Quote:
Originally Posted by Archaea
We need a coherent policy on controlling entry into the country for purposes of security and equal labor treatment. If some labor comes in and is paid under the table while residents are paid above board, it is not an equal playing field.
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It's the current policy we have that is creating the under the table labor. Black markets are a symptom of the government trying to ban something there is a market for. Think of drugs. They are sold under the table because they're illegal. So the government has a choice of either changing the laws to allow for that demand for labor to be satisfied legally, in which case the black market either completely or mostly goes away. Or they can just try to get more heavy handed and oppressive or wasteful (building a massively expensive and ineffective wall) in continuing to ineffectively enforce badly flawed current law. Market forces don't just go away just because politicians pass and try to enforce laws trying to ban a demand the market is trying to supply (again, think of the ineffective costly war on drugs). It's better, IMO, to work with them productively to create a better situation for all rather than fight them. Government central planning didn't work too well for the soviets. I don't think we're going to be better at it. Whatever market forces are trying to do, if Congress has to get involved for us to legally allow the free market to operate, they will screw it up.
I do agree the government should keep track of and monitor who is entering the country for security reasons. Keep out those who have and are likely to break laws and cause trouble. But let in honest folks who are just wanting to work and improve their situation if there are jobs for them. People like that and their kids usually end up becoming excellent, productive citizens who contribute positively to society. People born into poor circumstances who have the drive to get up and move to another country for work despite all the language, cultural and economic barriers, instead of staying home asking their homeland for handouts, are exactly the kind of people a free country should want. Look at stagnating Europe's historically bad attitude toward foreign immigrants to see why the Trump "keep everyone the hell out of our country" attitude doesn't work. When there aren't jobs available then they largely won't come anyway. Immigration levels drop when the economy slows. Data shows this is what happens. Current legal and illegal immigration levels are at historically pretty low levels right now but politicians and wackos like Trump are preying on fears and fanning anti-foreigner flames right now because it's politically expedient, which I think is disgusting.
There are problems. It's just that I see most of the problems we have related to immigration are actually being caused by the bad immigration laws we have on the books. Enforcing these more vigorously is not going to help anything, IMO.
I am an unabashed classical liberal (not to be confused with a modern democrat party liberal)