Amnesty From Government (Alternative Immigration plan)

I've found myself pondering this so-called 'problem' of 'illegal' immigration of late, and suddenly was struck by the simple, yet retrospectively obvious, solution: amnesty from government. The only way us legals can achieve this desperately needed amnesty from government is by become 'illegal'.

As President Kennedy might have said: "Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Soy un inmigrante ilegal.""

Just think of the benefits! No Social Security taxes, no Medicaid, Medicare, Federal Income Tax, State Income Tax, Inheritance Tax, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few! How much greater would our health and retirement benefits be without government throwing us in jail if we don't roll over and let them 'arrange' them for us? The only taxes left to pay might be smallish sales taxes here and there and once again, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, it [would] be the pleasure and pride of an American to ask, what farmer, what mechanic, what laborer, ever sees a tax-gatherer of the United States?

Imagine if businesses could return to voluntarily contracting with their employees and discard the hurtful government coerced workers compensation programs? Think how much more they would be able to pay us! Businesses could also, if they so choose and their employees acquiesced, ignore burdensome 'safety' regulations, bureaucratic red tape and Union regulations/labor laws. These possibilities would all doubtlessly equate to large increase in our salaries and reduced the prices of our consumer goods.

In conclusion, the benefits to us, the American worker, of becoming 'illegal' are more than clear. So, let us take to heart the lessons the present "illegal" immigrants have taught us, stand up for freedom, and lead our nation into the 21st century, creating an orgy of economic growth and prosperity unlike any the world has ever seen. And of course, as Americans always have, we'll do it by sticking it to government.

But wait!, you say, that is it? You're through? This is your solution to the immigration problem? Sure, it all sounds great, but it only deals with us. What about them? What are we going to do about the 12+ million undocumented illegals already in the United States and the many more continuously flowing in?

Well, I'm not sure I understand the question. It is the legals, us, who are the problem, we are the ones who have fallen into err; so what is there to do that 'needs doing' to the 'illegals'? From whence does this urge to 'do something' about others arise? History has showed the greatest catastrophes have occurred not when free peoples act in their self interest, but when men try to rule other men, via ever expansive and oppressive government. Besides, since we are now all 'illegal', I'm not quite sure who 'they' are anymore.

Let me now ask you some questions. Did 'they', the illegals, voluntarily choose to take incredible risks to immigrate to a country they knew little or nothing about, sometimes knowing no one, often flat broke or in debt, and perhaps not even knowing the language? Were 'they' voluntarily hired by employers here and did 'they' voluntarily agree to be employed by those employers for an agreed upon amount? Do 'they' voluntarily rent or own shelter and do these persons who sell or rent to them do so voluntarily? When 'they' go to the store and buy consumer goods do 'they' voluntarily choose their purchases and do these stores voluntarily choose to sell to them? Since 'they' are doing all these things voluntarily, with the full consent of those around them, please explain what business of it is 'yours'? As Ayn Rand might have said:

If this is evil, do whatever you please about me, according to whatever standards you hold. These are mine. I am earning my own living, as every honest man must. I refuse to accept as guilt the fact of my own existence and the fact that I must work in order to support it.

But, you protest, it is my concern because my wages are being driven down by illegal immigration, and my job is threatened.

Boo hoo! You sound almost like a Union member bashing Wal-Mart. Why is it that you require government to protect your job or your wage? If your own skill, hard work, diligence, and talent do not intrinsically define your individual value in a position of employment, then you probably didn't deserve the job in the first place.

Regardless, I'd bet it could be shown by facts and figures that restrictions on immigration, illegal or otherwise, cost Americans jobs and lowers our salaries:

The U.S. used up its supply of 65,000 temporary visas for skilled foreign workers in a single day.

At first glance, one might think that these incoming workers will lower the salaries of American 'skilled' workers who are now competing with these foreign workers for the available jobs. This flawed reasoning can be traced to the faulty premise that there are only a set number of 'skilled' jobs available. Just like our friends on the left believe there is only a fixed amount of wealth and resources available to society, which need to be 'equally divided' among the populace, ignoring the fact that wealth creation is dynamic and correlated with liberating governmental policies.

Besides, companies will get around government imposed barriers in order to get the most talented labor for the best cost. If the talent cannot come to the company, the company will go the talent and there will be a drastic increase in outsourcing. And the American workers previously employed by the relocating company? Now they have no job. Funny how those in favor of expanding government to restrict immigration also tend to be in favor of expanding government to restrict trade and outsourcing. It's like drilling a hole in a boat and then bailing the water out!

We must also consider that someone will need to train, integrate, and manage the foreign worker as he begins work for the company. Who better for this task than the American worker? As these companies prosper, by hiring cheaper and more available labor, those already with the company, ie the American worker, will have opportunity for advancement. With more efficient and profitable companies, the resulting drop in price of consumer goods is a boon to all Americans, along with the added purchasing power of the immigrants and higher real estate prices.

In this case, the above brief analysis was done with high tech workers, but it bodes true for any immigrant, migrant, 'illegal' or legal, who comes to the United States.

Now, it has also been said that we must be 'concerned' because 'illegal' immigrants are costing us, the US taxpayer, a great deal of money. First, this is patently untrue. Study, after Study, after Study, after Study, not to mention common sense, have shown that immigrants, legal or 'illegal', contribute more to 'society' than they receive, especially in the case of the so-called migrant worker. Some studies have concluded there is often an increased burden on state governments, as most taxes go to the Federal government, while many 'services' are provided by the state; but this is a problem of the ever expansive and overreaching Federal Government, not immigration.

Which group costs American taxpayers the most money? Legal Americans, especially those in poverty with children. Again, it is us, the legals, who represent the problem! However, as documented, this government spending itself is largely the very reason for poverty! If immigrants, 'illegal' or otherwise, and even our own citizens, can escape our government's crushing attempts to help them, chances are they will be free from poverty and become prosperous contributing citizens.

Secondly, and most importantly, all of the above completely misses the point. Even if it were true that immigrants, 'illegal' or otherwise, placed an undo burden on taxpayers, the whole issue is a secondary problem of socialism, not of immigration! If a thief stole your money and gave it to a third party, would you be angry at the third party? No! You'd be angry at the thief, which, in this case, as in so many others, is government.

Thirdly, even if it were the case that immigrants placed an economic burden on society and even if these problems resulted from immigration, not socialism, I would still argue against passing restrictive immigration laws because of the innate dangers directly associated with the expanding power and growth of government.

Since government, as a political institution, is never a neutral party, the power to regulate immigration will and has become corrupted, with politicians and bureaucrats quickly succumbing to the temptation to pick winners and losers in industries and fall sway to corrupting foreign influences and foreign policy considerations.

For example, in the posted news story above there were visas available for 'skilled' workers and I'd bet the definition of 'skilled' is worth big bucks to some industries, which politicians can now shake down for funds. Similarly, before Sept 11th, Saudi citizens enjoyed a program called: "Visa Express," an unprecedented program that literally delegated visa processing to travel agents to speed it up. The basic legal requirement that applicants provide accurate and persuasive information was ignored.

This program existed because of intensive bipartisan Saudi lobbying of US officials and generous financial gifts of presidential libraries, speaking fees, and think tank salaries.

Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg thrust himself into the national immigration debate Wednesday, advocating a plan that would establish a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers.

Donna Lieberman, director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, said a DNA or fingerprint database "doesn't sound like the free society we think we're living in." "It will inevitably be used not just by employers but by law enforcement, government agencies, schools and all over the private sector," she said.

This corrupting influence and abuse of power by government, injecting society with immorality and staining our culture, should be fought at every turn. Arguably, terrorism checks and protections should be the only immigration related power allowed to government and even this should be closely monitored for signs of abuse.

So, imagine my surprise to see this headline from one of the leaders of the conservative movement:

Make no mistake, folks, this is the expansion of government on parade. This is the importation of new people in poverty necessitating an expansion of the safety net and expansion in tax rates to pay for it. Another transfer of wealth and an expansion of government in order to accomplish all this, thereby cementing even more dependency among these new arrivals.

Of course, precisely the opposite is true! As aforementioned, the more immigration is regulated and restricted the more government expansion is necessary and needed.

Increases in immigration no more result in poverty than an increases in college graduates would. Both groups start with empty pockets or in debt and then gradually work their way to prosperity. The same process occurs with folks working at minimum wage jobs, which serve most often as stepping stones to higher paying positions. It may be true that American born college graduates, statistically speaking, may become wealthier in the long term, although the reasons for this are debatable, but this doesn't take away from the overall picture of immigrant advancement. We know this to be true because all of us, the legals, came from immigrants!

Rush has, correctly, argued against attempts to raise the minimum wage and has denounced onerous legislations such as the Family Medical Leave Act, which also places burdens on employers. He has also argued in favor of free trade, noting it's clear benefits and recognizing expansive government is necessary to restrict it. The arguments for free trade and immigration run parallel, in fact, it would be accurate to categorize immigration as a free trade issue. Little wonder then that the vocal Buchananite wing of the Republican party supports neither, but it is certainly surprising to hear people like Limbaugh repeatedly contradict themselves on this issue and even stoop to bashing big business!

It's about big business! It's about big business, and everybody that has any experience at all, the objective of any business is to keep costs down as much as practicable, and you know what it's like trying to get a raise. Every trick in the book will be tried on you to say you don't deserve it or, "You don't like the job? We can find somebody else to do it for you."

In my humble opinion, the worst part about this 'Conservative' outrage over immigration is the apparent lack of understanding over what it fundamentally represents. The United States is the freest and hence the most prosperous and moral nation in the history of the world. Despite my constant denunciations of our present criminal government, I can at least maintain the proper perspective that we have it better than anywhere else. Our government is smaller and our citizens more vigilant in their protection of liberty than anywhere else on earth.

It is for these reasons we have had wave after wave of immigrants from all over the world flocking to the United States. People vote with their feet, fleeing socialism, collectivism, tyranny, corruption, and all other forms of government wackosim :), and seek refuge in capitalism, freedom, and Conservatism/Libertarianism. The more Conservative/Libertarian a country's policies, the greater its attractiveness for prospective immigrants!

Immigrants do not come here for higher minimum wages, universal health care, worker protections, higher taxes, more regulation, more lawsuits, or bigger governments. Whether they know it or not at the time, people flee those policies, leaving them behind in their home countries. Why do many in the Conservative movement apparently not have pride in the reasons for which this 'problem' exists?

Unfortunately, this engraving is often misinterpreted. While, it is true that many immigrants, especially 'illegals' are poor when they arrive, 'wretched refuse' is hardly an apt description. These immigrants are brave, they are bold, they are courageous, they are risk taking, they are imaginative, they are actively self interested in making better lives for themselves and their families. And what became of those timid souls that stayed in their home countries and rotted in poverty, enduring socialism under the worst type of criminals known to man? What choice would you make?

There are those who patiently waited years and years in line for a legal visa and there are those who didn't. Then, there are those, the 'illegals', who said, "to heck with the law, to heck with my criminal government, to heck with the Federal Government of the United States, I'm going to get mine, I'm going to improve my lot, I'm going to the USA, and I'm not waiting." What choice would you make?

This dogged self interest, along with individual freedom, the equal application of law, and a 'don't tread on me attitude', is what has kept the United States relatively free of government domination and tyranny. As author Ayn Rand said:
America's abundance was not created by public sacrifices to "the common good," but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes.

Some believe not 'doing something' about the 'illegals' is a slap in the face to the legal immigrants who dutifully obeyed the law. I don't make this distinction. If anything, it is the 'illegals' who have demonstrated their distaste for authority, their distrust of government, and their disdain for immoral laws. I trust they will make good Americans.

You see, as previously stated, I don't believe there are many laws of government that deserve our respect or obedience. A law should be obeyed not because it is 'a law', but because it is morally correct. It's hard to argue that restrictions on the movement of free persons and limits on self determination meet any moral standard.

Immigration is what has made our country great and the desire to immigrate here is reflective of our greatness. For over 200 years, various domestic elements have respectively favored restricting immigration on all groups or various selected groups such as Irish, Poles, Italians, Jews, Blacks, and Chinese. The dire predictions and sometimes accompanying prejudices towards these groups turned out to be dead wrong. There is no reason to think the recent surge of Hispanic Americans will differ in any significant way from their historical brethren. And, I do not mean to imply anti-immigration forces are intolerant or racist or any of the other accusatory rotgut ginned up by the left. They are simply mistaken and ignorant. Some 'Conservatives' oppose immigration based on the notion that these persons will become Democratic voters. In time, I'd say the opposite will surely be the truth, for those that seek liberty will vote for what they have sought. Whether the Republican party will still represent what we are looking for is the more pertinent question...

Perhaps these 'Conservatives' would do best to remember the concluding words from Ronald Reagan's 1988 farewell speech:

I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it and see it still.

And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was eight years ago. But more than that; after 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.

" Just think of the benefits! No Social Security taxes, no Medicaid, Medicare, Federal Income Tax, State Income Tax, Inheritance Tax, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few!"

......and registration for Selective Servie requirement for all males 18 to 26.....?

Non compliance should be an immediate and total barrier to citizenship same as for legal immigrants.

Or am I missing something here...../angry sarcasm

Very interesting stuff! Thanks!

I've seen Thomas Sowell criticized as Rush is here for being anti-open borders yet pro-free trade, the criticism being that this represents a contradiction.

The reason I agree with Rush and Sowell is that I don't think a person can be thought of simply as commodities. A man brings with him ideas and a history--- he is always much more than whatever job he takes or what he produces. Someone who has dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States and boos the U.S. soccer team even when it's not playing Mexico probably is not a loyal U.S. citizen. James Bennett likes to say that a nation can stay a nation with any two out of the three categories of multiculturalism, democracy or massive immigration.

But how can we expect immigrants to feel pride in the history and culture of the United States when they (and we) are taught in government schools that they should not, that the United States is evil? In a democracy, demography is destiny. Can the United States take California becoming more of a Mexico-style economically hard-left state than it is due to the influx of citizens who have been brought up to believe Reagan was insane and Bush is crazy?

I favor do immigration, but I think the United States needs to regulate it. This is one of those functions like defense where the government cannot help but be involved. Why is it so hard for the mathematicians and engineers our graduate schools from India and China to become citizens and so easy for those who might take lower wage jobs? I think it's because skilled workers vote and low wagers don't, and high wage employees don't like an emplyer's market i.e. competition for their jobs any more than anyone else. But the United States needs to regulate immigration in a way that's good for the country, not any one group. So long as Mexico encourages this reconquista gibberish, it's hard for me not be uneasy about the massive immigration wave of both types from Mexico that will apparently occur in the immediate future.

Thanks for the ping.

I have been considering renouncing my citizenship and declaring myself a resident alien.

Good way to have every government agency crawling up every bodily orifice investigating everything you have done for the last decade..

We are the payers, there is no escape other than death or physically leaving the Republic at this point. Once you have a ss number and have been fingerprinted by any municipality you are going to be identified anywhere anytime and will pay one way or another..

We have joined a suicidal organization we can not leave.

A green card has more to offer than citizenship to illegals.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1635873/posts?page=17#17

To: SmithL

The whole article is misleading leftist spin. This reporter is trying to hit all the bases - on the one hand, the green card holder has no choice but to join the military to gain his citizenship and is therefore being exploited by the military, and on the other, the military is so desperate for recruits that it is hiring non-citizens to join. Both are crap. The green card holder doesn't need to become a citizen to work legally in the US. Citizenship doesn't confer many special privileges except the right to vote and the right to hold certain public offices. (As John Derbyshire pointed out in a column, the big downside is that citizens are taxed on their global income, whereas green card holders are only taxed on their US income). Green card holders are also eligible for the draft. They have also always been able to join the military - this isn't some loophole that has opened up in recent years. 16 posted on 05/21/2006 10:16:20 AM PDT by Zhang Fei

This is some of an article from the LASLIMES
40% OF ALL WORKERS ARE (10MIL)ARE WORKING FOR CASHAND NOT PAYING TAXES
95% OF WARRENTS FOR MURDER IN LA ARE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS
75% OF PEOPLE ON THE MOST WANTED LIST ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS
OVER 2/3'S OF ALL BIRTHS IN LA ARE TO ILLEGAL ALIEN MEXICANS AND ORE FUNDED BY THE TAXPAYERS
25% OF INMATES IN CALIFORNIS DETENTION CENTERS ARE ILLEGAL ALIENS
3OO,000 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARE LIVING IN GARAGES
THE FBI REPORTS HALF AF ALL GANG MEMBERS IN LA ARE ILLGALS
NEARLY 60% OF ALL OCCUPANTS OF HUD PROPERTIES ARE ILLEGAL.
ISN'T IT AMAZING

"A man brings with him ideas and a history--- he is always much more than whatever job he takes or what he produces" Very well put although some of the extremely free-traders here would disagree, seeing things in money terms only.

Thanks, I would consider myself an extreme free trader but I feel also feel that by acting as though free trade necessitates open borders, the Wall Street Journal has done real damage to the cause of free trade.

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