Argh! Globe Just Doesn't Get How Weak Immigration Policy Hurts Workers

December 11th, 2006 9:46 AM

You can lead the Boston Globe to the facts about immigration, but you can't make it think. The focus of the Globe's editorial of today, African-Americans need apply, is "the disappearing African-American hotel worker." Precise figures for the Boston hotel industry aren't available but the Globe notes that in Los Angeles, African-Americans "comprise only about 6 percent of workers in downtown hotels."

The Globe acknowledges that "new immigrant populations . . . have been replacing African-Americans in hotel service jobs for about a decade." So you'd think that perhaps the Globe would take the next logical step and call for a clampdown on immigration, particularly illegal immigration.

But no! That might require the paper to relinquish some of its cherished liberal notions. Check this recent NewsBusters item, for example, in which I describe the Globe's "solution" to the problem of illegal immigrants - paying them more! Instead of reducing competition from immigrants, today's editorial proposes a typical liberal solution:

"Strict racial quotas are unwise. Yet mere outreach efforts often lack teeth. A plan with goals and timetables, however, could still emerge from the committees."

Ah, good old "goals and timetables" - another name for quotas.

Argh!

Contact Mark at mark@gunhill.net