Let's go through this again: Immigration hurts who? It seems that the major thrust of the Political Right is to keep all those browns and yellows out. It does not matter that they do not compete with us native born for "good" jobs, all that matters is that they are not lily white and that, often, they don't speak English. I agree with DBK over at Blanton and Ashton's that "American Citizen" should mean something. However, I think it should mean that we are the most inclusive and open society this world has ever seen.
And the Republican agenda is not about "order and common sense," it is about racism. If it was about "order and common sense" we would have virtually unlimited "migrant worker" visas for people who work in our fields and in other menial (meaning "jobs the rest of us high and mighty Gringos don't want") positions. I gotta tell you that I have no problem letting in these workers. If we did it legally, they might not bring their whole families with them. They would come, live in communal apartments (like they do now) and then go home when their work visa expires at the end of the season. I would make said visas renewable and good for say six months at a time. After eight or so renewals, the holder could become eligible for a permanent visa which would include his/her family.
People, something like that is a non-zero sum game where both the immigrant and the United States win. If these people had a way to get here cheaply, work and save up some money to send back home, and then go home cheaply until next year, I am almost positive that there would be a mass migration back to their homes. A couple thousand US dollars in rural Mexico or Guatemala go a lot further than they do here, and we would get our lettuce picked, our lawns mowed, our stores cleaned and our burgers flipped for a lot less than we would be willing to do it ourselves. Think about it.
1 comment:
I agree with you about racism, but there is a cost to illegal immigration in that services are provided that are not paid for. Look, this is a complicated issue and the fact is that Congress and the White House are now, because it was forced on them by the marches in California, doing their best to make new laws so that it looks like they are doing something. It's politics as usual, but Iwe already have a lot of laws on the books about immigration. Enforcing those would do more good than playing politics by making new laws just so you look like you're a worthwhile congressman in an election year.
I do not agree that there is no cost to illegal immigration. I do agree that we are fortunate because we have a very open immigration policy relative to other countries. In fact, I have always argued that allowing immigration is better for the US and that immigration is one of the factors that has made the US a great and successful country. Believe it or not, I argue this on the basis of genetics. I believe that someone who is willing to leave the familiar in search of a better life is someone who has a genetic predisposition to exploring, taking risks, and otherwise doing brave things, which I likewise argue are good qualities that are good for the adopted country to have in its citizens.
That said, please do not mistake my position for one in which I support a Republican, racist agenda. I don't necessarily oppose the notion of migrant worker visas, but I do think we need to control migration across the borders and we do pay a price for illegal immigration. I also don't think that migrants "take the jobs Americans won't take". What they do is keep the price of lettuce cheap, because if they were not allowed in, then farmers would have to pay more to get their lettuce picked. What we do when we permit illegal immigrants to cross the border is allow farmers to keep their wages low.
Anyway, it is a complicated issue. I just don't want people to come away from your posting with the notion that I am a racist or, horrors, a Republican.
By the way, we already ARE the most open and inclusive society the world has ever seen. No other country allows immigration the way we do, in such numbers. And as I said, I think it is our country's strength to do so. My grandparents arrived here from Russia, legally, in the beginning of the 20th century. We have laws and we should enforce them. It seems to me that the worker visa program is just a way to keep the wages low and the price of lettuce down.
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