Real Free Trade

It all started with lead paint on Chinese made toys, on to the shortage of farm labor, and quickly degraded that I am “unpatriotic to buy foreign goods”. This discussion with my mother-in-law followed those predictable lines. “It is just terrible that we no longer make things and depend on others to do this work” she says. My banal response “The Chinese can make our cheap products, we pay them almost nothing. Buying the stuff allows us to use our money for other things we couldn’t afford if it weren’t for their cheap labor.” “We should do things the rest of the planet will pay a premium for and not assemble plastic toys for $2.00 / hr” I thought to myself, instead my stronger point “our unemployment levels are super low, where are we going to hire people?” Where, indeed?

The economic benefit for free trade between the US other nations is obvious making me free trade supporter. However, there is an area of trade that we refuse to free up.

The radical idea: let’s have free trade in labor. I’m a firm believer that we keep our borders secure and that we get to decide who and how someone enters the country or becomes a citizen. But our neighbors want to come here to work, and to do the kind of work we don’t want to do. So I say let ‘em.

Farmers historically hire ‘under-the-table’ workers at low wages. That source of labor is drying up due to our tighter borders. Tie in the possibility of a raid by immigration enforcement that could end your harvest in the middle of a 6 week season that produces ALL of your income. Farmers are in a tough spot. So government to the rescue. The H2A visa program is designed to address the seasonal requirements of agriculture. But it is so burdensome that the H2A visa amounts to a tariff on labor. Tariffs are bad, let’s get rid of them. The H2A visa requires farmers to pay a higher rate than typical for farm labor, advertise for a month for local people (in a newspaper no migrant worker would read) to do the work, then pay $2400/year to the immigration service, another $300 for each visa, $200 or so for round trip transportation, and provide onsite housing that meets federal standards. The costs are so burdensome that many farmers with labor intensive requirements have chosen to plant only an amount crop they know they have laborers for. See a typical story.

The current system is broken. "la tira" (throwing cash) pay method keeps illegal farm laborers poor and evades taxes. Likewise, for the other common method to employ illegals - through an intermediary who actually does the hiring and paying. There is plenty of evidence for troubled times for farm and other low wage jobs. California, Washington, Colorado are all experiencing tough times. Keeping labor trade restricted means we don’t get to tax those employees and hey unless they become citizens they’ll pay social security and never collect it – a good deal for me.

Free trade and illegal immigration addressed in one leap.

The entry barrier for Mexicans in particular is high, even for tourists. We need to eliminate those barriers. To do this 'work visas' need a complete overhaul that allows easy movement of labor across the borders with our neighbors. Let's keep it simple, arrive at the border, prove you have transportation back to your country of origin, we verify with your country that you are not a felon, then come on in with your 6 month work visa.

To stay in the country should be kept simple too, go to the closest immigration service, renew your visa, and go back to work. The whole solution can be managed by the current immigration system, with some additional funding to keep track of so many more visa holders. Add to that the craziness of not enforcing our current out-of-date laws would be less tempting, resulting increased collection of taxes and this solution could be much cheaper than building a fence.

I’m not suggesting a NAU (North American Union) or even a European style free movement of a Schengen arrangement. But the current system is broken and forces masses of immigrants and employers to break the law while we mostly look the other way because the labor is desperately needed. That is bad law.

Maybe with free trade in labor we could make our own cheap plastic toys.

"2 Va. counties OK immigration crackdown"

Earlier this year, I was proud of Congressman Virgil Goode, who is from my hometown of Rocky Mount, VA for standing up to the bullies of CAIR.

Today, there is story concerning another place where I used to live, Prince William County, VA, that makes me proud as well.

According to the AP:

Resolutions to deny a potentially wide range of public services to illegal immigrants have thrust two northern Virginia counties into the nation's immigration debate. The measures passed in July in Prince William and Loudoun counties join a flurry of recent efforts by local governments nationwide that believe the federal government has not done enough to stop illegal immigration.

[...]

Critics say the resolutions are a racist reaction to profound demographic changes in Prince William and Loudoun, two of the fastest-growing counties in the Washington area. Together, the counties account for 8 percent of Virginia's population, with more than 600,000 residents.

According to census estimates released this month, Prince William's Hispanic population has more than doubled since 2000, to nearly 70,000 last year. Non-Hispanic whites account for a little more than half of the population, down from about two-thirds in 2000. In Loudoun, the share of minorities increased from 20 percent to 32 percent.

Proponents blame illegal immigrants for changing the character of the region, accusing them of packing too many people into single-family homes and failing to learn English.

"It's reached a boiling point - or a boil-over point," said Supervisor John T. Stirrup, who sponsored the Prince William measure.

[...]

The resolution [in Prince William County] includes a provision instructing police to investigate the immigration status of anyone they detain if there is probable cause to believe the person is in the country illegally.

[...]

Hispanic activists are planning a weeklong boycott of all nonimmigrant, non-Hispanic businesses in Prince William County beginning Monday and a one-day general labor strike in October.

Would using microlending effectively reduce illegal immigration?

[Cross-posted from Versus the Mob]

I've been using and promoting Kiva.org for some time, here and elsewhere. I've posted an article on Helium.com that I've entitled, "Would using microlending effectively reduce illegal immigration?," which explains the motivation and method behind my particular bit of lending through that fine organization. Here is a piece of it:

"I had been making microloans through Kiva for some time when the idea occurred to me that this could be a constructive response to our national border security crises. I do not think it unreasonable to assert that the majority of us who want to see our borders enforced generally do not begrudge others of their hard earned money and their desire to improve their own lives; we are simply offended by the disregard some hold for the laws we choose for ourselves as a sovereign nation and people. Therefore, I suspect that there are many like me who will recognize the constructive, long-term solution to the pressure on our borders that microlending could represent: while we ought to demand that our national sovereignty be respected by both foreign individuals and governments, let us not deny that lack of opportunity is what drives many to our shores and not simply a desire to break our laws, and then let us as individuals seek to help foreign entrepreneurs by aiding the development of their own domestic opportunities through providing capital for new business there, all the while refusing to excuse unlawful behavior here."

Foley Institute Immigration Panel Video

Video1

Video2

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Note: This video was filmed using a Sony w810i cell phone

Sanctuary Cities

Here's an addition to Scotty's earlier post about an illegal alien killing the UW student.

In Virginia Beach, VA, an illegal alien with 2-prior drunk driving convictions has been charged with manslaughter in an accident that killed two high school girls, aged 16 and 17.

The connection with Seattle is that both Seattle and Virginia Beach are so called "sanctuary cities." In these cities, ordinances have been passed that prevent law enforcement officials from reporting illegal immigrants. In the Virginia Beach case, it is likely the man accused of killing the two young girls would have been apprehended by the INS after any of the four or so times he was in police custody previously had his illegal status been reported.

And this is a quote from the Seattle PI story on UW student Rebecca Griego's alleged murderer (who is white and English, so no talk of "racism" please):

Seattle police arrested Rowan for drunken driving June 30, but officers apparently didn't know he was in the country illegally.

City law forbids Seattle police from inquiring about immigration status, unless the officer has a reasonable suspicion that person is here illegally.

The article mentions that INS had been looking for this individual for many years. A tip from the Seattle police to the INS in this case would have prevented the murder of Griego.

How can we not say we don't need immigration reform in cases like these? Police routinely do a check for wants and warrants with every "contact" they make with an individual. Isn't being an illegal alien the same as having a de facto felony warant out for your arrest? It's hardly the same as asking someone their sexual orientation or religion.

Leftist Paradox: How to Cause a Liberal to Short-Circuit

This story briefly appeared today on CNN.com, then quickly disappeared. Fortunately, it can still be found with a quick search on Google news:

"Census: Immigrants Help Big Cities Grow as Native-Born Americans Move to Suburbs

WASHINGTON — Without immigrants pouring into the nation's big metro areas, places such as New York, Los Angeles and Boston would be shrinking as native-born Americans move farther out.

Many smaller areas, including Battle Creek, Mich., Ames, Iowa, and Corvallis, Ore., would shrink as well, according to population estimates to be released Thursday by the Census Bureau."

This is great!

Leftist: "Open borders, now! Human beings are not illegal!"

Reasonable person: "But illegal immigration is causing our cities to grow and expanding sprawl."

Leftist "...sprawl is bad! Save the earth!"

Reasonable person: "Ok, so we'll close the border and kick the illegals out to save the earth."

Leftist: "Yes! No! Uhhh.. there's no illegal humans, uh... sprawl... eerrrr... *fizzlepopsmoke*"

Immigration Reform: Encouraging Signs

[Cross posted from Versus the Mob]

The news out of D.C. this morning is that the White House has been at work on an immigration reform bill that does not equate to a free pass for some 11 to 12 million law breakers.

The first story I found on this was posted to CNN.com and can be read in full here:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/30/immigration.ap/
The key feature of the proposal that impresses me is that for an illegal to receive permanent residency, he or she must first return to their country of origin, apply to enter legally, and pay a $10,000 fine.

Otherwise, an illegal can apply for one of these so-called "plan Z" visas and legally work here for three years at a time, paying $3,500 to renew the visa at the end of each three year period. This will also have the effect of putting illegals on the radar as far as employment goes, which will likely put an end to their appeal as cheap labor in many industries.

But what I really like about this plan is that it does not potentially create 12 million voters overnight, the kind of voters whom leftists could easily buy with promises of lavish government benefits.