Dukakis: Raise Wages, Not Walls Dukakis: Raise Wages, Not Walls

Michael Dukakis and Daniel J.B. Mitchell have what they think is the optimal solution to our immigration problem, as they explain in an NYT article: Raise Wages, Not Walls. And their obvious solution? Raise the minimum wage. Yes, at first glance, it might just work - a bit. After all, raising the minimum wage reduces employment, and that might push some illegals out of work, causing them to go back home.

But that presupposes one critical fact: that the first employees forced out of work would be the illegal immigrants. And, the reality is that that is not likely. Rather, those first pushed out would be entry level workers, like teenagers. Why? Because, by and large, the illegals are better workers and more valuable to their employers. They work harder and, even factoring in the chance of an employer getting caught and fined, marginally, they are a much better investment as an employee.

With thoughts and philosophies like this, it is no wonder that Dukakis lost 49 states when he ran for president.