A Debate That Cannot Be Ignored (Is immigration good for NC? John Locke Foundation)

A Carolina Journal Exclusive ^ | March 23, 2005 | John Hood of the John Locke Foundation

[TaxRelief]

If you've never been to a John Locke forum, you're missing out on some of the best political discussions in NC.

http://www.johnlocke.org/events/event.html?id=237

[TaxRelief]

The John Locke Foundation cordially invites you to a Headliner Panel Discussion with their special guests: Daniel T. Griswold, (Associate Director of the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies) and Mark Krikorian (Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies)

A Debate on U.S. Immigration Policy

Thursday, March 24, 2005, 12:00 noon: Brownstone Holiday Inn, 1707 Hillsborough Street, Raleigh, NC

Price: $10

Both Griswold and Krikorian have debated U.S. immigration policy in the pages of National Review. They now bring this debate to Raleigh.

You will not want to miss this lively debate.

NC *Ping*

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[billbears]

Which kind? The immigration from the north or the immigration from the South? In a word? No. < /hardheadness off and I'm sort of joking :) >

[100%FEDUP]

NC is firmly in the hands of the Agriculture lobby, who thrive on cheap labor (namely illegal immigrants). This has been going on for years and the Ag Commish has always been willing to look the other since nearly ALL his/her campaign contributions come from farmers. In addition, our congress critters rely heavily on support from farmers to keep them in office. Bobby "Show me the money" Ethridge could care less how farmers run their businesses as long as he gets their vote and campaign contributions!

I doubt Troxler will act any different than his predecessors

[100%FEDUP]

NC is firmly in the hands of the Agriculture lobby, who thrive on cheap labor (namely illegal immigrants). This has been going on for years and the Ag Commish has always been willing to look the other since nearly ALL his/her campaign contributions come from farmers. In addition, our congress critters rely heavily on support from farmers to keep them in office. Bobby "Show me the money" Ethridge could care less how farmers run their businesses as long as he gets their vote and campaign contributions!

I doubt Troxler will act any different than his predecessors

[RegulatorCountry]

NC is also attractive due to incredibly lax documentation requirements in order to receive a drivers license. There have been recent noises about trying to correct this situation, but I think that the ease of acquiring fraudulent ID has more to do with the popularity of NC for illegal immigrants than the economy.

[csmusaret]

El Paso, Tx has as many illegals as the entire stateof NC.

[Tacis]

He, like most who comment on this issue, avoids the issue of race. Mexicans will work for $4 an hour, blacks won't. The normal wage pressures that would raise wage levels don't exist. A byproduct of Mexican illegals is continued black unemployment. Should the economy tank, there will be two populations in NC, blacks AND Mexicans, who live on public services!

Stop illegal, criminal Mexican alien from taking jobs, allow the wage levels to climb and put unemployed blacks to work. It will be a better future for all of us.

[BelegStrongbow]

Hmm...we simply cannot get a driver's license for our 17-year-old born-in-the-USA daughter. It might be the county we're in or it might be that getting an NC identification card is easy as pie. Don't know if it has to be fraudulent, though. Do know that here in Lee County, illegals are thick on the ground and getting thicker. We're partly agricultural, so perhaps that's part of it. I do know that every last governmental level, from the NGOs like HAVEN to the County Commissioners, are turning up the volume for cash. There's a proposal for added sales tax and for increasing the property tax.

Given that the pressure might well be related to illegals who are not otherwise capable of paying their public way, I would favor sales tax increases coupled with an attempt to locate and either legitimize or expel illegals.

And it's not necessarily that you hit on the ones speaking any form of Spanish. That's profiling and, as Ron White would say, that's wronnggggg. (and that's me joking: if you wanna catch the bad guys, you narrow the field of candidates, eh?)

Cheers!

[Travis McGee]

What part of ILLEGAL do they not understand?

Are we a nation of laws, or not?

Which laws can I now ignore? Tax laws?

[Travis McGee]

Is El Paso still in Texas? I thought it had been incorporated into Juarez.

[csmusaret]

Right. TINO. Texan in name only.

[JohnnyZ]

The illegality of current waves of immigration means that we don't have an effective means of distinguishing honest, hard-working people looking for economic opportunity from would-be criminals, welfare dependents, and perhaps even terrorists.

Obviously we should crank up legal immigration. And crack down on the remaining few illegals. That would solve the 'illegal' problem instantly.

Guess that's too obvious to work ....

[JohnnyZ]

A Debate on U.S. Immigration Policy
Price: $10

GOOD LORD!!!! They're charging 10 bucks to listen to people bitch and moan about immigration?!?!?!?? When there are thousands of FR threads you can read for free right from the comfort of your own home??!?!?!? They would have to PAY ME, and more than 10 bucks, to show up to one of those things.

[american spirit]

I think we're more like a "banana democracy" now(we're so far gone, can't even use republic in that phrase). It's obvious that there are different sets of rules for the "in crowd" (multinational corps., certain highly placed operatives in both parties, anybody with a certain ethnic last name, etc.) and then there's the rest of us schmucks still trying to figure out how to return us to a republic or else we're toast.

[Travis McGee]

That's about the size of it. If we're not past the "tipping point," then we're too close to turn it around before we do pass it.

[TaxRelief]

It shows, Johnny, it shows. :-)

[JohnnyZ]

It shows, Johnny, it shows. :-)

Hey, at least I didn't try to deliver a 6-minute nominating speech in 3 minutes and call my audience "effete pansies". What was THAT all about???

[Huber]

Griswold is a good guy, and quite sharp. Those of you in the Eastern Piedmont should try to make it if you can!

[TaxRelief]

What control would I have over anyone on the floor? (I'm not the chair.) I tried to get him the extra time, but the mean-spirited control freaks preferred to argue about numbers on ballots.