Mood:
luckyTopic: Illegal Immigration
There is a much better solution to the problem of illegal immigration than building a huge soviet style berlin wall accross the border. Americanize those poor mexicans and turn them into productive members of our society while simutaneously increasing the territory and tax base of the United States. While saying this may sound very radical to uninitiated ears, on further thought you will see that it is the middle of the road solution that will give both librals and conservatives things that they would want for the country. On the one hand it is not giving every mexican citizen-like rights right now, no questions asked, no sacrifice made; and of course breaking or ignoring the laws of the US to come here is completely unacceptable. However annexation would enable them to get those rights when the right sacrifice has been made. If they can show by their actions that they are willing to love and support the US and its causes whole heartedly they should get that citizenship. In addition the United States should get something in return for accepting this huge flow of humanity and new citizens into the country and that something should be land, territory and tax base. And really it makes sense on many more levels than that.
From the historical and constitutional perspective The US was made for this kind of thing. It started out with 13 independant colonies that united to form one country with 13 states and then recruited an additional 37 states to form the US as we know it today. The reason the US could do this: It did not use force to get the new states to join the old union. It used the offer of political independance known as statehood. The new states were, with a few exceptions, on an equal footing with the original 13. Complete with senators and represenatives in congress; and full voting rights. Once congress passed an enabling act that would allow a territory to become a state the offer was too good to pass up. It still is too good to pass up. An enabling act that would allow the states of mexico to become states of the US (through democratic processes and not by military means) would be irrresitable to many of the common poor people of Mexico; And in harmony with the original vision of the founding fathers.
From the humanitarian perspective its the right thing to do. America is a land that immigrants have flocked to for a better life. Many liberals in this country have argued this with respect to allowing mexican immigration. And conservatives support the same thing if people can work and make their life better; let them do it. Keeping in mind that mexicans have been poor forever, and they are going to be poor for quite a bit longer so by annexation understand that the US could not automaticly raise them to US standards of living through welfare. Success in the USA comes from working and earning on the free market. The goal of the author here is not dependancy or mere survival for mexicans or anyone else, it is big success, the type that can only be earned on the free market.
From the national security perspective it is the right thing to do. It would give our government a bigger tax base to support our armed forces, while it would allow US law enforcement agencies to go to the homeland of mexican gangs and drugs smugglers to fight them at the root. Giving more options to our fedral law enforcement agencies, that go beyond trying to control thousands of miles of border.
From the economic perspective it is right. Many american buisinesses thrive on the low income labor that mexicans are willing to perform. Many mexicans with their current work ethic could make far more money in the US that they do now, further strengthening our economy; if they are part of it. In fact many farms in california and other states have been harmed by tougher immigration law enforcement. How many buisinesses would be benefited by more inexpensive labor, that in turn becomes customers?
From the political and international relations perspective it is right. The government of Mexico sees illigal immigration as a good thing. It gets american money sent into its country by illigal immigrants. This helps prop up that economy and Mexico's economic policies that keep it poor with no cost to that government. While costing our government millions of dollars in welfare, medical and law enforcement related issures. However, simply by passing the enabling act congress could send the message to that country that says fix your economy or else we will; forcing Mexico to develop policies that increase the probability of mexicans getting a good job in their own country. In other words serious motivation for fundamental economic, legal and political improvement. If the people of Mexico agreed to annexation though, by constitutional requirement, congress must ensure that every state in the union has a republican form of government, it would be obligated to correct systemic flaws in the mexican system.
There might be concerns that mexicans wouldn't americanize and in keeping their old politcal traditions corrupt our own, however why wouldn't mexicans vote like any other kind of american? The only difference is that the major parties will have spanish language versions of the platforms and campaigns. Would that make their principles untrue? Would that be so hard to communicate those ideas to mexicans and teach them whats right? There have been prominent people of mexican decsent who immigrated legaly in both parties.Futhermore, by integrating them into the US that many more people will be loyal to US causes and policies in the spainish speaking world of Latin America. At least, they won't be getting all their information about the US from fellow spanish speaker Hugo Chavez. What a boone it would be to have a huge successful population of spanish speaking americans interacting with the rest of south america? It would counteract the messages of men like Chavez and Castro not just by argument but by experience as well. When spainish speakers, in large numbers have the chance to experience americanism in all its glory and challeges, what could men like Chaves say against it?
Simply passing the enabling act alone will put the US in a win/win situation, either the Mexican government with get the idea that illegal immigration is a bad thing and get that country economicly healthy and put a stop to the root cause of all this immigraion; or it will die and give its claims of authourity to the US. Which would make more manpower, more resources and bigger markets available to US industry, in our own expanded country.
Clint Jensen
