[UnderseaLcpl]

tater brings up a good point. Laws against illegal immigration rarely work out...unless you happen to be from somewhere other than a Hispanic nation that is close to or borders the US. Just ask my Ukranian stepmother who, after 7 years, is still not a US citizen because the paperwork keeps getting held up.

The volume of illegal immmigration stems from two causes: (1) accessibility, and (2) motivation. Many believe that the first cause is the one we should seek to address, either by building a wall or enforcing stricter immigration laws or what have you, but the solution lies in eliminating the second cause, or better yet, using it to our advantage.

Illegal immigrants flock to this nation because of the poverty in their own nations. I have no problem with that whatsoever. Lift the lamp beside the Golden Door, America! We owe our prosperity to our ancestors who immigrated to the land of opportunity and made the most of that opportunity. What right have we to deny others the same chance? If anything, I think we should relax restrictions on immigration.

What we should not do, however, is give them a free ride. That's just asking for abuse. No entitlements, no free healthcare, no education programs, nothing unless you follow the proper guidelines to apply for citizenship. In short, you must provide proof of citizenship to qualify for any kind of government service. The only exception I would make to that rule is in the case of police and fire services, but I would not allow immigrants to pursue legal action.

By this method, illegal immigration would be seriously curtailed in no time at all, partially because immigration would be easier, and partially because there's less incentive. More importantly, it would drastically reduce the impact that illegal immigration has on the US economy.

That leaves us with only one more problem to overcome: protectionism. That's the real issue with illegal, or even legal immigration in most cases. People don't like the idea of anybody taking their jobs, and they'll come up with all kinds of creative ways to keep new labor out, especially if it's cheaper.

The only way to deal with that is to make the immigration laws as fair as possible (in the sense of opportunity, not outcome), and then set them in legislative stone so that they cannot be easily changed, i.e., 90% majority required to amend the law. That will force people to be competitive rather than rely on state force to block others out, and such policy is the basis for a truly equal society.

Indeed, the same kind of policy should apply to every aspect of our law. Most see our system of law and government as a way to keep things fair, but in fact the opposite is true - it's just a tool for the powerful to use to secure their positions through force. Law is supposed to mean the same thing for everyone in this nation, and those who wish to join us, but it rarely does.

When I look at the debate over illegal immigration, especially in Washington, all I see is a smokescreen being thrown up by a gaggle of self-interested groups with a seperate agenda. Dems are lenient on immigration because they want the new votes, and they're willing to buy them with taxpayer money. Republicans are draconian in their measures against immingartion because they want to protect the votes they already have, and they're willing to buy them with taxpayer money.

It's a battle between numerous, politically apathetic, and poor Democratic supporters and a smaller but very politically active and wealthy Republican supporters. Outside, shrewd investors and businessmen throw money at both parties and then laugh all the way to the bank.

As always, the solution is to take away the tool by which the powerful exploit the rest of us: force, manifested in government. Many great men throughout American history have voiced this sentiment, but they are rarely recalled, save in oft-forgotten history lectures, and even then they are rarely lauded for their foresight.

George Washington warned: "Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."

Thomas Jefferson warned that the natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain.

My personal favorite is not from an American at all, though. Rather, it is from the Savoyard philosopher Joseph de Maistre, and, ironically enough, he was an authoritarian, but he hit the nail right on the head: "Every nation has the government it deserves". I realize I'm taking it out of his context, but the words are true as anything. Whether the issue is illegal immigration or trade deficit or public debt or the recession or what have you, we are in this place because we allowed the few power over the many. We have the government we deserve. It is a monument to all our sins.