Mixed Bag From George Will
George Will has a new column on Real Clear Politics that is somewhat illustrative of sound economics and also sort of disturbing. The disturbing part? Will seems to advocate putting up a new-style Berlin wall along the Mexican-U.S. border. I sincerely hope I’m not the only person who thinks this is insane.
Will argues that “border control†belongs at the forefront of U.S. immigration policy for the following four reasons:
First, control of borders is an essential attribute of sovereignty.
Second, current conditions along the border mock the rule of law.
Third, large rallies by immigrants, many of them here illegally, protesting more stringent control of immigration reveal that many immigrants have, alas, assimilated: They have acquired the entitlement mentality spawned by America’s welfare state, asserting an entitlement to exemption from the laws of the society they invited themselves into.
Fourth, giving Americans a sense that borders are controlled is a prerequisite for calm consideration of what policy that control should serve.
I’m astounded partly because Will’s columns are usually so logical. At what point in the history of the U.S. have we ever had this sort of control over our borders? How does erecting a police-state barbed wire fence/wall restore the rule of U.S. law? I’ll give Will ground on the entitlement/exemption problem, but couldn’t we just stop the exemptions? And should our ultimate goal be that Americans have a “sense that borders are controlled,†even if it’s a completely false sense of security? How many walls will we have to erect?
Will does finally get around to the economics of immigration. He points out:
Urban immigrant communities, with their support networks, are magnets for immigrants. Good. Investor’s Business Daily reports a new study demonstrating that “over the past 30 years rising immigration led to higher wages for U.S.-born workers. Cities that served as migrant magnets did better than others. Why? Hiring one worker creates wealth with which to hire more workers.”
Sounds a bit like Say’s law – supply creating its own demand….no?
NM
April 2nd, 2006 at 7:31 pm
I am an American citizen. I had to register to vote. I had to purchase a permit and a license to drive a car. My parents had to purchase a permit to build our home. We pay taxes. No police cars, mad dogs, or armed military were necessary to make us apply to the DMV, local courthouse, or IRS to fulfill these obligations. We are following the law of the land; and we know there may be consequences if we do not. Of course there are people, even in our own community, who are driving vehicles with expired or no licenses — and who knows how many of our neighbors are correctly reporting their taxes. But we have to place some trust in the American system and do our best to live orderly, lawful lives. Woe to Mr. Will and his wall. He paints an ironic picture of border police, barbed wire, and growling dogs on our southern border’s dusty terrain as our Mexican friends are quietly tunneling under the chaos. I admit this is stretching the truth a bit. However, our American technology is certainly capable of getting a better handle on this border crisis. And yes, border security is an important issue to Americans. But let’s be smart about it and enforce some stringent laws, penalties, and fines which would include scrutinizing the illegal immigrants already here. Despite the fact that “over the past 30 years rising immigration lead to higher wages for U.S.-born workers,†the American government does need to get a better handle on its immigration laws. It is quite impractical to bus back 11 million illegal workers – and their families. Amnesty seems unfair, especially to fellow hard-working tax-paying Americans and even to those who are waiting to enter our country legally. Secure the borders through wise, technologically advanced measures coupled with sound law enforcement and good government relations. And what about the American employer who is enabling and encouraging this illegal immigration employment issue? America must ensure fair immigration policies for both employer and employee. Those immigrants who wish to remain, purchase work permits, pay taxes, penalties, and fines, abide by our laws, speak English, and strive to become U.S. citizens should be given a window of opportunity. Weeding out the illegal deadheads, on the other hand, will be quite a challenge. It isn’t an easy problem, but we can’t throw out all the illegal immigrants with the bath water. If Mr. Will’s stats are correct, one day those same immigrants might just be covering our parents’ social security checks.