Almost all proposals for Guest Worker Program that I have seen do not allow free and competitive markets with respect to labor (by contrast free labor markets do exist with respect to the illegal immigrants). In other words, all of the proposals for such programs have details about length of stay, wages, taxation, etc. Some have even insisted that an immigrant under a Guest Worker Program would have to be paid the same as a legal American citizen. With such restrictions the employer no longer has the same incentive to hire the immigrant. So it is still the case that the employer and worker are better off operating outside of the legal framework. Another downside to a GWP is that a bureaucracy will have to be created to administer it.

I wonder if we are just better off just ignoring the problem of immigration for jobs so long as we have a welfare state.

HOWEVER, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PAGE, YOU WILL FIND MANY STRONG POINTS THAT ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION IS TERRIBLE.

THE MAIN REASON IS THAT ANYTIME A DEMOCRACY HAS THE FREEBIES, OR 'GIMME' ATTITUDE….IT IS SHOWN THAT IN THE YEARS BACK, THIS TYPE OF DEMOCRACY BECOMES DESTROYED IN AROUND 200-250 YEARS….

AMERICA IS NOW IN ITS 232 YEAR, AND EVERY ONE THINKS PAYING FOR UNFORTUNATES IS MORALLY NICE, BUT IN REALITY ,IT IS SURE DEATH.

THE ECONOMISTS AND HISTORIANS HAVE PROVEN THIS FACT VERY STRONGLY AND STATE THAT UNLESS AMERICA GETS ITS ILLEGAL PROBLEM HANDLED WITHIN 4 YEARS…THIS COUNTRY IS SERIOUSLY DOOMED.

THIS NATION IS NOW OVER 9 TRILLION DOLLARS IN DEBT, BORROWING 866 BILLION FROM ONE OF OUR FRIENDS(?) CHINA TO STAY AFLOAT…..
ADDING MORE TO THE WELFARE ROLES, OR THOSE UNDER OUR OWN POVERTY LEVEL, AND THE AMERICAN TAXPAYER IS AT ITS END WITH HIGH GAS PRICES,HOUSING LOSSES, OUTSOUCING JOBS TO OTHER COUNTRIES, AMERICA IS AN INCH SHORT OF TOTAL BANKRUPTCY……

AND IN A SHORT 4 YEARS , BRINGS US CLOSER TO THE HISTORIANS WARNING THAT DEMOCRACIES ONLY LAST FOR A CERTAIN LENGTH OF YEARS, AND THEN CRASH AND BURN…..

I FAVOR RETURNING ALL ILLEGALS OUT OF THE COUNTRY, ( IT REALLY CAN BE DONE ) AND RESUME IMMIGRATION AS IT WAS CONTROLLED BEFORE WE WERE INVADED BY THESE ILLEGALS AS WAS ROME….!!!

I don't see how it can be justified to categorically refuse citizenship to those born in the country because of who their parents are. (All sorts of small modifications can be made though they may be hard enough to administrate as to make them not worth it.) Children of immigrants enter society just as children of citizens do, it seems to me. Would you think it acceptable for the best off to negotiate with the worst off citizens now, to give them higher benefits in exchange for their children not being citizens and so not eligible for welfare benefits? What if we also cut a deal w/ Angola so that these non-citizens could go there if they wanted? I'd think that would be clearly unacceptable since parents cannot bargain away the rights of their children. But the children of immigrants are in the same situation. It would be small consolation for the children of immigrants that their grandchildren could be citizens.

(The sorts of modifications we might try, if they didn't prove to be too expensive to administrate, would be things like the 'conditional' birthright citizenship found in Germany where those who have citizenship in another country via their parents must choose at 18 which they will keep, or a program where, if someone would also have citizenship in another country, she must 'avail' herself of the laws of the US for some time before turning 18 to retain citizenship. This would prevent citizenship from being granted to people who had no connection to the US except being born there, though it might be too costly in intrusiveness and investigation costs to enforce.)