One would think that being a libertarian for as long as I have, there might be more similarities between my position and other libertarians. That's the beauty of the cause: freedom doesn't require any conformity. Take illegal aliens, for example. I join with most libertarians when I say that people wishing to enter this country should do so legally. We are, after all, a nation of laws. However, I find myself parting company with many libertarians on the issue of what is to be done with those that have already entered illegally.
I recently listened to a podcast where an argument was presented that we needed to allow these people to remain in this country so that many low paying jobs could be filled. This argument is not dissimilar to those presented by Bush the Duller, predecessor to our current Big Brother. While I agree that we need to implement some improved immigration solutions, including a more accessible work program, I don't condone excusing illegal aliens from their past transgressions for any reason.
What confuses me about these arguments is that they come from people supposedly versed in the machinations of a free market. If there are indeed jobs to be filled, the market will fill them. If they are to be filled using labor rates too low for Americans to accept, the market will drive the value of these jobs higher, thereby creating an incentive for Americans to fill the positions. To use this supposed need of cheap labor to justify circumvention of existing law is indefensible and stinks of social engineering (yes, Barack, that smell was aimed at you).
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label immigration. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Still wondering why?
Three women are currently on a hunger strike in Raleigh, North Carolina. Theirs is an attempt to gain support for a U.S. Senate bill designed to ease the path toward gaining legal residence. The interesting thing about these women is that they are in this country illegally: Illegal immigrants on hunger strike.
How is it that these women are not arrested for their immigration status? Well, unless the federal government arrests them, their freedom is guaranteed, at least until they break some other law. For those who wonder why Arizona passed a law allowing law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of individuals stopped for other violations, your explanation can be found in this story. These are three women who openly flaunt their immigration status yet have no fear of incarceration because the federal government, tasked with protecting our borders from unlawful incursion, has opted to ignore its responsibility.
Some will argue that these women in particular, brought here as children by parents who remained past expiration of their legal status, should be granted special consideration for their circumstances. To this I would ask: where does special consideration end? Should we next consider excusing illegal parents of children who are born here and, therefore, are citizens themselves? After all, wouldn't these poor children be better served having their parents around to raise them? After that, should we give special consideration to those who, having remained illegally for some time, now find themselves indigent due to poor health? We certainly wouldn't feel good about returning them home in poor health.
We have laws for a reason. If we find the laws to be unjust, then we should change the laws. However, we should not excuse those who violate the laws simply because we can justify their actions in some loosely moral way. In the case of immigration, our efforts should involve building a fence with wide gates to deter illegal passage while accommodating those who wish to come, and stay, legally.
How is it that these women are not arrested for their immigration status? Well, unless the federal government arrests them, their freedom is guaranteed, at least until they break some other law. For those who wonder why Arizona passed a law allowing law enforcement officers to determine the immigration status of individuals stopped for other violations, your explanation can be found in this story. These are three women who openly flaunt their immigration status yet have no fear of incarceration because the federal government, tasked with protecting our borders from unlawful incursion, has opted to ignore its responsibility.
Some will argue that these women in particular, brought here as children by parents who remained past expiration of their legal status, should be granted special consideration for their circumstances. To this I would ask: where does special consideration end? Should we next consider excusing illegal parents of children who are born here and, therefore, are citizens themselves? After all, wouldn't these poor children be better served having their parents around to raise them? After that, should we give special consideration to those who, having remained illegally for some time, now find themselves indigent due to poor health? We certainly wouldn't feel good about returning them home in poor health.
We have laws for a reason. If we find the laws to be unjust, then we should change the laws. However, we should not excuse those who violate the laws simply because we can justify their actions in some loosely moral way. In the case of immigration, our efforts should involve building a fence with wide gates to deter illegal passage while accommodating those who wish to come, and stay, legally.
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