Posted on 01/29/2006 11:27:23 AM PST by NormsRevenge
The notion that one must be anti-immigrant to oppose illegal immigration has endured for too long. Numerous readers have suggested that because I call for steps to reduce illegal immigration I must bear animus toward foreigners, especially Latinos.
In fact I've long supported high levels of legal immigration to the United States and potential citizenship for all who arrive here. That position seems to me incompatible with racism and xenophobia.
Another faction of my readers objects that large scale legal immigration itself is harmful to America. Their arguments aren't without merit. Legal immigration does hurt some native workers economically. A rapidly growing population does strain infrastructure -- consider Southern California's freeway system -- and impacts the environment.
Schools suffer when forced to educate ESL students beside native speakers. And low-skilled legal immigrants typically impose a disproportionately large burden on social services.
I regard the above drawbacks of legal immigration as irrefutable facts. Any honest immigration advocate must acknowledge them. Nevertheless, I believe large-scale legal immigration is not only a defensible policy, but the best among the immigration policy options available to the United States. I'll use the remainder of this column and two subsequent columns to defend that position on three grounds:
1. Justice demands that we accept some immigrants to the United States.
2. Significant benefits accrue to countries that successfully assimilate large numbers of immigrants. 3. Among the drawbacks associated with high levels of immigration many aren't inherent consequences of the policy; rather, they are avoidable consequences of other misguided policies.
I view accepting some immigrants here legally as a moral imperative for right-thinking Americans. Our nation was founded largely by Europeans fleeing persecution or economic servitude.
Among today's immigrants many seek entrance to America for the same reasons. So long as we are able to without undue burden, it makes moral sense to welcome those immigrants, as we've historically done.
The truism that we're ‘‘a nation of immigrants'' doesn't itself justify any immigration policy today. Yet the realization that our ancestors came here as immigrants, changed the culture by their presence and competed with contemporary natives suggests it is morally suspect if we -- the beneficiaries of that past immigration -- deny the same opportunity to foreigners today because we fear that they will change our culture or compete for jobs we hold.
In other words, those of us lucky enough to be born here without having done anything to earn the privilege do not have the moral right to ban all foreigners, even though we do enjoy that legal right.
This is particularly true with regard to asylum seekers. Imagine a Christian in Darfur targeted for death by a Muslim militia, or an African woman whose tribe plans to stone her for an unwed pregnancy.
Do we want to be the kind of country that saves the lives of such people? Or would we prefer to let them die on the principle that we aren't responsible for distant deaths, or due to concern that they'll have a negative impact on domestic wages?
We cannot help every disadvantaged person in the world, but that's an awful argument against providing the opportunity for a better life to whatever fraction we can help.
The lifeboat analogy seems useful here. Those who clamor onto a lifeboat after a shipwreck haven't the moral right to keep out those treading water for their added comfort, nor the moral responsibility to take on so many passengers that the boat sinks.
Ideally they'd adopt the most fair, orderly process possible to allow more people aboard, limiting extra passengers when the burden they impose jeopardizes the integrity of the raft. The analogy is imperfect. A lifeboat sinks or floats depending on rather straightforward factors. It is much harder to determine the levels at which illegal immigration begins to harm a nation, how much harm is tolerable and what constitutes an undue burden.
In this column I'm simply arguing that absent an undue burden, however we define it, we have a moral obligation, though not a legal obligation, to admit immigrants.
Some readers will argue that an undue burden has already been reached. That is outside the scope of my argument, and will be addressed in a future column.
Others will object that the United States hasn't any right to limit immigration at all -- that open borders are a natural human right infringed upon whenever limits on movement are erected.
In fact, the desire to immigrate to America is based not on our geography or the characteristics of our land, but on the successful society we've built here.
Allowing so many newcomers that our society would be threatened thus seems an abdication of responsibility sure to hurt native American citizens, past immigrants and those who would've wanted to immigrate in the future.
BTTT
Si fuera un mexicano pegado en México, I, asiría también un jarro de aqua, rellena los fistfuls de las tortillas en un bandana, entonces ata que knap el saco sobre el extremo de un palillo largo y comienzan mi a slog al norte para la tierra prometida.
¿Cuál sería el análisis razonado para mi éxodo de la tierra de Santa Ana? Bien, una razón grande es la oportunidad cero en México. El futuro económico de México es alrededor tan brillante como carrera el cantar de Leif Garrett.
Estoy hablando allí soy nada para el José medio. Mire, zorro de Vicente puede emplear solamente fuera de tan muchos muchachos de la piscina, chefs, conductores, criadas, fabricantes migratorios del mapa y amantes.
Para el resto de la mano de obra nacional. . . bien, usted es bonito mucho solenoide: seguro-outta-suerte.
Eclipsando el desastre económico sea dos otras razones por las que, si fuera una vida mexicana en México, estaría poniendo el sierra Madres en mi espejo del rearview y estaría dirigiendo hacia Marfa: a saber, Telemundo y Univision.
Sí, si ésos fueran los únicos dos canales podría mirar en mi Philco negro y blanco después de que un día 16-hour de los mangos de la cosecha en el intercambio para dos pollos, caminara a través del desierto para los centenares de las millas, banditos valientes, comiera los sapos córneos, fango de la bebida, cociera al horno en el sol, nadara la Río Grande, acabo de escalo las montañas de la curva y los pumas grandes de la lucha para conseguir lejos de esa hospitalidad pegajosa y para conseguir aquí a los estados donde podría gozar de noticias del zorro y de OLN.
Por lo tanto, como conservadores compasivos, tenemos cortar a estos individuos una cierta holgura. , desearíamos también fuera del plátano de la república de un. tan disfuncional \
Ahora, diciendo eso, déjeme dirigirse a los amigos de la milla que desean moverse en nuestra Tierra-O-Abundancia asombrosa: ¿Usted importaría el immigrating legalmente e inglés que aprende?
Porque, usted ve, nuestros ciudadanos legales están consiguiendo alimentaron cada vez más para arriba con sus sueños criminales de la relocalización. Eso correcto.
Nuestros compinches americanos en las fronteras del Arizona, de California, de New México y de Tejas son especialmente enfermos de. . . ¿? Tener su tierra trashed como un cuarto del hotel después de que el equipo motley pasara el fin de semana allí. [ una reservación india toma basura por una suma de seis toneladas al día.
¿Usted pararía por favor eso? Es grosero, y está amenazando la existencia de cierto lagarto y del antílope de Sonoran Pronghorn. Gracias. ] ¿? ¿Teniendo sus ranchos el cercar cortado rutinariamente y vandalized.?
¿Teniendo que tomar sus botellas de la píldora, agujas usadas y jeringuillas?
¿Teniendo que encontrar el restos comido mitad de sus animales domésticos se fue a partir del uno de sus Bbq improvisados?
¿Teniendo sus hogares robó?
¿Tener sus hijas violó? ¿Haciendo sus vehículos robar?
¿Tener su plomada del valor de característica?
¿Teniendo sus calles calmantes haga inseguro requiriendo a sus niños ser colocado bajo llave y candado después de puesta del sol? Teniendo que tomar y desechar las mantas y la literatura musulmanas del rezo castigó sobre el lugar.
[ BTW. . . ¿cuándo así que mucho el mexicano católico convirtió al Islam? No conseguí ese escrito. Usted explicaría eso a mí? ]
¿? Teniendo la tarea ardua y desagradable de raspar las heces humanas de sus céspedes delanteros en la mañana. Llame nos los americanos fastidiosos, pero nos ningún likey el ya mencionado; y el antedicho no nos está haciendo llevar un brillo sus deseos de restablecer aquí. Déjeme ayudar a inmigrantes mexicanos supuestos a entender exactamente de adonde estamos viniendo.
La clemencia de nuestra nación con respecto a la inmigración se ha utilizado como palillo de la noche al whup nuestro propio extremo. La franqueza compasiva de nuestra nación, más la incompetencia corrupta del INS anterior, más la avaricia de nuestro gobierno para el capital extranjero igualó una estera agradable rodada-hacia fuera para los terroristas de 9/11 y otros ladrones y gamberros que miraban para utilizarnos mientras que procuraron destruirnos. Excúsenos tan, favor del por, si no nos parecemos demasiado vertiginosos sobre la recepción de nuevas huéspedes en nuestro hogar; somos limpieza inmóvil para arriba después las pasadas que intentaron destruir el lugar.
Mire, si usted desea venir aquí y visita, trabajo o vivir posiblemente en los E.E.U.U. de A, usted debe entender que es un privilegio. Esté muy claro en un hecho: un correcto. No tenemos que hacer cualquier cosa.
Además, deseamos a gente que sueña el sueño americano [ de nuevo, en inglés ], que anhela lo que anhelamos y que nos acercará respetuosamente, legalmente y. . . si usted no importa terrible. . . pardon mi redundancia, en inglés. Y consiga este recto: nuestra demanda para una frontera más rigurosa tiene nada-nothing!-a hace con xenofobia. Algo, se arraiga en un amor para nuestro país. Tenemos gusto de ella aquí. La vemos como un privilegio y honor de vivir aquí. Y deseamos cerciorarnos de que al dejar otros nos ensamblen en este privilegio y honor, nosotros estamos recompensando el creíbles quiénes han esperado, no el criminal que ha manipulado. Así pues, mi consejo es immigrate correctamente. . . derecho. . . y si usted elige no a -don't piénselo unkind si usted consigue sacudido en la su derecha de la cabeza de nuevo a donde usted vino.
Read the post in english here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1567301/posts
What would be the rationale for my exodus from Santa Ana land? Well, one big reason is the zero opportunity in Mexico. Mexico’s economic future is about as bright as Leif Garrett’s singing career. I’m talking there is nada for the average José. Look, Vicente Fox can only hire out so many pool boys, chefs, drivers, maids, migrant map makers and mistresses. For the rest of the national workforce . . . well, you’re pretty much SOL: sure-outta-luck.
Eclipsing the economic disaster are two other reasons why, if I were a Mexican living in Mexico, I’d be putting the Sierra Madres in my rearview mirror and heading for Marfa: namely, Telemundo and Univision. Yes, if those were the only two channels I could watch on my black and white Philco after a 16-hour day of picking mangos in exchange for two chickens, I would walk through the desert for hundreds of miles, brave banditos, eat horny toads, drink mud, bake in the sun, swim the Rio Grande, scale the Big Bend mountains and wrestle pumas just to get away from that tacky entertainment and to get here to the States where I could enjoy Fox News and OLN. Therefore, as compassionate conservatives, we’ve got to cut these guys some slack. We, too, would want out of such a dysfunctional banana republic.\
Now, having said that, let me address mi amigos that want to move into our amazing Land-O-Plenty: Would you mind immigrating legally and learning English? Because, you see, our legal citizens are getting increasingly fed up with your criminal relocation dreams. That’s right. Our American buddies on the Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas borders are especially sick of . . .
• Having their land trashed like a hotel room after Motley Crew spent the weekend there. [One Indian Reservation picks up trash to the tune of six tons a day. Would you please stop that? It’s rude, and it’s threatening the existence of a certain lizard and the Sonoran Pronghorn antelope. Thanks.]
• Having their ranches’ fencing routinely cut and vandalized. • Having to pick up your pill bottles, used needles and syringes. • Having to find the half eaten remains of their pets left from one of your impromptu BBQ’s. • Having their homes burglarized. • Having their daughters raped. • Having their vehicles stolen. • Having their property value plummet. • Having their sedate streets become unsafe requiring their children to be placed under lock and key after sunset. • Having to pick up and discard Muslim prayer rugs and literature strafed about the place. [BTW . . . when did so many Catholic Mexicans convert to Islam? I didn’t get that brief. Would you explain that to me?] • Having the arduous and unpleasant chore of scraping human feces off their front lawns in the morning.
Call us Americans fastidious, but we no likey the aforementioned; and the above is not causing us to take a shining to your desires to resettle here.
Let me help would-be Mexican immigrants understand exactly where we’re coming from. Our nation’s leniency regarding immigration has been used as a night stick to whup our own butt. Our nation’s compassionate openness, plus the corrupt incompetence of the former INS, plus our government’s greed for foreign capital equaled a rolled-out welcome mat for the 9/11 terrorists and other thieves and thugs who looked to use us while they attempted to destroy us. So excuse us, por favor, if we don’t seem too giddy about receiving new guests into our home; we’re still cleaning up after the last ones who tried to destroy the place.
Look, if you want to come here and visit, work or possibly live in the US of A, you must understand that it is a privilege. Be very clear on one fact: it is NOT a right. We don’t have to do anything.
In addition, we want people who dream the American dream [once again, in English], who crave what we crave and who will approach us respectfully, legally and . . . if you don’t mind terribly . . . pardon my redundancy, in English. And get this straight: our demand for a more stringent border has nothing—nothing!—to do with xenophobia. Rather, it is rooted in a love for our country. We like it here. We see it as a privilege and an honor to live here. And we want to make sure that when letting others join us in this privilege and honor, we are rewarding the credible who have waited, not the criminal who has manipulated. So, my advice is to immigrate correctly . . . do it right . . . and if you choose not to—don’t think it unkind if you get tossed on your head right back to where you came from.
Conor wants to extend charity to the world's poor and miserable. That's fine. Make a donation. But I don't share his concerns and should not be taxed to subsidize them.
Our immigration policies should be about what is good for Americans. We should be particularly careful that they don't damage the poor and the middle class.
All of the above said, Conor is among the most reasonable and thoughtful of the mass immigration advocates. At least for him in goes a little beyond just having an infinite supply of cheap labor and damn the consequences.
ping
Make it 10 years and you've got a deal. Conor Friedersdorf may have "long supported high levels of legal immigration to the United States" but, like you, I think there is a need for a time out.
A fine example of tautology masquerading as argument. Okay. Great. If assimilation is successful then those benefits (which Mr. Friedersdorf doesn't specify) just accrue like mad. But what if the large numbers of immigrants don't assimilate successfully? And who decides whether the assimilation was successful or not? The same people who will toss out accusations of racist and xenophobe to avoid any discussion.
300 million is a lot.
Huge ole BTTT!
How was that translated? Did someone use a computer? My Spanish is not perfect but there are weird mistakes in there. Somebody translated Vicente Fox's name as "fox of Vicente."
BabelFish
You want to see what it reads like to a native speaker of Spanish? Use Babelfish to translate the Spanish back into English.
It was a good thought, but computer translation just isn't very good yet.
I retranslated it for you, just for laughs. It comes out really funny. Freepers, be wary of computer translations.
If outside a Mexican patch in Mexico, I, would also grasp jarro of aqua, stuffed fistfuls of tortillas in a bandana, then ties that knap the coat on the end of a long small stick and begin my to slog to the north for the engaged Earth. Which would be the analysis reasoned for my Earth exodus of Santa Ana? Well, a great reason is opportunity zero in Mexico. The future economic of Mexico he is around as shining as race singing of Leif Garrett. I am speaking there I am nothing for average Jose. Watch, fox of Vicente can only use outside so many boys of the swimming pool, chefs, conductors, servants, migratory manufacturers of the map and lovers. For the rest of the national manual labor. . well, you are pretty much solenoid: surely-outta-luck. Eclipsando the economic disaster is two other reasons by which, if outside a Mexican life in Mexico, would be putting the mountain range Mothers in my mirror of rearview and would be directing towards Marfa: to knowing, Telemundo and Univision. Yes, if those were only the two channels could watch in my black Philco and white after a day 16-hour of handles of the harvest in the interchange for two chickens, walked through the desert for the hundreds of the miles, brave banditos, ate the corneous toads, mud of the drink, cooked to the furnace in the sun, swam the Grande River, I finish of burglary mountains of the great curve and pumas of the fight to obtain far from that sticky hospitality and to obtain to the states here where it could enjoy the news of the fox and OLN. Therefore, like compasivos conservatives, we must cut to these individuals a certain comfort, we would also wish outside the banana of the republic of so disfuncional \ Now, saying that, déjeme to go to the friends of the mile who wish to move in our amazing Tierra-O-Abundancia: You would legally concern immigrating and English that learns? Because, you see, our legal citizens are obtaining they fed more and more for above with its criminal dreams of the relocalización. That correct one. Our American pals in the borders of Arizona, of California, of New Mexico and Roofing tiles are specially ill of. . To have its earth trashed like a quarter of the hotel after the equipment motley spent the weekend there [ an India reservation takes sweepings by a sum from six tons to the day. You would stop that please? He is crude, and he is threatening the existence of certain lizard and the antelope of Sonoran Pronghorn. Thanks ]? Having its farms surrounding cut routinely and vandalized.? Having to take its used bottles of the pill, needles and syringes? Having to find the rest eaten half of his domestic animals one went from the one of his Bbq unexpected? Having his homes it robbed? To have its daughters violated? Making its vehicles rob? To have its plummet of the value of characteristic? Having its tranquilizing streets it makes uncertain requiring to its children to be placed under key and padlock after putting of the sun? Having to take and to reject to the Muslim blankets and the Literature of the prayer it punished on the place. [ BTW. . when so the Mexican catholic turned much to the Islam? I did not obtain that writing. You would explain that to me? ] Having the arduous and disagreeable task to scrape human lees of its front turfs in the morning. Call us the annoying Americans, but us no likey already mentioned; and the aforesaid one is not making take to a brightness its desires us to restore here. Déjeme to help supposed Mexican immigrants to understand exactly of where we are coming. The mercy of our nation with respect to immigration has been used like small stick at night to whup our own end. The compasiva franqueza of our nation, plus the corrupt incompetencia of the previous INS, plus the avarice of our government for the foreign capital outside equaled an pleasant mat roll-towards for the terrorists of 9/11 and other thieves and gamberros that watched to use to us whereas they tried to destroy to us. Excúsenos so, favor of by, if we do not look like too vertiginous on the reception of new guests in our home; we are immovable cleaning for above later the happened ones that tried to destroy the place. Watch, if you wish to come here and visits, work or to possibly live in the E.E.U.U. of A, you must understand that it is a privilege. Be very clear in a fact: a correct one. We do not have to make any thing. In addition, we wished to people who dream the American dream again [, in English ], that it yearns for what we yearned for and that will approach to us respectfully, legally and. . if you do not matter terrible. . pardon my redundancy, in English. And it obtains this rectum: our demand for one more a more rigorous border has nothing-nothing!-to does with xenophobia. Something, roots in a love for our country. We have taste of her here. We see like a privilege and honor it live here. And we wished to assure us that when leaving other they assemble in this privilege and honor to us, we we are compensating credible who have hoped, the not criminal who has manipulated. Therefore, my advice is immigrate correctly. . straight. . and if you choose not to - don't piénselo unkind if you obtain again shaken in the your right of the head where you came.
It is actually Europe and India where they are packed in like sardines. Population density in Germany is about 250 per sq. km, 320 per sq. km in Belgium and about 300 per sq, km in India.
India population density is about 10 times the US, 2.5 times that of china and about the same as Europe.
Our American buddies on the Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas borders are especially sick of . . .
You can add Virginia and Maryland to that list, although perhaps not to the extent mentioned.
Also, Look, if you want to come here and visit, work or possibly live in the US of A, you must understand that it is a privilege. Be very clear on one fact: it is NOT a right. We don’t have to do anything.
Unfortunately they are given rights even if not formally, although in some cases they are. So while I and many agree, reality says otherwise in a sense. For that, SHAME on our politicians who have the control over this.
Frankly, someone that knows how ought to start a campaign to get out of office ANY Congressman that hasn't been proactive in correcting this situation. Lib, conservative, Dim, GOP, makes no difference. If someone that is willing to do something about it actively runs against you, that's who should be supported and voted in.
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