Comments on: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses… http://brandonrobison.net/2008/12/20/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses/ 「自由か死！」 Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:35:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Lee http://brandonrobison.net/2008/12/20/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses/comment-page-1/#comment-522 Lee Fri, 26 Dec 2008 02:45:51 +0000 http://brandonrobison.net/?p=241#comment-522 The true bottom line: Free markets allocate resources best as long as everyone is playing under the same set of rules governing the free market. And yes, there has to be rules, accepted and agreed upon by all parties or governments, even in a free market in order for the market to function and be truly free. I hold no hate nor malice toward Mexicans nor anyone else, regardless of nationality, color or creed, and I think you know that. Immigration laws, starting with the Naturalization Act of 1790, which stipulated that "any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States" have been part our country's restrictive immigration history from nearly the beginning. The laws have become more specific over the years to deal with various concerns of the citizens at different times. Every country imposes immigration laws on aliens wanting to come and stay in that country. If there is to truly be a totally free market, given our global marketplace, then every country needs to drop all immigration laws and have totally open borders, as such laws definitely impede that purpose. I don't see that happening anytime soon. The true bottom line: Free markets allocate resources best as long as everyone is playing under the same set of rules governing the free market. And yes, there has to be rules, accepted and agreed upon by all parties or governments, even in a free market in order for the market to function and be truly free.

I hold no hate nor malice toward Mexicans nor anyone else, regardless of nationality, color or creed, and I think you know that.

Immigration laws, starting with the Naturalization Act of 1790, which stipulated that “any alien, being a free white person, may be admitted to become a citizen of the United States” have been part our country’s restrictive immigration history from nearly the beginning. The laws have become more specific over the years to deal with various concerns of the citizens at different times.

Every country imposes immigration laws on aliens wanting to come and stay in that country. If there is to truly be a totally free market, given our global marketplace, then every country needs to drop all immigration laws and have totally open borders, as such laws definitely impede that purpose. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

]]> By: Brandon http://brandonrobison.net/2008/12/20/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses/comment-page-1/#comment-517 Brandon Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:52:49 +0000 http://brandonrobison.net/?p=241#comment-517 The differentiation between legal and illegal immigration only came about as a result of legislated antiforeign bias. Once upon a time, this country let any one who wanted to live the American Dream into the country. Now there is a waiting list. I'm sure all of the antiforeign people out there are going to clamor around the "Well what about immigrants getting welfare?" question; I don't have specific data on this to know the average impact that immigrants have to the welfare system, nor do I know the impact they have to overall productivity. However, I do know that free markets produce better results than non-free markets, so it seems counterproductive to make one apsect of the market overly regulated just because another aspect is. "Two wrongs don't make a right!" Or maybe a more timely quote would be from President Bush: "I've abandoned free market principles to save the free market system." And your last paragraph is missing the point. The concept of a "balance of trade" is a relatively unimportant, even moot, point. My balance of trade with Wal-Mart, for example, is incredibly skewed in Wal-Mart's favor. Even if an immigrant sent back all his earnings, it wouldn't make a whole bit of difference. On the other hand, if he were not permitted to come to the country to earn the money to send back to his family, the economy would be running less efficiently. The bottom line: Free markets allocate resources best; quit hating Mexicans (they're not stealing your job) and allow the free market to work. The differentiation between legal and illegal immigration only came about as a result of legislated antiforeign bias. Once upon a time, this country let any one who wanted to live the American Dream into the country. Now there is a waiting list.

I’m sure all of the antiforeign people out there are going to clamor around the “Well what about immigrants getting welfare?” question; I don’t have specific data on this to know the average impact that immigrants have to the welfare system, nor do I know the impact they have to overall productivity.

However, I do know that free markets produce better results than non-free markets, so it seems counterproductive to make one apsect of the market overly regulated just because another aspect is. “Two wrongs don’t make a right!” Or maybe a more timely quote would be from President Bush: “I’ve abandoned free market principles to save the free market system.”

And your last paragraph is missing the point. The concept of a “balance of trade” is a relatively unimportant, even moot, point. My balance of trade with Wal-Mart, for example, is incredibly skewed in Wal-Mart’s favor. Even if an immigrant sent back all his earnings, it wouldn’t make a whole bit of difference. On the other hand, if he were not permitted to come to the country to earn the money to send back to his family, the economy would be running less efficiently.

The bottom line: Free markets allocate resources best; quit hating Mexicans (they’re not stealing your job) and allow the free market to work.

]]> By: Lee http://brandonrobison.net/2008/12/20/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses/comment-page-1/#comment-516 Lee Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:41:52 +0000 http://brandonrobison.net/?p=241#comment-516 While generally well thought out, you need to differentiate between legal and illegal immigration and the huge social/fiscal chasm that divides them in this country. I don't personally know any conservatives/Republicans (and I know a bunch of them) who are against legal immigration. In fact it is encouraged and hoped for. We are a nation built of immigrants. Neither you nor I, nor the majority of Americans would be here had our ancestors not legally immigrated to this country many years ago. We are also a nation of laws. Some of those laws may need serious addressing to deal with our current immigration problems, but mostly our politicians need to see that the existing laws on the books are enforced. The real problem is in dealing with all of the financial challenges associated with illegal immigration and it's corresponding costs to society. The typical illegal immigrant does not move to New York City from Mexico City and spend all of his income here in the USA, thereby maintaining a balance of trade. Many of them leave their families in Mexico and come here to work while sending all of their money, less their personal and meager living expenses, back to Mexico to their families. I grew up living around and working with illegal immigrants, and that was the normal practice then and I know from firsthand experience with certain business clients that it still largely is. Though the economics books may try to teach differently, to say that such practice does not have a negative financial impact on our economy, especially in today's society, is mistaken in the real world classroom of life that is largely determined by the natural laws of cause and effect. While generally well thought out, you need to differentiate between legal and illegal immigration and the huge social/fiscal chasm that divides them in this country.
I don’t personally know any conservatives/Republicans (and I know a bunch of them) who are against legal immigration. In fact it is encouraged and hoped for. We are a nation built of immigrants. Neither you nor I, nor the majority of Americans would be here had our ancestors not legally immigrated to this country many years ago.
We are also a nation of laws. Some of those laws may need serious addressing to deal with our current immigration problems, but mostly our politicians need to see that the existing laws on the books are enforced.
The real problem is in dealing with all of the financial challenges associated with illegal immigration and it’s corresponding costs to society.
The typical illegal immigrant does not move to New York City from Mexico City and spend all of his income here in the USA, thereby maintaining a balance of trade. Many of them leave their families in Mexico and come here to work while sending all of their money, less their personal and meager living expenses, back to Mexico to their families.
I grew up living around and working with illegal immigrants, and that was the normal practice then and I know from firsthand experience with certain business clients that it still largely is.
Though the economics books may try to teach differently, to say that such practice does not have a negative financial impact on our economy, especially in today’s society, is mistaken in the real world classroom of life that is largely determined by the natural laws of cause and effect.

]]> By: Brandon http://brandonrobison.net/2008/12/20/give-me-your-tired-your-poor-your-huddled-masses/comment-page-1/#comment-515 Brandon Sun, 21 Dec 2008 05:40:49 +0000 http://brandonrobison.net/?p=241#comment-515 I can't wait to see people try to refute this post. Then again, I point to <a href="http://brandonrobison.net/2008/12/19/a-descriptive-sentence-about-me/" rel="nofollow">my post from the other day</a>. I can’t wait to see people try to refute this post. Then again, I point to my post from the other day.

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