Immigration. I love immigration. My wife legally immigrated here from Mexico with her family as a child. She had a green card (immigrant identification card) when we met, and didn't discard it from her wallet until she naturalized in 2007. People coming to this country seeking a better life is a good thing. We are the greatest nation in the world. Why wouldn't someone want to come here?
Illegal immigration, however, can be destructive. Understanding the destructive nature of unlimited immigration, the Founding Fathers during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 included in Article I, Section 9 that, beginning in 1808, in addition to outlawing the Atlantic Slave Trade, Congress would have the power to pass laws prohibiting the migration of some persons coming into the United States. The authority to pass laws to restrict immigration was not granted for racist reasons, or to keep people from being able to come to the United States of America for any ideological reason, but to enable the federal government to screen those who come to our country so that they may protect the receiving population from potential disease, criminals, or persons with allegiances to countries that consider themselves to be enemies of America.
I get it. We are the land of the free, and we have a long history of economic prosperity where an individual can achieve some mighty great things if they set their mind to it. But such a society requires maintenance, and those providing the maintenance need to believe in conserving the system for future generations, and doing so by abiding by the law of the land. The rule of law is a foundational concept of our republic, so if in order to come here an individual is willing to break our immigration laws, does that not immediately establish that the immigrant has little regard for the rule of law, and more specifically, the laws of the United States?
With freedom comes responsibility. It is our responsibility to maintain our liberty, to do the things it takes to ensure that future generations may also enjoy the land of the free as we have. A large part of that maintenance involves hard work, being a productive society where the individual components innovate and contribute voluntarily because they are incentivized by personal goals and opportunities. But, if an element of "takers" emerges, and those that take begin to outnumber the producers, and their votes are specifically influenced based on who can provide the most gifts from the treasury, the system will eventually collapse due to basic math. Like Greece, the system collapses when the producers reduce in number, and despite all of their efforts, they can no longer carry the burden of a massive class of government dependents.
"The problem with socialism," as it was said by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, "is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
The average illegal alien comes across the border with their hand held out. I am sure there are some folks that sincerely believe in Americanism, and come to this country with the intention of making this country a better place. But most of them are takers. Most come here because they have been lured by Democrat Party policies of government hand-outs. These are not the best Mexico has to offer, or the best other countries have to offer, because those people who were sincerely interested in bettering themselves while also bettering their society would be following the legal process because "it's the right thing to do." A large segment of illegal aliens are the worst of their former societies. They are often the parasites that live off the system, but don't necessarily contribute more than they take through personally responsible activities and a yearning for self-reliance.
Mixed into that horde of takers coming across the border are opportunists, the diseased, gang-affiliated persons, criminals, and terrorists. Do we not want to protect ourselves from those elements? That is what the immigration laws are on the books, for. The laws are there to protect the receiving population from what will cross the border if we are not screening against them. Do you leave the front door of your home open with a sign on the door jam that reads, "Come on in, and take what you want"?
Neither do I.
And when someone knocks on the door, I only let them in if I know them, they are a part of my household, or they convince me through my own mental screening process that they can be let in, or at least remain on the front porch so that we can engage in a conversation.
The national border is no different than the front door of our homes.
Could you imagine if someone told you to let someone in your house that you don't know, who has a history at their own home of being less than desirable, and they have an infectious disease? "Take care of them," your neighbor tells you. "Help them with their disease, and feed them your food. If you don't, you are racist, and you hate them."
But what about your own family? Should you let that person in so that your own family can get sick? Or so that your own family can go hungry because the newcomers ate all of the food? Even if the newcomers had good intentions, and promised they would take care of themselves down the road, you wouldn't want to expose your family to that kind of illness, or to the potential of someone you don't know taking advantage of your kindness beyond your personally set limitations. Or, even worse, rob you or kill you.
The borders are the doorway to America, and unless we are convinced you wish to be a productive member of the household, and don't harbor disease, or ill-will towards members of my household, I don't want you in. It's not racism. It's not hate. It's common sense.
It's also Constitutional. The federal government is tasked with securing the border, prohibiting certain persons from immigrating into the country, and establishing uniform rules among the States regarding naturalization. In Article II, it also tasks the President, through his executive branch, to "faithfully executive the laws of the United States."
Failure to enforce immigration laws is an unconstitutional action by the President of the United States, and of those actions aid the enemy in entering the country, it could be said the President's lack of willingness to enforce immigration laws is downright treasonous.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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