IMMIGRATION
Labor secretary avoids constitutional issue
In “Immigrant labor plays vital role” (Opinion, Sept. 2), U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis (weakly) suggests the U.S. needs foreign-born talent so we do not miss “enormous opportunities to accelerate our recovery.” She references successful executives as well as laborers — all examples of accomplishments of immigrants.
She did not use the words “legal” and “illegal” in her column. She even waited until late in her column before she used “undocumented.”
Immigration is fundamental in our history, since all of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. But there is another important accomplishment by immigrants to America: the U.S. Constitution. When we disregard the distinction between legal immigration and illegal, the whole debate is contaminated.
Aside from her omission of the legal issue, her argument — that the way to “strengthen the American economy” is to encourage more immigration and to “support immigrant families” during 9 percent unemployment — makes no sense.
Encouraging legal participation in free enterprise will create opportunity and wealth for everyone who is willing. Doing so also creates taxpayers.
Clayton Conarro, Atlanta
SOCIAL SECURITY
Entitlement hijacked by Washington
Thank you for the recent letters on Social Security “entitlements.”
I remember that in the 1980s, President Reagan said he had to raise payroll taxes to create a surplus for the future retirement of the baby boomers.
Well, I’m a baby boomer. I’m retiring, and all I hear out of Washington now is that the surplus has all been spent on other things — and they’re probably going to have to cut my entitlements. Am I wrong to feel robbed?
Robert Wolfson, Marietta
ECONOMY
Minimum wage hike not a good idea
Eli Markham’s thesis that raising the minimum wage will magically increase employment and improve the economy makes no sense (“Raising the minimum wage will help Main Street recover,” Opinion, Sept. 1).
I learned in college economics that when you raise the price of something, people buy less of it. This applies as strongly to employing people (or buying labor) as it does to cars, televisions or cans of soup.
In addition, raising the minimum wage would make it harder for the least-skilled to get jobs. This typically means the youngest and poorest among us. If someone’s skills aren’t worth enough to pay them the minimum wage, they will not get work.
Markham falls into the socialist’s trap that we can plan our way to economic growth by forcing behavior on a market economy. This is not a path we should follow.
Winston Weinmann, Atlanta
TERM LIMITS
National movement needed to cap tenure
Term limits for elected officials exist in some states.
This topic continues to be a timely one for the nation as well. The majority of voters still seem to endorse it, but a referendum is needed for legislation. What suggestion or recommendation would AJC readers have regarding seeking a national referendum at this time?
N. Lyn Maret, Austell
