The real problems with immigration

I developed a bit of home grown philosophy. Once you understand the problem the solution is obvious. If you don’t have an obvious solution, you don’t understand the problem, yet! With the House failing to pass an Immigration bill this week it’s obvious they haven’t defined the problem, yet!

It’s easy to criticize the current immigration policy, especially based on manipulated information masquerading as news. So in an attempt to get a non-partisan dialog going let me suggest some points for discussion:-

• I don’t feel personally responsible for some of the horrid conditions in the world –didn’t cause them and can’t fix them:-
  • Countries run by dictatorships of any type – Single Party, Oligarchy, Military Juntas, Theocracies, Self-proclaimed Elites.
  • Developing and “third world” countries that are way behind in catching up to the Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution – essentially subsistence farmers.
  • After the IR, subsistence farming was not a viable option for immigrants to the U.S.
  • After the computer revolution there are decreasing opportunities for unskilled labor.
  • We have enough problems of our own that should be our priority before we take on the U.N. and the World’s problems.
• On the international level, various attempts at “making the world safe for democracy” and “nation building” have not been very successful and left behind more than a little social and economic debris:-
  • Supporting the Arab Spring ‘by leading from behind’ is not turning out well.
  • Afghanistan and the second Gulf war are not going well.
  • Dividing up the Middle East after WWI has had bad residual effects to this day.
  • Picking dictatorships in South America hasn’t worked in the long run. But did relieve our fears of a Communist takeover after Cuba.
• The magnitude of the world’s problems are so immense, I don’t see a practical solution
  • 7.3 Billion People cannot be supported within the borders of the U.S.
  • Japan has a population density 5 times the U.S. This approach would imply 1.5 Million people living in the U.S.
  • A recent study stated that if we devoted all arable land to vegetables only (not raising any animals for meat or pets) the U.S. could feed a little over 600,000 – just double the U.S. population.
• The U.S. is exceptional in our ability to assimilate different people into our wide-ranging culture.
  • Reading, writing and speaking one language is such a significant advantage it should be mandatory. Immigrants should be required to go an English (American) school before entering public education. Israel and now Germany and some of the Scandinavian countries are doing it.
  • A willingness to assimilate should be a condition for issuing a visa. Coming here to change America to be like the country they are fleeing is an oxymoron.
  • I don’t see any redeeming social or cultural value to any part of Sharia Law!
  • Nor do I see any value to the South American economic system as described by Hernando de Soto in his book “The Mystery of Capital; Why capitalism triumphed in the west and failed everywhere else.”
• The need for immigrants has been a fundamental requirement in the development of the U.S. economy.
  • A good starting place would be Canada’s 100 point system for getting a visa. I’ve been impressed by a previous prime minister claiming Canada likes immigrants since most have a better education than the average Canadian!
    • No points for being less than 18 years old or over 47.
    • Education points max out at 25 for a PhD.
    • Work History in Canada & Skilled Trades counts big.
    • Language skill in both French & English
    • Did you study in Canada?
  • With an estimated 40M jobs to be eliminated by Artificial Intelligence, STEM is the growing need.
  • I believe that every foreign student that gets a STEM degree should have a Green Card stapled to their diploma! If we educate them, we should reap the benefits of their new skill set!
  • Cities & Towns in the Midwest are paying bonus to get people with skills to move there to support local industry.
  • Both agriculture and the tourist industries depend on importing TEMPORARY seasonal help.
• The Economist is running a survey based on a “debate” between Open and Closed boarders.
  • “…a clear majority of voters have decided that people should not be free to choose where they live.”
  • “…would ignore the democratic rights of the citizens of prosperous countries”
• Earlier this month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that at the end of April there were 6.7 million job openings in the United States and only 6.3 million people who were "unemployed". Despite the growing economy, work force participation has remained mostly unchanged (at around 62.7 percent). This is down from as high as 67.3 percent in the late 1990s and early 2000s

- If the media really think that separating children from parents who have broken the law is a crisis – that it is “inhumane,” “cruel” and “despicable” – then they need to set up camera crews everywhere in America to document the trauma of minor children who are citizens and whose parents are sent to jail for committing crimes.

o There are an estimated 21,000 minor children who have been separated from a parent who is incarcerated for committing illegal acts.

I don’t claim these are all inclusive and exhaustive of the issues around immigration. But it’s a starting point.

Dear Reader it’s your turn to add to; subtract, modify, clarify, but react intelligently -- no guilt trips please