Bush Video on jobs Americans won't do

Date: Monday, December 20, 2004 9:22 PM

JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER

December 20, 2004. No. 1163

Go to: http://www.americanpatrol.com/

Click on the video under the title: "Bush Calls for Open Border"

Bush wants to allow "good-hearted people who are coming here to do jobs
that Americans won't do" to immigrate across our borders at the same
time the White House announced there was slower job growth than was
expected (see second article).

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apwashington_story.asp?category=1151&slug=Bush%20Immigration

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Monday, December 20, 2004 7 Last updated 1:26 p.m. PT

Bush renews call for guest worker plan

By SUZANNE GAMBOA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Monday renewed his call for a guest
worker program for immigrants seeking employment in the United States,
saying the Border Patrol shouldn't be chasing "goodhearted people who
are coming here to work."

Bush has wanted such a program since taking office four years ago. But
the idea was sidetracked by the Sept. 11 attacks and then left on the
sideline because the White House did not want to tackle such a
controversial issue during an election year.

Bush faces a tough fight in Congress. He will have to persuade
Republicans that his program does not amount to amnesty for the
estimated 8 million to 12 million illegal immigrants, and negotiate
with Democrats who want any plan to provide workers a path to legal
status.

"I fully understand the politics of immigration reform," Bush said at a
news conference. "I mean, I was governor of Texas. Right there on the
front lines of border politics."

Bush said creating a program where foreigners who want to work can
legally enter the country will take some of the pressure off Border
Patrol agents whose jobs have taken on greater importance since the
terrorist attacks.

"We want our Border Patrol agents chasing crooks and thieves and drug
runners and terrorists, not goodhearted people who are coming here to
work," he said.

He also said the program will recognize a reality that foreigners are
"doing jobs Americans won't do; take the pressure off of employers so
they're not having to rely upon false IDs; cut out the coyotes who are
the smugglers of these people."

Bush stressed that he does not favor automatic citizenship for
immigrant workers.

"If somebody who is here working wants to be a citizen, they can get in
line," he said.

Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigrant National
Immigration Forum, said he was encouraged by Bush's comments.

"The bottom line is you have a conservative Republican president with
political capital standing up and saying, `I want to fix the system,'"
Sherry said. "That is unprecedented and that could set the stage for
historic reform."

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration
Studies, said Bush's view of the issue is provincial.

"It's kind of embarrassing sometimes when the president keeps claiming
he has special insight into immigration because he was governor of
Texas and he doesn't. The mantra that immigrants do jobs Americans
won't do is widely believed, but is economic gibberish," said
Krikorian, whose group advocates for less immigration and tougher
enforcement.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/20/news/economy/jobs_forecast/index.htm

White House sees slower job growth

Forecast of economic advisors scales back employment gain forecasts
even with stronger GDP target.
December 20, 2004: 8:35 AM EST

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The White House is projecting slower job growth
next year and beyond despite forecasting solid economic growth.

The president's Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) Friday forecast an
average of about 133.4 million jobs in the economy in 2005, up 2.1
million for the year but down from its earlier forecast of a gain of
3.6 million.

The council also edged its job growth forecast down for 2006, to a gain
of 2.1 million jobs rather than an earlier forecast of 2.3 million.

And it cut targets for 2008 and 2009, when it sees 1.7 million new jobs
added each year, rather than the 1.9 million it previously projected.
The 2007 forecast stayed about the same with 2.0 million new jobs
expected.

The February forecast had called for the economy to create about 2.6
million jobs this year, bringing those working to an average of 132.7
million, but the final job growth numbers for 2004 are almost certain
to be lower.

The White House is now forecasting just 1.4 million new jobs this year,
based on an annual average compared with last year, but actual job
growth will probably come in higher.

A rise of 2.1 million jobs is a relatively modest gain of about 175,000
a month. That is just above the 150,000 average monthly job gain that
economists believe is necessary to keep up with the increase in
population.

The council forecast gross domestic product growth of 3.5 percent next
year, up from its earlier forecast of 3.4 percent growth in GDP, the
broadest measure of the nation's economy. It expects growth of 3.4
percent in 2006, up from its earlier view of 3.3 percent growth. The
GDP numbers are adjusted for inflation.

In a teleconference with reporters Friday, CEA Chairman Gregory Mankiw,
asked why job growth has lagged economic growth, blamed increased
productivity, which he said has held job growth down.

But he chose to focus on job growth, noting that "the economy has
created 2 million jobs in the past year and is expected to continue to
create jobs at a healthy rate."

The report forecast the unemployment rate to fall to 5.3 percent in
2005 from 5.5 percent this year. In its earlier report the CEA forecast
an average 5.4 percent unemployment rate in 2005.

The unemployment rate is calculated using a survey of households, while
the number of jobs in the economy is based on a survey of employers,
which economists consider a more reliable method.

www.ZaZona.com
Support this Newsletter and ZaZona.com by donating:
www.zazona.com/Donations.htm

To Subscribe, Unsubscribe or to view the Archive go to:
http://www.zazona.com/shameh1b/JobDestructionNews.htm

Back to archives