By Ernest Hancock

Immigration is bad because ...

It’s not hard to find a libertarian who would argue for open immigration, just as it wouldn’t be hard to find a libertarian (often the same ones) understanding the reasons for closing the borders. A human wave of opportunity seekers are using our public schools, our public roads, our public libraries, our public transportation, our public healthcare, our public welfare, our public land, our public parks, and so on.
In a constitutional world none of these entities would have the words, “our public” in front of them. Private enterprise in the free-market would determine what was available to whom and the only regulation needed would come from the forces of voluntary supply and demand principles. Arguments would be adjudicated in a court where the government-paid judge would be a disinterested third party “hired” by the lightly taxed residents of that particular jurisdiction. Private property and associational rights would determine who could go where and how, and government would only be expected to simply keep the peace. (Law Enforcement Officers used to be called Peace Officers.)

What is interesting is how it is only government programs that cause us all to suffer from “more customers.” In a free market the more customers there are the better. Both social and economic engineering has sapped the life force from the most productive in our country. Freedom supporters don’t see a difference in having their money stolen from them to fund a Social Welfare program that provides healthcare, from having their money stolen to fund the building of a sports stadium or any other public “make money project” for Corporate Welfare recipients.

How much expense legal and/or illegal immigration is counter balanced by the contribution of increased labor and lower cost goods and services in this country has yet to be adequately addressed and is of little interest to me since I am far more focused on the root cause of the turmoil. To blame the cost of government programs on the most motivated from other countries that are willing to get off their asses to attempt to find a better life in America as a law-abiding resident is misplaced. The criminal element seeping into this country is far less feared by me than the criminals in Washington D.C. and our own state and local governments, because it is there that the ability to rob us blind has been elevated to a fine art and enables the most notorious at the receiving end of what has been plundered from us.
The idea that America is a land of law and that those laws are to be enforced evenly for all human beings no matter where they are from is very important to our freedoms. What has been most damaging is the idea that political support can be bought with other people’s money. Who lines up to get it is of less importance to me than the legalized theft that allows the various troughs to feed from in the first place.

The immigration issue has been very successful at getting the wrong questions asked … again. Instead of, “Should illegal immigrants get free healthcare?” We should be asking, “Why is the government stealing from me to pay for another’s healthcare?” Instead of, “Why are we subsidizing the use of our public libraries and public transportation so illegal immigrants can have a higher standard of living, at our expense?” We should be asking, “Why are we being stolen from in order to fund public entities that would be replaced with more efficient free-market solutions?”

With practice we can all learn to ask the more important questions to determine where the initiation of force originated and how best to eliminate the greatest evils in our society. With years of observation it has become very easy for me to see that it was the threat of government force that convinced Arizonans that they must provide the billions that are eagerly consumed by the rich and poor that are constantly encouraged to get in line for a handout by the very same people who stole my money in the first place.

“Freedom’s the Answer … What’s the Question.”

Ernest was aided in the writing of this article by the writings of David Boaz, the author of Libertarianism: A Primer and editor of The Libertarian Reader.

Ernest Hancock can be heard weeknights on KFNX 1100am's "Declare Your Independence with Ernest Hancock" from 6 to 8 p.m. Ernest can be reached at 602-717-5900, http://ernesthancock.com and ernesthancock@cox.net.