Tuesday, May 02, 2006

The message is inclusion

So says the Journal-Sentinel editorial board. Immigrants do good things. Latinos are nice.

What does any of that mean? What policies or laws does it suggest? Amnesty? Open borders? Who cares? Viva la revolucion!

But after the marches are over and the politicians have run for cover, what is it that we are supposed to do? Do we want open borders? How many other countries in the history of the modern nation-state have been indifferent to who is able to enter their country and take up residence?

Whatare we supposed to take away from these marches?

Illegals are just doing jobs Americans won't do? That is, of course, an economically illiterate statement. They are, at best, doing jobs Americans won't do at the same wages that they are willing to do them. Is that a good thing? I guess it is if you are the type who has your lawn mowed or your garden tended. It's great if you are the kind who is waited upon as opposed to one who waits upon others. It's wonderful if you are the one who plays golf on the greens that others keep.

I also suspect that it's a factually inaccurate statement. It might be tre if low skill workers were fully employed and unemployment is low. But is it really true that everyone has a job at a wage above that typically commanded by illegals? If that's the case, then the Bush economy is even better than I think it is.

It would be cruel to send back those who have built a life here. On a certain level, it would be just as it may seem cruel to punish anyone for a crime committed long ago. Let's accept the fact that 11 million people aren't going home.

What are we going to do with the next 11 million?

Is the take away support for open borders? And if it isn't, how are we going to close them?

I think its time to talk about that rather than sing songs in Spanish and fall all over each other in support for immigrants. Standing alone, "inclusion" is generally an empty concept.
And these marches have been empty gestures.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree. Also, let’s get ride of all those Italian flags I see around town and all that silly green Irish stuff.

Seriously, Robyn Blumner’s call to prosecute the employers is a good first step.

Because many children of illegal immigrants are U.S. citizens, we should be very careful with how we resolved this situation. Solutions not given adequately thought could come back to bite us.

Is it possible the unemployed are unemployable at a higher wage?

Dad29 said...

Hell, I'd take a $7.50/hour job if I could live in a 3-br flat with 7 other $7.50/hour workers.

That flows, and VERY positive.

Rick Esenberg said...

SPJ

I thought you had ditched all that. Listen to the Force.

JP

They would have to be unemployable at the wages paid to illegal workers in order for illegal immigration not to have hurt them.

The 11 million people are not going back. We now need to have a serious discussion. "Hurray for immigrants!" does not qualify.

Anonymous said...

dad29

Maybe you described heaven for someone from Mexico.


Rick

Did you intend to reinforce my point about the unemployable? Many unemployed are unemployable at the illegal immigrant wage.


Whatever course of action we choose, I hope we explore all options thoroughly before we prostrate ourselves (not to be confused with prostate) before the God of Law