Sensible Immigration Reform

In today's dysfunctional American political landscape, it's no surprise that any chance of achieving meaningful immigration reform by the 112th Congress has been scuttled. In an era in which most Republican voters question President Obama's place of birth, there is no hope for that party to create coherent policy around such a contentious issue. Let's not mince words here. "Birthers" and their leaders are racists and xenophobes, plain and simple. They're direct descendants of the KKK without the white hoods, hiding instead behind "trumped up" charges that the White House is being occupied illegally. It is raw emotion that drives these people, not the law. The debate taking place is so far disconnected from reality that I fear another decade may pass before real action is taken.

Half-baked immigration policy drags the United States down faster than any other. It has a domino effect on all other policies. Everyone in Washington these days is talking about budget deficits, the national debt, low GDP growth, and the solvency of our Medicare and Social Security systems. We all know that the baby boomers are beginning to retire, and the ratio of working, taxpaying people to retired people is shrinking drastically. The consequences for the economy are dire, the talking heads proclaim loudly. Meanwhile, other countries with their youthful working citizenry threaten to overtake us economically.

The answer to all these problems is the same simple, benevolent force that has kept America afloat throughout the last few centuries: immigration. America has consistently remained a magnet for industrious individuals from every corner of the globe. We are in dire need of an infusion of new blood. Don't take my word for it; ask any multinational CEO. We need to let more people into the United States from around the world, opening up our borders dramatically. Meanwhile, we must provide amnesty to the illegal immigrants who are already here, for regardless of what we do, they are going to be here anyway. It is simple supply and demand, just as with the drug wars being fought in American cities all the way down to the outer reaches of Latin America. We have only ourselves to blame for craving it. American businessmen are more than happy to hire cheap labor regardless of their immigration status in order to squeeze additional profit.

There are legitimate concerns with illegal immigrants. They can strain resources at the federal and local level such as schooling, healthcare, and law enforcement. Criminal gangs made up of foreigners have sprung up around the nation. Most importantly of all, we are a nation of laws, and the law is broken each time somebody jumps over the border without authorization by the United States federal government. I agree with this point of view. This is why we need to change the laws on the books- and put together a sensible immigration policy once and for all to make us more viable in the global marketplace.

Most indicators show that a majority of immigrants, both legal and illegal are hard-working, willing to do the hard farm labor that locals aren't, generate sales and income taxes, and are leading technological and scientific innovation in the United States at an inordinate ratio. Think of where Silicon Valley, our great universities, or any of the premier medical institutes or labs would be today without recent immigrants. Just ask any of them. They simply wouldn't exist today, likely overtaken long ago by foreign competition. Immigration has allowed us to become, and stay an exceptional country.

The racists and xenophobes may always fear the Mexican labor that is landscaping their yards and cooking their meals at the fine French restaurant. Yet for many of these people, those immigrants will probably be responsible for their adult diapers and all other bills at the nursing home in the not-too-distant future- if they are lucky enough to receive the government assistance that keeps them alive, thanks to immigrants keeping our social safety net solvent.

Do enough Americans have the common sense to allow us to change course in time? There is nothing more patriotic than looking out for our nation's long-term health, even at the cost of short-term challenges.