I know firsthand that many employers who comply with other labor standards still hire the undocumented. Many businesses pay the minimum wage and have barely tolerable working conditions because there are sufficient undocumented workers willing to accept those terms. If we care about low-income workers in this country, we need to create pressure to improve their economic condition by reducing the supply of unauthorized workers.
Interpretation
The quote highlights the exploitation of undocumented workers in low-wage jobs and the need for reform to improve their conditions.
Maria Echaveste's quote emphasizes the plight of undocumented workers who are often subjected to poor wages and working conditions. She argues that while some employers may meet certain labor standards, they exploit the presence of undocumented workers who are willing to accept these unfavorable terms. To genuinely improve the economic situation of low-income workers in the country, it is essential to address the supply of unauthorized workers, as it perpetuates a cycle of exploitation. This calls for collective action to advocate for better labor conditions and fair wages.
In practice
In a discussion about immigration policies and labor rights, this quote can be used to illustrate the situation of undocumented workers.
Without calculation, economic activity is impossible. Since under Socialism economic calculation is impossible, under Socialism there can be no economic activity in our sense of the word All economic change, therefore, would involve operations the value of which could neither be predicted beforehand nor ascertained after they had taken place. Everything would be a leap in the dark. Socialism is the renunciation of rational economy.
If bankers become overly conservative in response to past lending mistakes - or if examiners force such behavior - it will hurt bankers' own long-term interests and the economy in general.
Markets are designed to allow individuals to look after their private needs and to pursue profit. It's really a great invention, and I wouldn't underestimate the value of that. But they're not designed to take care of social needs.
The rich are always going to say that, you know, just give us more money and we'll go out and spend more and then it will all trickle down to the rest of you. But that has not worked the last 10 years, and I hope the American public is catching on.
And you can't have a prosperous economy when the government is way overspending, raising tax rates, printing too much money, over regulating and restricting free trade. It just can't be done.
Let us never forget this fundamental truth: the State has no source of money other than money which people earn themselves. If the State wishes to spend more it can do so only by borrowing your savings or by taxing you more. It is no good thinking that someone else will pay - that 'someone else' is you. There is no such thing as public money; there is only taxpayers' money.
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