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Originally Posted by Kevin
Because more government influence has been effective so far? The underlying assumption in all of this is that social programs can and do work. The inner-cities of just about every major city in the U.S. would beg to differ.
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If illegal immigrants were legal, and
all paying taxes on income - not just those who use false ID - and increase their income and eventually buy property, the amount of money going to those services in states and schools will increase. Those schools and services are already there. There doesn't need to be a government program for that, there needs to be government fixing their own system. There's no "more government" here.
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Sure, but the federal government lacks credibility in enforcing the border. The people demand first that the border be secure, then after that, we can worry about making sure immigrant labor stays on the up and up--and let's face it, that's doubtful no matter what. Companies use illegal immigrant labor to avoid having to pay wages, worry about workers' compensation, etc., not necessarily because those are jobs Americans won't do.
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They have to do all of it. Just because "the people" demand something doesn't mean that "the people" have the best idea of how policy works. "The people" are also demanding comprehensive reform too.
Some jobs are the ones Americans won't do, or won't do for the current, totally legal pay. Look at how farms are exempted from labor laws. Others are worker exploitation because they know they can get away with it. Penalizing companies more effectively is key. Right now the fines are chump change for big companies and individual restaurant franchises just go out of business with few extended effects.
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The border is not too big to secure. We just have to install the necessary resources along the border. Remember--the Ancient Chinese were able to keep the Mongolian hordes at bay with a well-garrisoned, well fortified wall. If they could do that then, imagine what we can do with satellites, drones, helicopters, etc. There is simply no excuse to not have a secure border, and not having one is to the extreme detriment of both the U.S. and Mexico.
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If we were fighting hordes on horseback, you'd have something close to a point. Satellites and helicopters are not inherently more effective than a giant freaking wall built by peasant labor whose bodies are buried IN the wall itself.
We can have a militarized border, but I think that's a terrible idea. And one that will lead to more 15 year-old rock-throwers having their heads blown to bits. Also, we don't have the military for it. Helicopters are expensive as hell. Satellites have to be launched positioned and maintained and unless they're going to start shooting lasers are just glorified security cameras that are really. really. far away.
We won't be able to lockdown the border entirely, ever. That's why we need to fix things HERE first. Add the stick - increased security, punish companies, but add the carrot too - make the line shorter/easier, find some way to bypass the corruption in other countries so people don't have to pay bribes just to stand in line for a chance at a visa, provide a way for people here to become citizens.
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