Posted by
Brent on Friday, June 04, 2010 10:39:05 PM
I love how Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity,
Mark Levin and the "mainstream" conservatives (aka "Neo-Cons"), all say
build a fence on the southern border. I used to agree 100%, but after I
read the below article from John Stossel on the issue of a border fence
and immigration, I found my views switching on the issue. As my main
twitter (@brent4liberty) account profile says I am a recovering "neo-con",
who more and more is leaning towards the Libertarian viewpoint on some
issues such as the border, war, foreign policy in general, and other
issues.
I hope you find this article though provoking and maybe
even persuasive:
I like what John Stossel said about this issue. as you will read his comments below:
If we build the border fence, the people from latin America will find
ways over it, under it, around it, and into the United States of
America. Also we have a problem with people overstaying their visas,
coming here from places like Britain and then never leaving.
Fencing borders isn't solution for illegal immigration
By John Stossel | Commentary | Story updated at 5:53 pm on 4/22/2009
The Obama administration says it will propose immigration reform next
month. I wonder what it'll do.
As a libertarian, I'm for open borders. But America has become a welfare
state, and as Milton Friedman pointed out, you can't have open borders
and a welfare state.
Terrorism provides another reason. We can't have open borders when some
people want to kill us.
So what should be done?
"Put troops with guns here," says Robert "Little Dog" Crooks, a
self-appointed border policeman. Crooks leads the Mountain Minutemen, a
vigilante group that tries to keep illegals from entering America.
"These borders have to be secured. We're at war," he told me on my ABC
special "Bailouts and Bull."
Congress decided the best way to protect America is to build an
expensive fence. When complete later this year, it will extend 670 miles
along the Mexican border. But the fence won't stop the illegals. After
all, the border is thousands of miles long.
"The smart smugglers ain't gonna go to where the high security's at,"
Crooks points out.
We watched as he walked through an unguarded tunnel into Mexico and
back.
"Where's the Department of Homeland Security? Hello! Anybody here?"
The fence does make it a little harder for some illegals to cross, but
San Diego Border Patrol Chief Michael Fisher acknowledges they still get
past the fence. Some climb over the fence. We found dozens of abandoned
ladders near the fence. One group of illegals even built a ramp to
bring a truck across.
They also cut holes in the fences. It doesn't matter how high a fence is
if you can cut right through it. The place I visited had holes every
few feet.
So despite all your tax dollars spent, there's no evidence the fence has
reduced the number of illegals who cross. A survey of thousands who
came to the U.S.-Mexico border to sneak into America found that nine out
of 10 did enter eventually.
Even if we built an impenetrable fence, it would solve only part of the
problem. Half of America's undocumented migrants didn't sneak in. They
came here legally and overstayed a tourist or student visa. The 9/11
terrorists did that. A fence wouldn't have had any effect on them.
"I don't know how anybody can't see that this stupid fence is a waste of
money," says Drew Carey, the comedian and television host who recently
woke up to the benefits of liberty and volunteered to host segments of
Reason TV on the Web. He has a theory for why America has built a wall.
"Contractors get money from the politicians that they've donated to, and
politicians get to say, 'I'm getting tough.' "
Politicians do like acting tough. U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, wants
the fence electrified. "We do that with livestock all the time," King
says.
Need I point out that Mexicans are not livestock?
Which brings me to ask: If it's good to wall off America, why just
one-third of the Mexican border? What about our northern border? Last
year, more Middle Eastern nationals were caught crossing illegally from
Canada than from Mexico. And if we were to wall off Canada, we'd still
have miles of East- and West Coast beaches. Should we put machine guns
there?
"Don't be silly. Nobody's ever suggested doing anything mean," former
presidential candidate and Congressman Duncan Hunter told me. He brags
that he "built" the fence in San Diego. "I think the message is this,
John, if you want to come into the United States, which has the biggest
front door in the world, you gotta knock on the front door."
But, Drew Carey notes, America doesn't make it easy to knock.
"It's so hard to get a guest-worker permit. There's so many red-tape
hoops you have to jump through. It's easier to sneak across the border.
... It should be: If you want a job, you can come here and work."
I agree. Most migrants do want to come here to work. They take jobs few
Americans want to do. They pay taxes. Many become good citizens. We
should make it easier for them to do that, legally.
• John Stossel is the former co-anchor of ABC News' "20/20", now on Fox
Business Channel and the author of
"Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity."
I do find myself
vacillating on the issue of the Arizona immigration
law, I hear the very persuasive arguments from the aforementioned
people (Limbaugh, Hannity, Levin, et al) saying how the bill makes it
illegal to racially profile and that it just enforces the federal law.
But on the other hand I find Reason Magazines arguments to be persuasive
on the issue. At this point I chose to remain neutral on the subject of
the Arizona Immigration bill SB 1070 ( Support Our Law Enforcement and
Safe Neighborhoods Act ), until I research it more.
I personally am uncomfortable with the idea of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the Obama administration and the Democrats will more than likely push sometime soon. I think the best idea is to make it easier for people to come here legally, de-incentivize the act of illegal immigration by making it impossible for them to find employment, cut them off from the welfare state, and when they commit a felony deport them.