The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Is Victor Davis Hanson right?
Note as well, that Mexican-Americans, at least in the first and second generation, share many of the same conservative values as most other ethnics. What distinguishes them from conservative Cubans are not necessarily ideas about religion, abortion, gay marriage, drug legalization, or deficit spending, but continual rather than one-time immigration, and loyalty to politicians who promise de facto open borders and eventual amnesty. Stop illegal immigration and the present Mexican-American community would insidiously either lose tribal identification or become far more conservative — or both. In counterintuitive fashion, the best way that conservative politicians could appeal to Latino voters is not short-term pandering to facilitate open borders, but long-term efforts to close them and help channel the Mexican diaspora along the assimilationist lines of other ethnic immigrations — that eventually became sources of support for conservative causes.
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Sep '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Yes
Oct '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
It worked for almost 2 centuries that way.
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Trying to stop illegal immigration is as hopeless as the drug war.
Oct '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
The mess of the US economy made by Obama and Assoc. has driven illegal immigration down significantly. Why? No free lunch, and far fewer available jobs.
It seems that a bunch of semi-literate Mexicans have a far better understanding of the problem than does Foxman.
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Yes. Not only what VDH says, but what a vast majority of Americans support. Close the borders to illegals and control (don't stop) the flow of legal immigration, then deal with the illegals already here. It's a winner all around.
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
raycon
The mess of the US economy made by Obama and Assoc. has driven illegal immigration down significantly. Why? No free lunch, and far fewer available jobs.
It seems that a bunch of semi-literate Mexicans have a far better understanding of the problem than does Foxman. · Oct 12 at 6:26am
OK Raycon, you have it. We will just finish the job of destroying the US economy and the Mexicans won't come over here anymore. Because it will be as bad or worse here. PROBLEM SOLVED.
Oct '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Foxman
raycon
The mess of the US economy made by Obama and Assoc. has driven illegal immigration down significantly. Why? No free lunch, and far fewer available jobs.
It seems that a bunch of semi-literate Mexicans have a far better understanding of the problem than does Foxman. · Oct 12 at 6:26am
OK Raycon, you have it. We will just finish the job of destroying the US economy and the Mexicans won't come over here anymore. Because it will be as bad or worse here. PROBLEM SOLVED. · Oct 12 at 8:07am
Apparently you have never heard of a scalpel. Your only surgical tool appears to be a machete.
Such nuanced thinking is worthy of any liberal.
Edited on Oct 12, 2011 at 9:02amMar '11
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
I agree with Hanson, no surprise; from my own experience working construction in the 90's I remember 2nd and especially 3rd generation Mexican-Americans disliked the flood of illegals into the country as much if not more than I did. People on the lower levels of the economic schema are more adversely hurt by the importation of illegal aliens. I myself was driven out of the industry and back to school for retraining, on my dime, costing me north of a 100k in lost lifetime earnings. But it was my fault for having a job that Americans would no longer do--thanks Bush, McCain, et al.
Apr '11
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
For those who say its impossible to stop illegal immigration I ask this:
What is wrong with removing more of the incentives to come here illegally? To my mind that means making it much easier to get a visa but much harder to get things like welfare etc. I think if we made it possible for the illegals who come here for work and opportunity to do so legally and pay taxes on income etc that would be a good first step. The other step being that the minute an immigrant (legal or otherwise) commits a felony they are packed off to where they came from.
It wouldn't stop illegal immigration but it would lessen it.
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
To paraphrase Damon Runyon, "The race is not always to the swift, the battle to the strong, nor rightness to Victor Davis Hanson - but that's the way to bet."
Apr '11
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
I think that's Ecclesiastes.... well, except for the part about VDH.
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
It is, I think, telling that 38% of the Hispanic vote in Texas went to Rick Perry the last time he ran for Governor. That suggests that Victor is right.
Whether it would work in California is an interesting question. Why are the patterns so different in California and Texas? That is a question worthy of study.
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Paul A. Rahe: It is, I think, telling that 38% of the Hispanic vote in Texas went to Rick Perry the last time he ran for Governor. That suggests that Victor is right.
Whether it would work in California is an interesting question. Why are the patterns so different in California and Texas? That is a question worthy of study. · Oct 13 at 2:30pm
California: Left, public employee unions, punishing taxes and regulation, Hollywood.
Texas: Right, tort reform, no personal income tax, don’t mess with.
May '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Paul A. Rahe: It is, I think, telling that 38% of the Hispanic vote in Texas went to Rick Perry the last time he ran for Governor. That suggests that Victor is right.
Whether it would work in California is an interesting question. Why are the patterns so different in California and Texas? That is a question worthy of study.
Rick Perry is not an immigration restrictionist. Isn't his lack of support for closed borders a characteristic that conservatives hold against him?
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
[#14]
Perry has won 3 consecutive elections of 4-year terms, or 11 years of experience dealing with more than 1,200 miles of border along the Rio Grande, a warm-water coast nearly as extensive along the Gulf of Mexico, and most importantly, 38 electoral votes, 4 of which are fresh from the 2010 census.
First, when taxes in Texas go up, the population has more, this week’s "debate" stultiloquentia notwithstanding—over 5 million more souls since Perry took his oath, or the entire state of Wisconsin in growth alone. If immigrant laborers owed federal income taxes, then they would be doing better than the other half of all American households who pay the IRS nothing. They do pay every form of consumption tax (gasoline, tobacco, alcohol).
Second, drug violence has diversified into coyote violence. As much as the loss of job opportunities our faltering economy has caused, this new coyote breed has slowed illegal immigration because emigrants are too afraid and lack money to pay them off.
Third, while Perry’s education policies and Jeb Bush’s (heart throb of Grey Lady columnists) were similar, so are Texas and Florida gun laws.
Finally, Perry fights illegal immagration.
Jan '11
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
John Marzan: Is Victor Davis Hanson right?
So, the objective being political gain at the expense of adherence to constitutional dogma? An interesting proposition, but how far would you allow such concessions to go? Which parts of the social compact should we be willing to concede as ambiguous. Can the gains ever compensate for the loss?
A constitution, like a republic, is a fragile thing, always at hazard - particularly from uninformed democratic actions moved in the service of self interest. As we see every day.
Dec '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Anon
So, the objective being political gain at the expense of adherence to constitutional dogma? An interesting proposition, but how far would you allow such concessions to go? Which parts of the social compact should we be willing to concede as ambiguous. Can the gains ever compensate for the loss?[...] Oct 13 at 5:58pm
The Constitution is in its essence conservative (the amendment process is “hard” as our historic first Islamic apostate president would say).
“Political philosophy is the study of such topics as liberty, justice, property, rights, law, and the enforcement of a legal code by authority:”
From the beginning, our way of life has made America the leader of the free world because of our conservative adherence to our centuries-old constitutional dogma for political gain which has been governed by self interested entrepreneurialship exploiting opportunities in free markets and in natural resources, making life better “for many who owe so much to so few.” We’ve resisted the collectivist temptation until now, thwarting the designs of misery to become our master, as it is in so many places, for so long, and always without interruption.
Tea party movement: Faster, please.
Mar '11
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
This is simply wrong in the larger context. Trying to stop all illegal immigration... catching every single illegal alien trying to cross... is impossible. But a tough climate for illegals, combined with strong enforcement, will prevent a situation where you have 12 million illegals in your country. By your logic, police should just give up because preventing crime is hopeless. But you CAN enact policies that keep crime down to manageable levels. We don't have that in illegal immigration right now.
Oct '10
Re: The Solution to the Illegal Immigration Problem?
Paul A. Rahe: It is, I think, telling that 38% of the Hispanic vote in Texas went to Rick Perry the last time he ran for Governor. That suggests that Victor is right.
Whether it would work in California is an interesting question. Why are the patterns so different in California and Texas? That is a question worthy of study. · Oct 13 at 2:30pm
Sailer offers this: