Illegal Imigration

This is one of those issues where I think all the vocal sides are entirely missing the point.

Why is illegal immigration a problem? Let's look at the individual detractors claimed by those who want to stop it:

1. Jobs. This seems to be the main issue that illegals are taking jobs away from citizens.
2. Crime. A lot of them become involved in identity theft and the drug trade
3. Taxes. They operated in the underground economy and aren't paying their fair share.
4. Government services. They abuse laws requiring health care providers to treat them without compensation. They enroll their children in our schools.

All valid reasons to be upset. Let's look at these individually

1. Jobs. Many immigrants come here to work, so yes, they take jobs. These are typically low paying unskilled labor. Is there such a surplus of jobs in this country that Americans cannot handle it? With approximately 10% of the country unemployed, it stands to reason that there should be plenty of natural born citizens standing outside Home Depot, or sweating in the fields.

We have come to believe that hard work is beneath us. That we are entitled to a high paying job regardless of the demands of the market.

The solution is not to throw out immigrants, but to convince Americans to work. The only way to do this is to make unemployment unprofitable. As Benjamin Franklin said, "I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.".

Talk to a man who is out of work. When he tells you of all the places he has applied that did not hire, ask how many landscaping firms he applied to.

2. Crime. Illegal immigration has been associated with narcotics, gangs, and other criminal endeavors.

How often do you here about street gangs trafficking in alcohol? Why are there not bootleggers and moonshiners like there were in the '20s? What happened to the mobsters? When you make a previously legitimate enterprise illegal, criminals take it over.

The speakeasies of yesteryear are the crack houses of today. Instead of moonshiners in the Appalachians, we have pot farmers in the national parks. The legality of these substances has nothing to do with their demand. Prosecution of the distributors has not affected the supply. All our efforts to enforce morality have not made us a moral people. The only thing it has done is provide a steady occupation to those who do not value our societal rules.

We are spending billions of dollars each year on drug enforcement. We are sponsoring foreign nations to spray herbicides. The majority of our prison population consists of drug offenders. What do we have to show for this expenditure? Nothing. Since we declared the war on drugs in 1971, the drug using population has stayed about the same.

Now don't get me wrong, drugs are bad. But to continue this sort of spending without any real results is insane.

If you are a criminal, who do you call when you get robbed? Criminals will target illegal immigrants because their victims will not report the crime out of fear of deportation. Immigrants make good targets because a large number of them cannot obtain bank accounts (lack of valid identification) so all their savings are on hand. Some just stay as victims, some enlist in gangs to help protect their neighborhood.

Criminal activity always attract criminal activity. When you create crimes through legislation where none existed before, the barbarians take over the industry.

Stay tuned next time when I talk about taxes and government services.