Julio3000
<B>A Chip Off the Old Rock</B>
This is probably a sidetrack, but I have to say...this is a pretty weird take from someone who’s otherwise a market fundamentalist. Like, there’s a overwhelming market reality as to why these jobs are filled by immigrants and not by, as you suggest, homeless natives. Don’t get me wrong, I think it sucks, too—but not for the same reason you do. My objection is that an undocumented immigrant workforce is subject to exploitation (and concurrent depression of wages overall, etc) because of their legal status. My solution would be more along the lines of changing what it means to be “illegal.” That’s a meritocratic solution, which conservatives and libertarians should get behind, no?
But, speaking as someone who professionally interacts with people who are on the streets, as you say, I think what you’re suggesting is a tougher ask than you’re allowing. Should we pay more attention to it as a society? Absolutely. Would it be cheap or easy to do? Absolutely not. And here’s where the logic of the market, which you usually seem to like, comes calling. The amount of social investment involved in transitioning a homeless person into a self-sufficient worker is exponentially more than that of hiring an immigrant. Now, SHOULD we do that? IMO, yeah, to a much greater extent than we do. But your otherwise pro-business, pro-market rhetoric argues loudly against it, because of the price tag.
But, speaking as someone who professionally interacts with people who are on the streets, as you say, I think what you’re suggesting is a tougher ask than you’re allowing. Should we pay more attention to it as a society? Absolutely. Would it be cheap or easy to do? Absolutely not. And here’s where the logic of the market, which you usually seem to like, comes calling. The amount of social investment involved in transitioning a homeless person into a self-sufficient worker is exponentially more than that of hiring an immigrant. Now, SHOULD we do that? IMO, yeah, to a much greater extent than we do. But your otherwise pro-business, pro-market rhetoric argues loudly against it, because of the price tag.
