Sunday, May 07, 2006
(4:51 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
The Immigration Debate Is Stupid
Every line of argument taken up in the current immigration debate is stupid. People are not thinking clearly. Here are a couple quick points:- Amnesty does not "send the message" that people are going to be rewarded for breaking the law. It "sends the message" of "we're sorry that we allowed you to be victimized so long because of our reactionary and basically racist immigration laws; here, enjoy a modicum of human dignity."
- The real economic basis for this problem is never addressed: namely, that capital is allowed to move freely, while human beings are not. Thus the only really radical and workable solution is to extend joint citizenship to all citizens of NAFTA and CAFTA nations. (I got this idea from Discard the Name.)
I should totally run for office.
