(OT?) US bank chief calls on government to increase immigration

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US bank chief calls on government to increase immigration
By IAN HENDERSON
28jan00

THE US central bank boss, Alan Greenspan, has used his historic appearance before a US senate committee to urge the US to liberalise its immigration laws as a way of easing pressure on tightening domestic labour markets.

Dr Greenspan's pitch will resonate with many in the Australian business community who have been urging the Howard Government to open the doors wider to foreign workers in a bid to ensure economic growth continues, especially at a time of falling national jobless rates. Asked whether the US should allow both high-tech and farm labour to come into the country to ease the burden of falling labour supply, Dr Greenspan said: "I would certainly agree with that".

The US Federal Reserve Board chairman, now seeking a further term in the job, added: "Not only in high-tech and in the farm area but throughout the country, aggregate demand is putting pressure on an ever decreasing supply of unemployed labour."

With the US unemployment rate hovering near the four per cent mark, Dr Greenspan said: "I think that an appraisal of our immigration policies in this regard in on the table.

"I recognise there are huge problems associated with that, such as the question of the social safety net we have in this country."

But Dr Greenspan rejected suggestions that many immigrants to the US were entering just to take advantage of the welfare system.

"All the experience that I've seen suggests that people seeking to come to the United States are coming for jobs and the opportunities we have here," he told the senate confirmation committee.

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Comment:
Rural unemployment has been high. Over thirty rural schools have been closed recently and more closures have been announced. People are gravitating to urban areas like Adelaide, a city of 1.1 million. This city has a chronic water problem leading to rationing at times. It effects quality of life. Any migration increase to this particular city must be viewed as compounding a range of infrastructural problems, of which a lack of water is one.

I suggest for debate that Australia has just about reached critical mass in population. Already, now, we are seriously stressing our most valuable resource - that of a healthy and sustainable land.

Regards from Down Under

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 27, 2000

Answers

Greetings Pieter, agreed wholeheartedly on sustainability factors. You might want to scroll down and add your support to Risteard (Irishman posting from Denmark I believe) and his article on fossil fuels and their effects on rising sealevels. I am sure you could make a serious contribution regarding canals, ditches, dikes etc. G'day mate!

-- William Wallace (braveheart@highlands.com), January 27, 2000.

Is Greenspan unconscious?! Here outside DC we have such a packed populace that we cannot even get to work easily due to the traffic crawl. We have so many immigrants that often I have been one of the very, very few native born in the supermarket, many still wearing their national costumes. Across the street from my nice, though old, condo complex is subsidized housing, in which a drug-dealing gang causes much grief, and the Gangbusters Unit of our county police told our homeowners association meeting that they learned to kill in their country during revolution, and would kill us in a heartbeat. They are rivals of another ethnic gang from yet another country, and regularly shoot one another...just hope you aren't an innocent bystander during one of their drivebys! When I was unemployed and seeking work very assiduously, but was of an age where finding a job was difficult, I only learned late of a free clinic, and when I finally went to it, I found once again that I was this time the ONLY native born person seeking medical attention there. Food pantries in this area find themselves donating to these foreign nationals and there is even a van that pulls up to the curb across the street where they line up for food packages free.

In addition to all of this, we haven't yet solved the problem of our own huge homeless population, or how to get undertrained persons trained and taught self-discipline and self-reliance, thus off welfare and into jobs.

Now tell Mr. Greenspan he has lived too long in fat circumstances, and that his chauffeur needs to drive him around the DC area a bit before he makes such ridiculous suggestions. Let him work on the above problems FIRST, before he imports more!

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), January 27, 2000.


Increased immigration=increased dependency=increased voterbase

What's the mystery?

-- FEDUP (iknowwhattodo@magnum.44), January 27, 2000.


Deport the trader!!!!!!!!

Virginia has one out of three folks outta work each year (33 1/3%).

Funny, only 4% qualify for unemployment compensation. It is only for

1) folks able to document their minimum 2 interviews a week with every lead supplied by the employment commission (even a COBOL programmer given a lead to a job at McDonalds must document an interview, and the person conducting the interview gets called and has to explain why the programmer didn't meet qualifications, and specify that he did not (un)intentionally do anything to "throw" the interview,

and 2) folks honorably discharged from the military,

or 3) folks laid off by no fault of their own.

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 27, 2000.


One world. One World Order

-- Richard (Astral-Acres@webtv.net), January 27, 2000.


I think Elaine expressed the situation many of us are finding ourselves in. In my neighborhood, I am in real terms, the minority, but not the one that will receive preferential treatment in almost any given situation. Sometimes I feel angry, but mostly I am befuddled that the "system" can be so utterly dysfunctional. And Greenspan says to keep letting them in? Moron.

-- Gia (laureltree7@hotmail.com), January 27, 2000.

In this area we have a number of highly qualified American citizens who are not working. Not because they don't want to. Many of the jobs they are qualified for have been taken by persons from other countries. Being a good Euro-mutt and having a racially and ethnically blended extended family, I respect cultural differences. But I believe that governments should be manned by the people whom they govern. Less palatable is the fact that foreign workers in the public and private sector will work for lower wages than citizens.This is called exploitation. The contracting of government services to private entities has been the perfect vehicle for exploiting this phenomenon. We have a juicy scandal brewing right now after an audit of one of our state agencies. It will be interesting if the concept of "merit" system is examined along with the millions of dollars of missing funds. We need to take care of our citizens and the newbies that we have first. After that, free for all, but the public needs to be made aware of staffing profiles and functions, especially in a government or government contracted environment. From the inside. Hack

-- another government hack (keepwatching_2000@yahoo.com), January 27, 2000.

Kudo's to all of you who are recognizing the absurd nature of Greenspan's comments. But, would this mean that my Canadian friends would have an easier time immigrating. How about from New Zealand, or Germany, or Sweden, etc.? I bet ol' Alan and his buddies are only interested in liberalizing immigration policy for those who refuse to obey the laws we already have - namely, Haiti, Cuba, Mexico, etc. Now we get it: turn away the productive, let in the unproductive. Thank God Greenspan and his buddies are losing control of the situation.

-- Okie Dan (brendan@theshop.net), January 27, 2000.

Lol William Wallace,

Just a quick post update before heading off to this afternoon's session of a "Joint Standing Committee on Migration" at Mount Gambier in South Australia. Researching this issue and the Federal Parliament has regional sittings.

Listening to this morning's submissions reaffirmed my believe that the parliament is out of touch with real rural community. They accepted information that we tabled about 5 years ago as current sentiment. Where have they been?

Reading posts on this thread has improved my glum complexion. Thanks! I'm not the only exasperated person breathing oxygen. (Unsure what these Parliametary types take though...)

Regards from OZ (might post relevant stuff later)

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 27, 2000.


I went, I listened and I noted the Joint Standing Committee on Migration (in brief);

The Committee's Public Hearing program received submissions from regional South Australian and Victorian representatives. I thought it showed an honest attempt by the Federals to get to the issues with a view of injecting funds to make rural happenings. This is about time.

In the Western Districts of Victoria population decline of 1.5% annually for 10 years has made bureaucrats superfluous to requirements, endangering their lifestyle. The Federals are angling for info to reverse trends because at this rate roads that go nowhere now will definitely go nowhere tomorrow. This seems a waste of petrol tax.

All submissions were by 'Quango' specialists who have opinions so they may be re-employable next year.

I was the only migrant present but nobody asked me about it, except the Parliamentary Sitting Secretary who seemed surprised about anyone being in the gallery at all. When he found I had an opinion he excused himself quickly.

Lots of talk about itinerants and where they go when they run away as well.

However, anyone interested in migration to Australia should ignore my satirical flippancy. It's a great country and it's been a long day. If you are a doctor or medical specialist you'll be funded to come. Businesspersons with capital will discover help from newly created offices housing sympathetic types with directives to aid you in every way. Australia wants you. (I'm serious.)

Check out these hotlinks for info about the deals.

Correspondence & inquiries to:
Email: JSCM@aph.gov.au
Web Site:
(aussie migration) JSCM

Good Luck from OZ where times are getting interesting...

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 28, 2000.



Whoops! Try this link

Migration

-- Pieter (
zaadz@icisp.net.au), January 28, 2000.


They don't want workers! They want debt free spenders to come into the USA and run up more debt.

Around here there is no end of people out of work. Some want to work and many like the government hand outs.

-- Mark Hillyard (foster@inreach.com), January 28, 2000.


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