"A nation that cannot control its borders, is not a nation." -- Ronald Reagan
A devoted reader, who happens to agree with us that global warming is a scam, however does believe that the United States needs to open our boarders to anyone and everyone who wants to settle here. Now, I can understand and even admire that someone whose ancestors have benefited from past liberal immigration policies, might want to extend such a benefit today to the less fortunate of the world (a number in the billions). However, the U.S. is filling up. We now have hundreds of millions more people than during past immigration surges. And today we also have an incentive almost as powerful as the past immigrant draw, freedom ... lots of free stuff ... free stuff that liberal states love to provide illegally to these newcomers ... whether here legally or not. The impetus to provide this largess too often comes with a quid pro quo -- give us your (often illegal) votes.
We lock the front doors of our homes for a good reason ... because, if we don't, bad actors will likely invade our homes and take what is our family's ... or worse. And since we all want the fruits of our labors to go to our own and we like our charity to be voluntary, not forced, we don't want our neighbors to force us to open our houses to possible mischief or even mayhem. I strongly suspect those advocating for open borders also lock their own home doors. They may want me to leave my portals open, but I chose to ignore them unless they leave their doors open too ... at which point I will be forced to question their sanity ... and mine.
When we do invite people into our homes, I think at a minimum we have to know that:
- this is voluntary and not compulsory
- our guests would not harm us
- they would not steal from us
- they would not be exposing us to disease
- if they are staying, that we have the necessary space and accommodations
- if they are staying, that they would eventually leave if we asked
- if they are staying, that they would be contributing to the commonweal
- if they were staying, they could not invite in others
- and finally, they could not take possession of our home
Cannot we ask the same of immigrants to our country?
6 comments:
A few points:
- As to population density, the USA is #179.
- Your arguments could have been postulated by Native Americans 500 years ago and the Know-Nothings in the mid 19th century.
- We still that annoying placard on the Statue of Liberty that reminds us that, more than almost any country, we are a nation of immigrants: Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
That said, I am, as you know, in favor of every immigrant being productive and paying taxes... or out you go! Also I denounce having one breadwinner support multiple generations of vague relatives: be productive and paying taxes... or out you go! And I support amending the Constitution to remove birthright citizenship, requiring that at least one of the child's parents be a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident.
Poetic policy ...
I am all with you, George, on all but one of your points:once we have invited them in, we cannot ask them to leave without a good reason. I suspect that you meant it in that way anyway.
Let me add that immigrants -legals and illegals- when they come here on their own (without being the second cousin two times removed of a recent immigrant) are in my experience just about always the most dependable and hard working people you will encounter. That was true 50 years ago and 100 years ago and it is true today. These immigrants do not come here for a hand-out; they come here to be successful. (The cousin to whom I refer above is of course not in this category.)
I'm not sure we invite illegals in. It's more like we are out front picking up the morning paper ... and they bolt out of the bushes and through the open door. When we then sit down to do the crossword, there they are having coffee and a Danish.
CIS.org reports that 70% of illegals are on one or more forms of public assistance. But, I will concede that I have also seen many hard working ones. Perhaps the same populations?
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