Suzeonline,

Illegal immigrants have been shown to drastically depress wages in the groups that compete with them. The US had very low immigration between 1921 and 1965, when the floodgates were opened again. At that time, the janitors in Los Angeles were mostly black men and legal Latino immigrants. They were unionised and earned $12 an hour, good money in those days. Once big influxes of illegal immigrants were tolerated, the pay for the same job was depressed to $4 an hour.

http://articles.latimes.com/1988-03-18/news/mn-1878_1_illegal-aliens

Why did those black janitors owe the world a living? What about poor foreigners' responsibility to fix up their own countries? Who is really stupid or ignorant? The unskilled worker who welcomes illegal immigrants or the one who objects to them? So far, both major parties have condoned illegal immigration, so that is what working class Americans got, along with stagnant or declining real wages, regardless of which side they voted for. Trump may be lying, as David f thinks and is common for politicians. Remember Obama's hope and change? Remember how Hawke and Keating told us that globalisation was going to "bring home the bacon"? Nevertheless, there is a chance that Trump wants to go into the history books as a champion of the people like FDR. His supporters have nothing to lose by taking that chance.

//What's mad about we need to stop all Muslim immigration?//

It breaches the 1st Amendment. It's a bit sad when a presidential hopeful doesn't know the Constitution. Mind you, it's still not as breath-takingly stupid as the Great Wall of America. The man's either an idiot or he's barking mad.

Tony Lavis,

You are actually wrong that refusing Muslims visas would be unconstitutional, although it might be to block Muslim US citizens from re-entering the US. The First Amendment doesn't apply to people outside US jurisdiction.

"In fact, the Legal Information Institute at Cornell cites this provision of federal law:

" Whenever the president finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”

Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2015/12/experts-trump-muslim-ban-likely-constitutional/#ccFYZ8QSX1LSYCsg.99

Henry Ergas put it succinctly last weekend about Trump: he quoted the philosopher Groucho Marx, who observed about someone else, "He might look like an idiot, and talk like an idiot - but don't let that fool you - he really IS an idiot !"

I love circuses !

Joe

Whenever I hear left whingers calling someone an idiot and snickering to themselves, it spikes my interest. It usually turns out that this "idiot" is well educated, wildly successful and usually kicking their butts.

Divergence,

It is not the immigrants who are to blame for industrial relations laws that don't protect the interest of the workers. Politicians should ensure jobs are being created as fast as the workforce rises. Reagan did at least have an excuse for his failure to do so (the need to get inflation under control) but there is no valid excuse left now.

Governments have a choice between investing in the future or pursuing short term budgetary outcomes. The people suffer when they opt for the latter, whether immigration is high or low.