The big lie.
While posturing that “the borders need to be secured” neither party is willing to actually secure them.
Why?
Grab a Tecate, and let’s take a look at the Democrats first.
The Democrats see illegal immigrants as a huge potential voting block once legitimized. They will never say this out loud, but amnesty is what they want and once that occurs it will be quickly followed by demanding voting rights. Even if they fail to push through voting rights (they can always come back to that) there is an ancillary and enormous benefit they also will not tell you about. If they are here legally they can become Union members whose dues are mandatory and used to support pro-labor (Socialist) political candidates. It should cause some Democrat Union members dissonance when they find themselves supporting illegal immigration (the guys taking “their” jobs)… but it seems it’s just part of the mental gymnastics required to be a Socialist. It can never really be about the individual.
Now let’s look at the Republicans.
The Republicans see illegal immigrants as an incredibly effective tool to disrupt the stranglehold Unions have had on Agriculture, Manufacturing and the Trades. Part of the reason we have seen an exodus in manufacturing from the U.S. to places distant is that Labor Unions have driven up the price of labor to the point where companies can longer afford to pay the wages and benefits and still make a profit they feel is large enough to justify the effort. (I know I just uttered a dirty word to you Leftists out there but I beg you to learn a little bit about the profit motive and how it drives innovation bettering all of our lives. Please.) So the illegal workforce effectively cuts the legs out from underneath the Unions and allows us to pay $.99 for a head of lettuce. (An aside: Let’s think about this for a second. Are we being led to believe that these workers who are willing to break the law in order to make money for their families back home want to turn this country into the place they had to leave in order to find work? Or is it all of the “free” services like education, medical and welfare? But… I thought the country’s north and south of us already provided that stuff.)
There is an answer to this problem.
Liberalize temporary work visa’s. (If I can go to the department of motor vehicles and get a credit card type driver’s licence made in ten minutes, then certainly we can have the same machine at points of entry for those who wish to work.) Put a biometric component on the ID. Easy. The workers would be required to have the ID’s on them at all times just as we are when we travel to other countries. The card would have to be renewed every six months after a brief stay in their home country or country of choice other than the U.S. (Similar to what ex-pats do in order to maintain their citizenship status here in the United States.)
Here’s the key: The visa would not allow voting rights. It would not allow for collectivization. (If one would like those things then get in line and go through the process of becoming a citizen. If not… no worries, don’t get in line.) Those states wishing to attract these workers could simply pass right to work laws making it possible for them to work without having to join a Union.
Here’s the rub;
The Republicans don’t like this idea because it would drive the cost of low skilled labor up somewhat. But more importantly they’re understandably afraid that if it was offered the cry would be for bipartisanship and compromise… which would lead to the workers ability to join a Union and vote in local elections first (this is already being worked on in the southern border states), then national elections in the name of “fairness”.
The Democrats don’t like the idea because on the outside chance that they don’t get some wonderful bipartisan compromise then they don’t get votes and money for Democrat politicians. They would also lose an issue for the ignorant portion of their base who likes to believe that the “Old South” lives and they hate them mezkins and forners. (It has always been funny to me that the “Old South” were all Democrats but I digress.)
So… We’ll just keep things as they are so both parties have something to talk about aside from their driving the U.S. into fiscal oblivion with their Statist entitlement programs.
Either way, it leaves open an even bigger question.
When does it become Mexico’s responsibility to create an environment their citizens wish to live and work in? I thought the Socialists had this all worked out.
Salud! Want a lime?
(Above Originally Posted 021112)
Added Bonus 061314: It’s also worth noting the odd drive by the Chamber of Commerce for Immigration reform.
It’s not so Odd when you consider the primary contributors to all Chamber of Commerce organizations are Small (50 employee) to Medium Businesses which are being squeezed by a flood of new EPA and OSHA regs. not mention ICE raids. And their primary loss of business, ie. competition, is from micro-businesses which employ the above cheap labor but escape scrutiny because they are so small. The rub is We the People do not want to pay the far higher prices for similar work just because our government is Fascist. (The Government owns the businesses through regulation.) So the National Chamber is lobbying to reform immigration in order to try to help their patrons survive. Because the Chamber is of the mind that there is no use trying to fight the Government… which is what they SHOULD be doing.
makeaneffort 