California Importing Poverty Faster Than Any Other State—Guess Who Gets To Pay To Fix It

California’s per capita real (inflation-adjusted) income will fall 11 percent over the next two decades if current demographic and educational trends continue. The decline will be larger than that of any other state, and more than 5-times the two percent decline in per capita income projected for the nation, according to a just released study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education [As America Becomes More Diverse: The Impact of State Higher Education Inequality, November 2005]

Never in U.S. history has per capita real income declined over a two-decade span. But then again, never have American demographics been so impacted by an influx of unskilled minority workers.

The share of California’s labor force consisting of whites is expected to fall to 39 percent in 2020; it had been 71 percent as recently as 1980. California’s growth is almost completely within the Hispanic population, whose workforce share is expected to jump from 16 percent in 1980 to 38 percent in 2020. Immigration is the primary driver.

Per capita real income is being dragged down because, amazingly, public policy is to import poverty—and all its problems.

You might think restrictive immigration policy is a no brainer given these projections. It would postpone, if not reverse, the projected declines in per capita income.

But you would think wrong. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is a think tank supported by the Student Loan Marketing Association’s foundation. Not surprisingly, it proposes increasing aid to low income and minority students to close the education gap between whites and minorities.

That’s a tall order for any state, especially California. Among the state’s working-age adults, about 52 percent of Hispanics do not have a high school degree, compared to 8 percent of whites.

At the other end of the educational spectrum only 12 percent of the state’s adult Hispanics have a college degree compared to 46 percent of adult whites.

Both gaps are larger and have grown faster in California than in other states.

In a perfect world, states could raise minority college enrollments while leaving white rates unchanged. But the world, alas, is far from perfect. As the The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education report itself says (page 34 [PDF]),

“With the federal budget deficit at an all-time high and states struggling to fund growth in the least discretionary components of their budgets….the outlook for increased student aid to low-income families and minorities is grim. Under these circumstances, it is increasingly important that state grant aid programs are carefully targeted at those who need it most and who would not attend postsecondary education without it.”

Translation: California, like other cash strapped states, will have to finance education aid increases for immigrant minorities by reducing such funds for native-born whites.

This makes curtailing mass immigration even more vital.

Ask the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education why this didn’t occur to it.

Edwin S. Rubenstein (email him) is President of ESR Research Economic Consultants in Indianapolis.

Illegal Immigration is a huge problem in California,but i feel that alot of illegal immigrants don't stay here very long,but end up moving to more affordable areas of the country...

California has reached it's peak with illegal immigration....we will start seeing a decrease in illegal immigration,but legal immigration and domestic migration will continue to grow.

Illegal Immigration is a huge problem in California,but i feel that alot of illegal immigrants don't stay here very long,but end up moving to more affordable areas of the country...

California has reached it's peak with illegal immigration....we will start seeing a decrease in illegal immigration,but legal immigration and domestic migration will continue to grow.

I agree, more illegal immigrants are spreading to Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada and some other states than CA.

Illegal Immigration is a huge problem in California,but i feel that alot of illegal immigrants don't stay here very long,but end up moving to more affordable areas of the country...

California has reached it's peak with illegal immigration....we will start seeing a decrease in illegal immigration,but legal immigration and domestic migration will continue to grow.

That's not true, California's domestic migration is negative, and has been for a while now. That won't change any time soon.

Yeah, domestic migration will grow, but internal migration will grow too as long as Cali is priced the way it is.

You're right, many illegal immigrants from California have moved elsewhere. However, as soon as one moves out, three move in. Nothing is going to change unless the U.S. does its duty to protect its borders. The Border Patrol is vastly underfunded and undermanned, yet the U.S. government can find money and men to patrol borders of other nations, of whom don't need us.

The U.S. Constitution indicates that the responsibility of the U.S. government is to protect the U.S. against invasions. If that is so, the U.S. should do its part to curtail illegal immigration, as it is an invasion. Yet, that is not happening. What is happening is that both political parties have sold out, either because their campaign contributions are being provided by pro-illegal alien labor industries, because they want the illegal votes, or because they're so entrenched and brainwashed, that they are afraid that they'll be called racist if they oppose illegal immigration. Can you believe that Bush has actually spoken at meetings where the National Council of the Race (La Raza) is present. In La Raza's planks, it favors the return of the American southwest to Mexico. That our leaders would give legitimacy to such a group is traitorous, in my opinion.

Even our neighbor, Mexico, is promoting and pushing their own people here, providing them with desert survival packets.

I don't see the situation getting any better if our government won't protect us. It could easily be done, if the government had the willpower. The nonsensical arguments that are given as to why we can't protect our borders are excuses. For example, our government says that it would cost too much money to build a concrete and steel wall on the border from San Diego to Brownsville. Yet, they're able to find money for every type of program, every type of foreign conflict, foreign aid, etc. In fact, a wall would cost far less than the amount we've spent in Iraq. Far less, I might add. When they say that it can't be done, interpret that as "We don't want to get it done because we oppose what you're saying (we're in favor of illegal immigration)). What good is spending money on other things if you can't first protect your country, your economy, your culture, all things which illegal immigration, even legal immigration to an extent, are destroying? It doesn't do any good, for you won't be able to sustain your country to provide those other things.

Yeah, domestic migration will grow, but internal migration will grow too as long as Cali is priced the way it is.

Of course, it's more growing in domestic migration than in 90's, just happened to Hawaii too. Rocguy don't understand what I said about that so I don't want argue with him.

The title is pretty funny considering that cali is the most expensive state to live in.

That's why it's poor are so poor. If they were in other less expensive areas of the country, like the midwest (where a crapload of native-born Californians are moving), they could probalby afford a much better lifestyle. Many are moving to the more affordable areas, but they can't move away fast enough to off balance the tremendous amount of poor illegals moving to the state in the first place.

California's domestic migration is negative for the moment,but the tables will turn sooner or later.
That's not true, California's domestic migration is negative, and has been for a while now. That won't change any time soon.

Illegal Immigration is Wrong and it's Draining this country's Programs and Services and it's also Changing our Educational and Employment System.

America needs to Secure the Border and Stop illegal immigration before Americans become a minority in our own country,and before we end up loosing our country.

I have no problem with Legal Immigration,but Illegal Immigration i'm totally against.

Secure Our Borders and Save America !
You're right, many illegal immigrants from California have moved elsewhere. However, as soon as one moves out, three move in. Nothing is going to change unless the U.S. does its duty to protect its borders. The Border Patrol is vastly underfunded and undermanned, yet the U.S. government can find money and men to patrol borders of other nations, of whom don't need us.

The U.S. Constitution indicates that the responsibility of the U.S. government is to protect the U.S. against invasions. If that is so, the U.S. should do its part to curtail illegal immigration, as it is an invasion. Yet, that is not happening. What is happening is that both political parties have sold out, either because their campaign contributions are being provided by pro-illegal alien labor industries, because they want the illegal votes, or because they're so entrenched and brainwashed, that they are afraid that they'll be called racist if they oppose illegal immigration. Can you believe that Bush has actually spoken at meetings where the National Council of the Race (La Raza) is present. In La Raza's planks, it favors the return of the American southwest to Mexico. That our leaders would give legitimacy to such a group is traitorous, in my opinion.

Even our neighbor, Mexico, is promoting and pushing their own people here, providing them with desert survival packets.

I don't see the situation getting any better if our government won't protect us. It could easily be done, if the government had the willpower. The nonsensical arguments that are given as to why we can't protect our borders are excuses. For example, our government says that it would cost too much money to build a concrete and steel wall on the border from San Diego to Brownsville. Yet, they're able to find money for every type of program, every type of foreign conflict, foreign aid, etc. In fact, a wall would cost far less than the amount we've spent in Iraq. Far less, I might add. When they say that it can't be done, interpret that as "We don't want to get it done because we oppose what you're saying (we're in favor of illegal immigration)). What good is spending money on other things if you can't first protect your country, your economy, your culture, all things which illegal immigration, even legal immigration to an extent, are destroying? It doesn't do any good, for you won't be able to sustain your country to provide those other things.

That's why it's poor are so poor. If they were in other less expensive areas of the country, like the midwest (where a crapload of native-born Californians are moving), they could probalby afford a much better lifestyle.

but that's not really what its about, its about how much money people make not how much they spend, so even if home prices were lower salaries wouldnt go up

Immigration has been a chronic issue in America, but most Americans tend to distract themselves with their usual frivolities instead doing something about it. The biggest problem is not the so-called invasion claimed by many, but the creation of a new sub-class of workers that have little in common to the mainstream: culture, economics, demographics.

The concrete wall idea sounds nice, but it wouldn't stop all illegal migration. It would be a deterrent to the flow of illegals, but they are pretty good nullifying any man made defenses. Anyone has considered how many drug commerce tunnels are under the border? Those can also be used for human traffic, and I assure you that the wall won't do anything about those.

Also, it is important to notice that the illegal immigrants keep coming to America because they find jobs. If you want to get rid of them force the companies to actually follow the law. Unsurprisingly, is in this point where the Republican party splits between social conservatives and corporate conservatives.

The most complex (but most effective) method to reduce the immigration wave involves foreign policy. American diplomacy could achieve much more than it does at this moment, but I don't see the Bush presidency sinking what is left of its good relationship with Latin America.

Any thunderer has to realize the obvious: force won't stop a human flow. This is just like the immigrants that try to cross the sea from Cuba, Haiti or North Africa. The true solution lies on the enforcement of the law, including the corporations. And for the social situation in California...we actually need to improve the conditions of many second/third generation immigrants that have brought their social problems to the US. Why? Because of the same reason public education became widely available in the youing republic: You don't want an ignorant segment of society that could crash your own lifestyle.

Perhaps this is the Mexican invasion, a sweet revenge of the unjustified war of 1846...