OPINION & EDITORIAL
Immigration argument flawed
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by Letters to the Editor
Friday, April 14, 2006
Ryan Masse's opinion piece "'Immigration rights' demonstrators lack credible message" (April 13, 2006), contains a number of interesting arguments.
It's interesting, for example, that Masse chooses to blame the low wages of unskilled workers on immigrants instead of the fact that the minimum wage is at its lowest level since 1954.
It's interesting that he blames undocumented workers for rising health-care costs instead of the pharmaceutical companies' practice of spending more than $13 billion on advertising and administration, while less than half of that on research and development.
But what was most interesting, in my opinion, was Masse's repeated emphasis on the illegality of undocumented immigration. While he makes a persuasive case for the rule of law, I think the phrasing of the Rev. Dr. Dewey of New York is somewhat more eloquent. Dewey wrote that "he would go himself into slavery, or send his brother, his son, or even his mother back into the house of bondage, rather than by disobeying the law, help to subvert the authority of government and undermine the foundation of those powers which God ordained of us as a nation."
Dewey was writing in slightly different context than Mr. Masse. Instead of supporting immigration laws, he was supporting the Fugitive Slave Law in the 1850s. Mr. Masse's argument has a long and distinguished history.
It's a history, however, which is clearly not without its problems. Fetishizing the law in the way Mr. Masse does takes issues of legality out of any moral context whatsoever. Arguing that illegal immigration is wrong because it's illegal is no different from those like Rev. Dr. Dewey who defended slavery because it was legal.
If Mr. Masse wants to argue that undocumented workers should be treated like criminals, he should come up with some arguments that place him in better company. Leaving aside for the moment the unsubstantiated innuendos mentioned at the beginning of this letter, Mr. Masse's main contention was that the protesters failed to display the requisite number of American flags. His failure to produce any arguments that go beyond mere intellectual eructations displays the bankruptcy of the "criminalize immigrants" position.
Paul Heideman UW senior
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 7:59am):
Dewey wrote that "he would go himself into slavery, or send his brother, his son, or even his mother back into the house of bondage, rather than by disobeying the law, help to subvert the authority of government and undermine the foundation of those powers which God ordained of us as a nation."
And Dewey was totally delusional! I'd rather just leave the US altogether.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 8:05am):
It's the vast supply of ILLEGAL immigrants that allows the price of labor to remain so low given current demand. It's a result of the so-called "Law of Supply and Demand", but maybe you don't think that this law should be obeyed.
"They can't pay you, in almost all cases. They don't have addresses to which you can send collections agencies. There are government grants to help offset the cost of indigent medical care... but they're insufficient to cover more than a portion of the cost of indigent care for citizens. Add the extra cost incurred in treating illegals, and the grants become pittances.
That's why hospitals are closing emergency departments in areas with high illegal-resident populations. Hospitals have to pay their people, their utility bills, and their overhead costs. They can manage it when emergency departments are not getting paid for a third of their emergency department work, and underpaid for another third.
They *cannot* manage it when they are not getting paid at all fifty or sixty percent of the time.
THAT is the reason the illegal resident issue is forcing some border state hospitals to close emergency departments, and forcing others into bankruptcy."
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/mail/mail408.html#ER2
The is absolutely no comparison between a law permitting slavery and a law against invasion by foreigners. Illegal entry is just the first of the laws that are broken. Using false identification and tax evasion inevitably follow the illegal entry. Do you suggest that the US be the only country in the world with no border control laws?
PS. You should spend your time fighting slavery where it exists today, instead of using it as a straw man in this argument.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 9:12am):
amen brother!
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 10:00am):
The "Fugitive Slave Law" is NOTHING like the laws against entering the US ilegally or the law against staying in the US after entering the country illegally.
Entering a country without following the same rules as others is no different than jumping any other line. It steals somebody else's place in line. At best it makes them wait longer. How is that fair?
You debase the fight against slavery by trying to equate slavery with the immegration laws.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 10:35am):
Advertising and Marketing, are used by the pharma companies to educate both individuals and Doctors. Pharma companies used to spend huge amounts on Doctor Honorariums to have them speak about a new drug or product. It turned some in the medical profession into professional speakers.
Eventually Pharma decided to annoy the public with the message regarding new products. If you have ever worked in a Medical facility you might understand why.
As for the rising cost of Health care being caused by Illegal Immigrants. Go hang out in an ER on Cinco de Mayo (The only holiday in the United States recognized by any Ethnic community that celebrates another countries independence. The Irish clebrate St. Patricks day not the Easter Rebellion of 1916.) and you will start to understand the burden placed on our system by illegals.
We can't deport 11-20 million people, so maybe Mexico should have to start paying for the cost of care when a citizen of Mexico is unable to pay. In fact, we could do the same with the cost of educating illegal immigrants. Send the country a bill or deduct it from their aide package. People come to the United States because the recognize what is great about our free society. Even if the idiots on the left would like to adopt policies like they have in Mexico.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 10:45am):
Comparing slaves to illegal immigrants makes no sense.
So in your perfect world anyone could migrate anywhere they wanted? No rules at all? What about the local zoning laws?
I sure hope that the other 40 million Mexicans that want to come to the USA end up in your backyard instead of mine.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 1:04pm):
Let's face reality my fellow meat-puppets! What we need is serious population control. Six billion humanoids are more, much more, than enough for this old planet. But no worry ... if we don't control our population, Mother Earth certainly will. The next few decades should prove to be very interesting, if not pleasant, for all of us.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 3:46pm):
"main contention was that the protesters failed to display the requisite number of American flags."
And so how would you react to a mob of German Americans flying German flags and singing "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles!"?
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 4:16pm):
I'm interested in knowing why so many people in thei world insist on illegally entering another country instead of fixing what ails their own. No wonder the world sucks, and that isn't our fault.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 4:27pm):
Once the Republicans get done f@cking up immigration reform, so that we have full amnesty coupled with no enforcement and greatly increased illegal immigrant rights, I think I'll be done voting for them for a while.
Anonymous (April 14, 2006 @ 5:48pm):
"I'm interested in knowing why so many people in thei world insist on illegally entering another country instead of fixing what ails their own. No wonder the world sucks, and that isn't our fault."
So you're saying landless peasants without any sort of political power should stick around and try to fix all the problems American globalization has created?
Anonymous (April 15, 2006 @ 11:29am):
Where is the justice in giving illegal immigrants an unfair advantage over those who have entered the country or are attempting to enter legally?
Anonymous (April 16, 2006 @ 2:07pm):
Millions of immigrants wait their turn to work legally in the United States. Why should cheaters be allowed to stay just because they are from Mexico? What about justice?
Anonymous (April 16, 2006 @ 4:32pm):
"So you're saying landless peasants without any sort of political power should stick around and try to fix all the problems American globalization has created?"
Dude, globalization was not originally America's idea. All the big corporations of the world wanted it.
