Every time I hear someone say that, "Immigrants built this country", I want to scream. No one "built" the USA. It was already here when Columbus got lost and ended up here. It was worth then exactly what it is worth today less the value extracted. If you look at the "value added" by those immigrants, you will find that it is not that much. The oil, coal, timber and good farm land was already here. The immigrants did not create it. Today, we have less oil, coal, timber and good farm land than we had when Columbus arrived. To be honest, you would have to subtract off the value of those original resources that have been used up from all the "value added" produced by the immigrants to determine the value of the USA today. I think that what you are going to find is that the net "value added" by those immigrants was not all that much compared to the original value of the USA. Here are some examples.
Let's say that you have a farm in Iowa of 250 acres that you grow corn and soy beans on. The land did not have any trees that you had to clear nor was the land so uneven that you had to level it down before you could farm it. My point is that it is almost the same today as the day that the USA was discovered. The soil is actually more eroded and less fertile than it was before the original farmer arrived, but let's agree that it equal in value. Next, what do you think that 250 acres is worth today? I have proposed that it was actually worth the same before the farmer arrived. I have heard that farm land like this goes for about $8,000 per acre today. That would make this farm worth about $2,000,000 today. Remember that the original farmer did not pay a penny for this land.
Now, let's assume that some penniless person from Europe discovered some lost island that had the same quality 250 acres of land that we are talking about in Iowa. He would go instantly from being penniless to now being worth 2 million dollars. How high on the hog do you think that new farmer would be living compared to the rest of the world? That is more or less what happened here in the USA. It was a one time gift and it is a gift that will never happen again. Don't tell me about growth or some trend. It was a one time deal that will never repeat. The USA lived high on the hog because we discovered a pot of gold and we have been spending that pot of gold ever since. Do you think that we have been putting back into that pot by or efforts of "value added" faster than we have been taking out the gold? Be honest. No!
Think of the average net worth of the people of the USA, considering that they owned the USA back 250 years ago compared to today? We have been getting poorer every day since the first white man set foot in the USA. We all know the story about Argentina. They were the richest people in the world less than 100 years ago and where are they now. Most people think they understand what happened to Argentina, but they don't seem to be able to see what is happening to the USA today nor into the future. Due to banking and finance, a person can spend their net worth like it is money from value added. Look at the adds on TV for home equity loans and "you still own your house".
Spain did it a little differently. They stole the gold from the New World and took it back to Spain. Back in Spain, they spent the gold like is was value added that they produced not understanding that the gold was stolen. Further, what was the chances of stealing more gold? From where? Now, look at Spain. They are flat broke.
What I am proposing is that we recognize the honest history of the USA and much of the world and not buy into the style of economics that is preached by professors in all of our universities. If we want to keep our high quality of life, we have to be doing the things that will protect and produce that quality of life. Those are population control, education and social efficiency. Don't know what social responsibility is? It is people working hard, not doing drugs, crime or things that waste the energy and resources of the USA. I ask you is Obama doing that? No! He is a smart Judas and he is our enemy doing all the things he can to destroy and accelerate the decline of the USA, His actions are not accidental. Obama knows what he is doing, but most of you don't.
PS---Europeans stole the USA from the Native Americans. Remember that! I blogged on this point before. What countries in the world have a high quality of life that don't have a lot of natural resources? Very few! Notice that the countries that have the highest standard of living or quality of life are the ones who also have the most natural resources "per person". Did those countries "build" that wealth or did they "extract" it? You know the answer. We need an economic model that gives credit to the impact of natural resources per person and not just GNP. More Mexican immigrants might increase our GNP, but they reduce our natural resources per person and that is my point!!! The make us poorer and that is what Obama wants!!
