Immigration in Iowa
Apparently, those bitter people who cling to anti-immigrant sentiment have become enlightened! The Washington Post and NPR excitedly proclaimed a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll of Iowa Republican caucus-goers show that they want to "give immigration reform a chance" and that Republicans are "not being punished" for "blanket opposition" to illegal immigrants. Notice that the NPR article's title specifically seems to imply a voter mandate to "give a chance to (WSJ editorial-page-approved amnesty-heavy) immigration reform," of the variety soundly rejected in 2007. So clearly, all those nasty Republicans are wrong. Telling someone who broke a law that he broke the law is so yesterday.
It is true that when your house is burning down, you don't really worry about who's entering or exiting. That's probably why Iowa Republican caucus-goers are less inclined to worry about immigration than the dismal doldrums of Democratic stewardship of the economy.
But it is downright mendacious to interpret the poll's results to imply some strange new support for "immigration reform." While the Washington Post and NPR fixated upon caucusgoers' predilection not to "punish" candidates like Gingrich and Perry for their deviations on immigration, the Des Moines Register offers a more balanced understanding of the poll. Iowa Republicans want tougher enforcement at border crossings and a crackdown on illegal immigration. They also recognize the value of legal immigrants--particularly entrepreneurs and students who come to the United States for education. In particular:
Eighty-two percent of Iowa Republicans said they favor tougher immigration enforcement. They also showed support for proposals to increase opportunities for high-skilled legal immigrants to enter the U.S. workforce as they would presumably "create more jobs" than they take. Seventy-two percent of people indicated allowing high-performing foreign-born students educated in the United States to accept jobs(at wages similar to their U.S. citizen counterparts) in the United States after graduation was "definitely good" or "worth a try."
This is an understanding of America's immigration system as it ought to be: a means for the first and greatest nation founded on philosophy rather than history to propagate and preserve that philosophy through organic growth. It ought to be a draft where the #1-ranked team chooses the top-performing players to draft or bid for an exchange and inculcates the team loyalty (or as liberals call it, "assimilationist, threatening rhetoric") necessary to win the Super Bowl.
It is not a free spot on the roster for anyone who shows up to the draft. No matter how long they've been "waiting their turn." Or no matter how cheap they are. The team comes first.
It is not support for amnesty, partial amnesty, "comprehensive reform" or tacit acceptance of illegal immigration.
Average Americans seem to have understood this for far longer than any op-ed writer in the Beltway gives them credit for. What do you think, Ricochet?
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Mar '11
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Vasant Ramachandran: This is an understanding of America's immigration system as it ought to be: a means for the first and greatest nation founded on philosophy rather than history to propagate and preserve that philosophy through organic growth. It ought to be a draft where the #1-ranked team chooses the top-performing players to draft or bid for an exchange and inculcates the team loyalty (or as liberals call it, "assimilationist, threatening rhetoric") necessary to win the Super Bowl.
It is not a free spot on the roster for anyone who shows up to the draft. No matter how long they've been "waiting their turn." Or no matter how cheap they are. The team comes first.
Amen and amen! You'd think that the welfare of Team America would be something that the collectivists on the Left would have no problem wrapping their pointy little heads around.
It's probably a good thing for Mr. James' sanity that the poll in question didn't ask whether or not NPR should "give free markets a chance." Those evil Republicans would be back to being troglodytic know-nothings in no time flat.
Oct '10
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Perry and Newt hold similar views on immigration, but only perry got punished.
May '10
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Between the open-borders ideologues on the Right and their no-(American)-borders allies on the Left, their is precious little room for common sense.
Apr '11
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Perry's position was way better thought through than Newt's. Guessing immigration is a bigger deal to him.
Jun '10
Re: Immigration in Iowa
On illegal immigration, our political choices range from doing almost nothing to stop it (Obama,) to doing everything (both the useful and the useless) to stop it (Bachmann.) I'm somewhere in the middle. I'd concentrate like a laser on the criminal element. The rest just need to be identified, for now, and to accomplish that--not just talk about it--we have to offer something in exchange for them sticking their head up. Bush had it about right.
Feb '11
Re: Immigration in Iowa
One of the things that has been little noted is that the overseas students who are here to get PhDs in science, engineering, and computer science are not staying any more because of the dim business outlook in the US. They are being lured back to China, India, and Europe. Same is true of those who have worked here and received US patents and have a marketable product. China these days has three times the number of IPOs as the US thanks largely to Sarbanes-Oxley. The U. S. isn't off-shoring low value-added products, but on the high end both in terms of manufacturing and R&D. The idiotic idea that the US can simply be the inventors rather than the manufacturers is now coming home to bight us in the rear. Immigration is an economic issue. It is a jobs issue. Legal, targeted immigration can be a huge job creator in this country. But we have to get our policies right: immigration for skilled, creative people; lower business taxes; and repeal of the ridiculously expensive accounting requirements in Sarbanes-Oxley for IPOs, which are the geese laying golden eggs in the economy.
Edited on Dec 7, 2011 at 8:22amOct '10
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Our nation is not a "team". We are a nation of individuals with individual rights, including property rights. And if an individual wants to bring in someone that lives in another country to work in their business or in their home on their own property, as long as that person is not a national security threat, it's really none of anyone else's business.
Regarding using immigration as "a means for the first and greatest nation founded on philosophy rather than history to propagate and preserve that philosophy through organic growth":
I guess so, but I'm not sure what worker "skill" level has to do with that. (And to be fair, I'm not even sure you are making that point). An unskilled worker coming here to work and improve the lives of their family is completely consistent with the philosophy of our nation.
And more importantly, what is not consistent with the philosophy upon which this nation was founded is the idea that the state can tell US citizen whom they are and are not allowed to do business with.
Edited on Dec 7, 2011 at 8:40amMay '10
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Hang On- I don't argue the point, but don't get over-enthusiastic about Chinese IPOs. There is a lot of mirage there.
When I first saw the title of this post, I wondered where the Iowans were thinking of emigrating to. We Minnesotans have to defend our Southern border, even though my sainted younger daughter was born in Iowa, and is thus a birthright citizen.
Defend the border- keep the corn farmers out! No Des Moines refugees needed! Boycott The Principal! (no, I didn't mean that, I'm sure they're a good company). Sara Lee adds pounds! Ethanol for your vodka martini, not your car!
Feb '11
Re: Immigration in Iowa
Enthusiastic is not what I was trying to convey. Concern was and it is just another sign that we keep shooting ourselves. I don't doubt that there is a lot of mirage there just as there was in the 1920s here in the US or the 1990s before the dot com bust. But there is going to be some substance as well just as there was in the 1920s and 1990s here.
Oct '10
Re: Immigration in Iowa
kausmickey Victor Davis Hanson: Non-BS summary of trouble w/ illegal immigration. With him until last graf! bit.ly/sQKiAs #tcot #gop