stable? Honestly, I just don't see it, especially in the light of the current economic status, but hey, if you can somehow prove it, more power to you.

When has this country, Not used cheap labor. Before there was an "America", the colonies used indentured sevents, children(orphans), and prisoners as a part of their labor force. In its infancy this country relied heavily on slaves and poor whites; after salvery, migratory workers have been the norm...

You really don't understand do you? Illegal immigrant labor has been used to boost profit levels for companies. These are now the desired profit levels. Eliminating illegal immigrant labor would indeed drive prices up as businesses and investors now rely on the artificially high profits that have been gained with this labor group.

What you are mistaken in is that illegal immigrant labor cost savings have been passed along to the consumers.

No, I just completely disagree that there has been savings that have been passed onto the consumer by the use of illegal immigrant labor. Theoretically, it doesn't make sense. And on a practical stand point, it doesn't make sense. But since neither of us have an economics degree, we are just going to have to agree to disagree.

I am sorry that logic and common sense both elude you. You don't have to have a degree in economics to understand this. Just common sense and logic.

And I am sorry that critical thinking skills elude you. Your right, you don't have to have a degree in economic to understand this, just critical thinking skills.

How is hundreds of years ago relevant to this situation today? Additionally, those labor practices you mentioned; indentured servants, child labor, slave labor, prisoners are all illegal and have been for years.

there were Mexicans picking cotton in Mississippi, that I know of, only 40 years after the Civil War. Black folk left the fields and went to Northren cities for a better life.
With the loss of slave labor Farmers had to turn to the next alternative; poor Blacks, Mexicans, and poor Whites.

I'm a student, and was a few years ago too. In those times, I witnessed illegals performing jobs I'd love to have - mostly as bussers/greeters/kitchen help.

The feeling you get when you see someone being paid for a job you need - someone who doesn't even speak English, wasn't born here, who no doubt receives the medical care and welfare you need but don't qualify for because you chose not to recklessly push out a bunch of anchor puppies - that is indeed a strange, rage-filled feeling.