Why Don't We Allow UNRESTRICTED Immigration Into This Country?

I'm serious about this, why don't we, as a nation, allow permanent and unrestricted immigration into this country? Ad a drive over any 100 miles of interstate in the country will show you there's plenty of room.

Immigration is one of the pillars on which the country came into existence and it might well be argued that diversity is our nation's strength.

So my question is why at this point in time, right now, with the conditions of the world what they are and we in our place in it with such resources, restraints, and commitments as apply - why - don't we allow anyone to come and stay without restriction? This would be way past TEMPORARY refuge to political refugees or others on humanitarian grounds while the base cause is addressed. Why not have citizenship on demand for anyone who resides in the country?

:evilgrin:

because i'm preparing my :popcorn:

Name one country that allows unrestricted immigration.

Now do the math and figure out how many people will stream over our borders and get off planes at our airports.

Now tell me how we're going to provide emergency services for these people, let alone absorb them into our workforce. We are on the brink of a complete meltdown of what is left of the middle class and therefore our entire economy. Unrestricted immigration would be like shooting our nation between the eyes at close range.

I swear, no offense to you personally, but if your post is not a joke it may be the single dumbest thing I have ever read on any of the internets. :eyes:




edited to make boards into borders because I was obviously laughing way too hard when I first typed.

I'm sorry, but just because we started as a nation of immigrants, that doesn't mean we always have to or should be one. Times have changed. I do think our legal immigration quotas need to be ramped up, but our illegal immigration problem needs to be clamped down upon, in a big way.

but alas it is NOT the 19th century anymore. Also if you did, care to tell me where your wages would go with the influx of unrestricted cheap labor?

By the way I am an immigrant to this country, a naturalized citizen and there are many reasons for them pesky rules,... some of them are racist, some of them actually make sense

I have another proposal, we should force every native born citizen to take the same test I took before they are allowed to vote. Care to tell me how many would pass?

For the sarcasm impaired I know how illegal that is by the way.

no allegiance to a foreign power thing

if any in particular.

You need to think this through some more. Water isn't the only issue.

Maybe it belongs to Iraq, like how our oil got under their sand...

In all seriousness though, water is a global issue, as are all environmental issues. I don't feel I "own" anything that happened naturally to be on this planet in the place where the white settlers happened to land and kill the inahbitants. Not even that long ago.

Troll bait or just a fool? You decide.

otherwise, once they get in they take our jobs and reduce the income of EVERY AMERICAN...so see...your wish is the corporates command!

And while some countries keep more than their fair share of political dissidents in jail, I'm talking about real criminials. The kind that make up most of the prison population. That's just one possible scenario, of course.

But wait, you say, good people would come over too!

Yes they would! Your arugment is that anyone should be allowed to immigrate here and good citizens would certainly make up that number. And so would the rapists, organized crime families, sex offenders- literally everyone but most importantly anyone would be allowed entry. No restrictions means no restrictions at all.

PB

and try to feed your kids on a dollar a day?

That's why immigration was restricted. It was a LABOR issue. Robber Barons had advertised all over the world to bring in immigrants to act as cheap labor and bust the unions.

Yes, it would be nice to be all charitable and accept two million Chinese a year plus most of central and south America, but please think that kind of charity through, what it would do to labor in this country, already suffering after 37 years of antagoinistic governments.

The heyday of the robber barons was when they first began to restrict immigration - the late 19th century.

The only reason restrictions were emplaced was to prevent a demographic shift away from European protestants. The Catholic southern-European countries got stricter quotas than N. European protestant countries. Strongest quotas were on Asians and Africans.

I personally think that regulated open immigration is the ideal -- screen out the criminals, make everyone legal and thus unexploitable, and have reasonable deportation rules for dealing with immigrants who go criminal.

We're a big country, and we can absorb a whole lot more people than we are letting in now. The illegal immigrant problem is not that they are immigrants, but that they are illegal and thus open to exploitation and abuse, forced into sub-minimum wages, sub-standard housing, and defacto segregation because they have no legal recourse to object.

It is the humanitarian thing to do, right?

Why should there be this artificial notion of 'boundaries'?

It will be a wonderful thing when someday, working people in China and Mexico and Malaysia and the United States -- ALL make the same amount of money.

My family and I can certainly adjust to living on $1500 a year if everybody else's annual income is $1500 or less.

So, sure, let's all get on board the concept of unrestricted immigration and an end to all nation borders. The glorious future of my children shopping at Wal-Mart and working in sweatshops is just around the corner!

:sarcasm:

:sarcasm:

:sarcasm:

I agree with you, but it is rare to see someone express this thought.

We are a country that is blessed with lots of space. I have heard of towns in places like Nebraska and Kansas that are offering money to people who will move to those small towns.

I think that people who make the effort to come here should be welcomed -- not hated.

SPACE isn't the only issue. Someone upthreat mentioned water. Also, there's jobs. Infrastructure, public schools, health care (at least emergency health care).

Think it through. There's a lot more to it than number of people per square mile.

"I have heard of towns in places like Nebraska and Kansas that are offering money to people who will move to those small towns. "

Whatcha bet they want retirees who have money to live on but won't need a job?

as though we should let anyone in who is able to get here.

It's what we do with the people from Cuba. Anyone from Cuba who can get to dry land is welcomed in.

Why should it be any different with people from other countries? If anything, it is much more difficult for people from countries other than Cuba to get here. If people are that desperate to come here -- and that willing to get here, it just seems to me that we should let them in -- otherwise, it's kind of like we're saying, "I've got mine, but I won't share". imho.

poster in another thread. They are either spreading flames or worse... doing a comparative analysis.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=734631&mesg_id=734631

You know, jobs, family, whatnot...

Why do you and raccoon have to assume everyone is a troll if they ask a question you don't like? Obviously the poster wanted discussion, that's why s/he posted it.

Also, only donors can search forums to see if their topic has been covered. Geez.

where is he/she?

He/she hasn't responded to a single post on this thread.

in quite awhile. There was clearly no attempt at a discussion. Why do you care?

With the economy as shaky as it is here, I think you'd find that Chinese and Indians will be staying at home-far more opportunity there. As we become more and more a third world country I think you'll see many native born Americans leaving for greener pastures.

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

I'm all for immigration, but it really should be controlled. And no, that doesn't mean throwing a wall along the border and not letting "brown-skinned" people in, although some on DU seem to think that any attempt to rein in illegal immigration is somehow racist.

I don't think there is a single country in the world where you can just waltz in, undocumented, and expect to be able to stay there permanently.

The wages would plummet. The health insurance would be non existent. Utilities would skyrocket from supply and demand. Water would become even scarcer. You can only shove so many sardines into a can .

Illegal and legal combined, we take in between 2 and 4 million per year, with some pretty serious consequences to the social and economic fabric of the country.

How anyone could argue that we need MORE is beyond me. And as for those wide open spaces, I hope they stay opened and not be gobbled up by even more hideous suburban sprawl.

Without immigration, America's population would be static.

Why is it America's job to take in all the overflow from countries where the people don't have the sense to use some birth control?

There is a strong correlation between low population growth and a high standard of living. Maybe Mexico & Central America could work on reversing the insane tradition of nuclear families with 3, 4, 5, 6 children?

Any questions?

Heh.

Got a big term paper due soon? :evilgrin:

-B

Just for fun.

with unrestricted immigration, yet support the massive protests that are going on right now. Being here illegally is illegal, and should be a felony.

You're advocating environmental destruction on a practically unprecedented scale. That land isn't "empty", it filters the water we drink, makes the oxygen we breathe, and grows the food that we eat. We ALREADY have too many people in this country (not to mention on the planet in general), and permitting unlimited growth isn't simply stupid, it's economically and environmentally suicidal.

Many of us simply will not stand by and watch that happen.

Is this an experiment or something?

bullshit!

:popcorn:

"Fanatical belief is just as illogical as fanatical disbelief". The opposite extreme of a bad answer is not always a good answer.