There’s been a lot of discussion lately on the Immigration issue here in the blogosphere, so I guess I’ll weigh in as well. A lot of emotion is masquerading as reason here, and a lot of name calling is displacing facts as a basis for sound decision making. I hope to clarify things as I see them here and start a discussion with some substance.

First, immigration to the United States is the gold standard for the entire planet. No other country is a more desirable destination. People from all over the globe want to come here; people that are here don’t want to leave. I think that speaks pretty well for America. The question here is who gets to decide who will be allowed to come here and who will be denied access? I say it’s our country after all, and membership and entrance requirements are rightfully up to us. It’s time to stop the current system of admission by geographic default and start exercising some standards and selectivity.

Historically, the standard for immigrants was first and foremost a desire on their part to become Americans. We admitted people from all over the world that wanted to become part of the great melting pot. Immigrants were expected to adjust their customs and traditions to fit within the framework of American culture. We expected people to show an understanding of our collective culture, to understand and obey the laws of our country, to speak the language, and to discard the parts of their native culture that were incompatible with ours. This seems reasonable to me. If you want to join our club, you have to play by our rules and make the effort required to become a full fledged member of the team.

The current debate is whether we should allow a large group of people from another country to come here and substitute their culture for our own. A vocal group of immigrants organizing groups like “La Raza”, “Mecha”, “Atzlan”, and “Reconquista” while waving the flag of a foreign country on our soil and loudly demanding benefits and accommodation from the rest of us doesn’t convey the spirit of assimilation to me. Demands for bilingual ballots and education don’t indicate it either. I’m sorry, but I don’t see a great desire on the part of the current group under consideration to become Americans first and foremost. I don’t think it’s racist to withhold membership on that basis; nor can any intellectually honest person.

Since it is our country, I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect something in return from the members we admit. It makes no sense to admit members that contribute less than they extract from public coffers. Since we have no shortage of applicants, doesn’t it make more sense to be selective in our admission requirements? We should select people that can and will carry their own weight. Shouldn’t we be choosing engineers, artisans and skilled tradesmen instead of uneducated low skilled laborers? Shouldn’t we be selecting the best and brightest from every corner of the globe instead of letting a single group displace everyone else through sheer volume? There is no shortage of people desiring membership in club America; we should be picking better members from the huge pool of available talent than we currently are.

In the current debate, the answer seems to be to throw up our hands and surrender to geography. The current crop of illegal immigrants is completely displacing every other candidate from consideration. Until we control our borders and start deciding for ourselves who we let in and who we exclude, we will continue to be overwhelmed by a huge group of largely uneducated, unskilled people that cost us overall more than they contribute to the exclusion of many more worthy candidates. We have to stop the gate crashing horde before we can begin to bring a sense of sanity to the system.

Finally, if we are a nation of laws, we must enforce the law. Laws that are as unenforced are just words on paper, and more words on more paper isn’t the solution. We need to summon the national will to enforce our laws instead of creating more of them. We don’t feel bad for a criminal that has eluded capture for years when he finally receives his comeuppance; nor should we feel bad for people that have knowingly built their lives in our country illegally. Building a life on an unstable and illegal foundation is not mitigated by the results achieved. For every “poor immigrant” uprooted, remember that there were also people of higher quality denied access through the legitimate process. I find it hard to generate any sympathy for those that knowingly cheat the system then accuse us of being the bad guys when the rules are ultimately enforced.

We are an open and welcoming country. Those that wish to come here through the legitimate process, assimilate, and with something to offer this great nation in return are as welcome as can be. Those that come here through stealth, take more than they put in, and demand that to which they are not entitled are not welcome. Our policies and priorities should reflect that. That is not unreasonable, nor is it racist; it is simply rational.

Scottie