A case against government Part 2: Migration

(video at bottom)

Are freedoms determined by birth alone? The issue of immigration is based on biases, and prejudices no matter how subtle.  This is not to call pro-state controlled immigration advocates “racist” but mostly unaware and misinformed.  It is also a tendency for those individuals to claim to have anti-statist views or small government views which are compromised by their support of the state in this area in an attempt to keep out the others.  This is the typical us vs. them conflict once more.

Welfare! No Free Lunches! Work Hard get far! Immigrants are leeching off the welfare system! All rubbish.  That is right, all of these battle cries of the Neo-Con and conservative right are rubbish.  “But Punk Johnny  Cash!” you scream, “you support the abolition of welfare, social security, Medicaid, Medicare, and any government assistance whatsoever, how can you say such things are rubbish?”

The word Welfare is defined by Merriam Webster as: : the state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity.  This I believe in and I believe in this for all people.  I question who’s responsibility it is to make something like this available for the less fortunate in this post here titled You are The Problem.  I do not question concepts of our responsibility to take care of others, I question who’s responsibility it is, and I find it reprehensible that some would wish to leave the responsibility up to bureaucracies and keep the problems hidden by taxes, and legislation.  I find no compassion in the act of the state claiming the responsibility for it claims such in self interest.  If it resolves the problems it is to address then the bureaucracy that is supposed to help will vanish.  So out of simple self preservation the state can not be too efficient or it will cease to have purpose.

I point all that out so we can face the argument of “Immigrants are abusing the system!” Most of those arguments rely on the concept of accepting our current system of tax, and theft to provide services through government force.  Because I do not stand for the current system, I do not see how this argument is valid.  To accept that is to accept the broken system I oppose.  I did receive an argument that by allowing Mexican immigrants we were committing genocide.  “The Eme affilaited Latino gangs have a greenlight on ALL Black people regardless of affiliation.” (sic) – Red Alerts.  This is an argument that immigration should be controlled because of gang violence.  I see violence as reprehensible.  To pin the violence on a whole people group because of a circumstance of birth and the ill deeds attributed to a few is also completely reprehensible.  The crimes and ill deeds of one should be dealt with properly.  We should not convict one man for another man’s crime.

Phenomenal quotes & reading  from & on immigrants Click here to read & also Tales from a Ghetto c1900.

I am not a Constitutionalist, however I do believe in liberty and freedom.  I do not believe in holding power over another human being.  This reaches to all mankind.  There seems to be a paranoia that is powering the anti-immigration stance.  According to the demographic and economic facts on immigration at Cato much of this unsubstantiated.  It is built on a prejudice that exists against a people group.  Also according to the Center for Trade Policy Studies at Cato we see that immigration has even proven to be good for economies.

The history of immigration in the United States is riddled with these perceptions of people groups.  Racism went against the Irish and the Italian, and laws were passed against the Chinese.  Many Chinese suffered greatly because of  laws passed which took their private property and freedoms.  Why would we continue on this route.  Why must government find people groups to destroy and legislate against?  Did we not do enough with the Native Americans and African Americans? No apparently not.  Some would pass legislation to impose on other people groups.

Update: Many are telling me that there is a difference between immigration of their ancestors and throughout history and the immigration that occurs today.  I fail to see any weight to this.  There is the demonizing of the “wetback border crosser” which points out racist stereotypes, but beyond that I fail to see any weight to this.

If you have another perspective to support that please explain in the comments below.

It is easy to find another group to point a finger at and say that government needs to control that group.  The Democrats and Republicans do this to each other all the time.  We must pull back from this.  If you believe in and support state control then admit so.  Do not go forward saying you don’t want government control and then ask for control for another people group.  I have pulled from supporting much of the “Tea Party” movement, and will never support the likes of Glenn Beck because of these issues.  I understand not all “Tea Party” members are this way, I attended some in the beginning.  Now if you want to go on your racist crusade my article won’t stop you, but  you can at least leave the immigration thing behind, it is alienating many alliances you could have with us small government anti-state types.

In closing I challenge you to watch Penn & Teller’s Bullshit on Immigration, I don’t completely agree with him, but it’s a start.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3