Reason Magazine
- reason.com
- reason.tv
- reason.org
- Donate
- Site Search:
Reason on Facebook
Reason on Twitter
Reason on YouTube
Reason RSSGet Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsadvertisements
There Are No Jobs Americans Won't Do! Except When There Are!
Two years ago President Bush ordered 2,600 members of the National Guard to help intercept undocumented workers along the Southern border. "Operation Jump Start" was intended as a temporary measure to assist the Border Patrol as it increased its numbers. Now the operation's two years are coming to a close, the members of the National Guard are ready to go home, and the Border Patrol still hasn't hit its targeted number of hires. Why would that be?
[The Border Patrol] now stands at 16,471, about 5,000 more than two years ago, and the governors, as well as members of Congress, have expressed doubt that the agency will put enough agents in the field to meet its target.
“It is not as easy as running some ads and thinking you are going to have well-qualified people apply and come into the Border Patrol,” said Representative Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat whose southern Arizona district includes the border. “The risk is high, conditions are not great, the pay is average compared to other law enforcement positions.”
Oh.
|6.12.08 @ 11:47AM|#
What? There are high costs associated with increased enforcement of restrictive immigration laws? Who'd've thunk it?
|6.12.08 @ 11:56AM|#
There are many, many more US applicants than jobs. The reason
these jobs fill slowly can be found in the words "highly qualified"
in the quote. The candidates sought must satisfy a bunch of
criteria, such as high school diploma, experience in law
enforcement, no drug felonies (within 5 years), etc.
The pool of highly-qualified citizens willing to move to a border
town is small. But the absolute number of US citizens willing to
take these jobs is high - easily in excess of demand.
The post would be better titled "There are no jobs HIGHLY QUALIFIED
American workers won't do..."
|6.12.08 @ 11:57AM|#
I've got friends and family who have been laid off recently here in California. They are saying it's extremely difficult to find a job. That makes it pretty easy to call bullshit on their argument that it's too difficult to find qualified applicants. Plus California cities, counties, and the state itself are about to lay off loads of people due to budget cuts. They aren't competing with other law enforcement opportunities when no other agencies are hiring.
|6.12.08 @ 12:02PM|#
I have seen advertisements for their open interviews. They
basically target the same people who are applying at Burger
King.
As for other comments, I don't understand how "people are
unemployed" equals "they are highly qualified applicants." People
who specialize in one field probably aren't going to be qualified
for something completely different.
|6.12.08 @ 12:05PM|#
simple, the more people looking for jobs, the more people you have to choose from to fill a position.
classwarrior|6.12.08 @ 12:15PM|#
The headline refers to the long standing cliche by employers who are too cheap to pay a living wage, prefering to hire illegals instead. You can fill any crappy job if you're willing to pay enough, but these employers don't have to, and won't as long as others bear the costs. Ever lived beside a home that houses 15-20 illegals coming and going at all hours to multiple jobs? You can just imagine what that does for real estate values, all you property rights advocates!
tarran|6.12.08 @ 12:22PM|#
Classwarrior,
Perhaps you don't understand what a free market means for property
values:
You have no right to a price for your home. Unless you want to buy
out the home next door you have no right to dictate how your
neighbor should administer his or her property.
Next you'll be going after car makers for producing new cars and
driving down the property value of the car you are currently
driving.
Oh and last but not least, a market wage is whatever wage will fill
the job. If a man is willing to mow a lawn for $5.00 an hour and
another man is willing to pay him that amount, that transaction is
none of your business.
Of course, with a moniker like yours, I am sure you have definite
ideas about how people should organize their affairs and a
willingness to use violence to impose your views open them.
Neil|6.12.08 @ 12:22PM|#
classwarrior, the proles are supposed to be poor. Otherwise they will have time to waste on moronic ideas such as yours.
Episiarch|6.12.08 @ 12:25PM|#
He certainly is a classwarrior, waging war on the poor immigrant class.
|6.12.08 @ 12:26PM|#
I really shouldn't get involved but...
do you realize what 'property rights' are? It's THEIR property, so
they can do with it what THEY like. wanna house 15-20 people under
one roof? fine by me as long as your not squatters.
Rhywun|6.12.08 @ 12:27PM|#
The candidates sought must satisfy a bunch of criteria, such as high school diploma, experience in law enforcement, no drug felonies (within 5 years), etc.
And one of those three actually has some relevance to the job at
hand!
Ever lived beside a home that houses 15-20 illegals coming and going at all hours to multiple jobs?
In other words, the value of your house, as determined by
artificially restricting the population of your surroundings to
people you approve of, is more important than the freedom of others
to pursue a better life.
robc|6.12.08 @ 12:32PM|#
Ever lived beside a home that houses 15-20 illegals coming
and going at all hours to multiple jobs? You can just imagine what
that does for real estate values, all you property rights
advocates!
Thats the risk you take when you bought property with neighbors.
You should discount your offer for that risk.
robc|6.12.08 @ 12:33PM|#
pinette,
wow, i wasn't the only one.
I should have read on, but I couldnt let that pass. Now I feel like
my post was piling on. Oh well, he needed it.
|6.12.08 @ 12:35PM|#
Ever lived beside a home that houses 15-20 illegals coming
and going at all hours to multiple jobs?
I'd like to hear what our resident urban planner (that would be
joe) has to say about zoning restrictions that would make illegal
using a "single-family dwelling" as described above.
What difference does it make to your property values, classwarrior,
whether those 15-20 people are illegals or not? For that matter,
how do you know they're illegal immigrants? Are they parking on the
lawn?
|6.12.08 @ 12:42PM|#
The two former border patrol agents languishing in prison for doing their jobs is enough to scare most people away from applying for the same position, I would think. There seems to be too much politics involved to be sure that you wouldn't be thrown under the bus in a similar fashion.
Rhywun|6.12.08 @ 12:43PM|#
zoning restrictions that would make illegal using a "single-family dwelling" as described above
I'm sure that's very common, and it's justified for reasons of
public health.
robc|6.12.08 @ 12:54PM|#
Rhywun,
And fire codes. Not sure what the maximum occupancy is on my house
however, but I have had 15-20 people in it before.
KenK|6.12.08 @ 1:20PM|#
"the pay is average compared to other law enforcement
positions"
BINGO!
Raise the pay and they will come.
It. Is. Just. That. Simple.
Lonewhackoff|6.12.08 @ 1:36PM|#
Raise the pay and they will come.
Whoa Whoa Whoa! I don't want my taxes to go up! Let 'em work on
comission, they can keep a percentage of whatever assets they can
force their victime to forfeit.
|6.12.08 @ 1:57PM|#
Why would the border patrol need any more experience than the
guardsmen they are replacing?
Wanted: Persons to enforce one particular law. People with a
personal moral compass that stops them from performing these duties
need not apply. Not an equal opportunity employer, never was, never
will be. Asshole preferred.
TallDave|6.12.08 @ 2:08PM|#
I don't see why we can't hire illegal immigrants to patrol
the border.
I mean, they're there anyway.
LarryA|6.12.08 @ 2:29PM|#
I don't see why we can't hire illegal immigrants to patrol
the border.
Given that our war on drugs is escalating the assassination of
Mexican policemen to the point that they're fleeing across our
border, it seems only right that we offer them employment.
KenK|6.12.08 @ 2:45PM|#
Whoa Whoa Whoa! I don't want my taxes to go up! Let 'em work
on comission, they can keep a percentage of whatever assets they
can force their victime to forfeit.
They probably don't have enough assets with them to make it
worthwhile, but maybe they could be sold into slavery to the
Moslems?
Kolohe|6.12.08 @ 2:49PM|#
I thought classwarrior was Edward/mk2 who may or may not have also been Neil of the Freedom Swatch?
|6.12.08 @ 3:28PM|#
The bottom line is: there are tons of US Citizens willing to
accept these jobs. Right now, at the current pay. Many of these
citizens do not meet the qualifications for hiring. If you want the
jobs filled, you lower the qualifications. If you have another
agenda (ie filing the jobs is not the priority) you do not lower
the qualifications. I have no opinion regarding what the agenda
should be.
The fact that the goverment encourages all manner of folks to apply
(like Burger King) is irrelevant. The reasoning: Encourage everyone
to apply; who cares if most aren't qualified? this is good PR and
the more applications we have to consider, the better. We'll just
toss everyone who fails the minumum reqs and only consider the few
that meet the min. standards. This is known as "casting a wide
net."
The border patrol certainly deserves crisicism for a host of
issues. Nevertheless, this is not an example of a job US Citizens
refuse to accept. The employer refused to hire the
applicants.
If I want to cry and complain that "No US citizen" would mow my
lawn for $7 an hour, I am full of shit if I refused to hire any
legal US resident -- regardless of my reasons. The reasons may be
terrific, but my original assertion is false.
|6.12.08 @ 3:32PM|#
I thought classwarrior was Edward/mk2 who may or may not have also been Neil of the Freedom Swatch?
No, the character of Edward was killed off in Season Three, and they brought in a different actor to portray mk2.
|6.12.08 @ 4:51PM|#
""""The risk is high, conditions are not great, the pay is
average compared to other law enforcement positions.""""
We could pay them more if it wasn't for that expensive fence.
""""The fact that the goverment encourages all manner of folks to
apply (like Burger King) is irrelevant. The reasoning: Encourage
everyone to apply; who cares if most aren't qualified? this is good
PR and the more applications we have to consider, the
better."""
I disagree and think it's a waste of time attracting people that
can't fill the spot, who cares about the PR. The mission is to fill
the positions, not trying to look good attracting people who are of
no use. But like you said, "If you want the jobs filled, you lower
the qualifications." Or military had to lower qualifications to
meet their goals.
"""The two former border patrol agents languishing in prison for
doing their jobs is enough to scare most people away from applying
for the same position, I would think.""
Filing a false report and lying about it to cover their asses was
not part of their job. Border guards are not exempt from the law
nor their own policy and procedures.
|6.12.08 @ 5:01PM|#
I don't see why we can't hire illegal immigrants to patrol the border.
I mean, they're there anyway.
This could be automated and self-serve. Illegals could go to a
vending-machine-type thing and leave their fingerprints.
They could then deport themselves and deliver themselves to the
most convenient consulate in Mexico. There, they would have their
fongerprints checked (and proof of non-US citizenship), and if it
matched one on file from the vending machine, we cut them a check
for the cost of one illegal caught by the Border Patrol.
Of course, this doesn't have to be just for Mexico.
Site comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245