The issue of immigration always produces polarized opinions. Those who live in countries that “have”, oppose new leeches sucking from “our” taxes. Those who live in countries that “do not have”, favor it because they just want to “contribute” to the countries that “have” to make economic conditions even better for all (including themselves). This dichotomy is, of course, stupid and artificial. Immigration has no reason to be feared, except by governments that is. For they thrive by control; for them, immigration policies are the ultimate monopoly.
ONCE UPON A TIME
Believe it or not, up to 1914 there were no immigration or emigration policies of any kind. Any person was able to take a boat or a carriage, a horse or just walk through any frontier and simply establish themselves anywhere that wasn’t already belonging to somebody else. Yet, there were no catastrophic events, no mass invations, no economic Armageddons and of course, no massive unrest or complaints and no crime wave.
Everybody went along more or less amicably for as long as the golden rule was obeyed:
You don’t interfere with my affairs and I won’t interfere with yours
This exceedingly simple rule seemed to suffice. No further laws, regulations, conditions or motives were necessary nor had to be provided. This process just worked. Strange, isn’t it?
Why did it work? Simple. Everybody wanted the same. They all coincided on the most basic of agreements. My property is mine and yours is yours. If this status needed to change, then we both will have to agree to the terms of the exchange. It worked.
However, after WWI it all changed. Governments became powerful. Many unthinkables were now common events. People sending myriads of people to commit mass murder and mass suicide became the norm. Once this line was crossed, there was no way back. Politicians have tasted real power and developed the need for it. They were hooked on power; it was and still is their drug. From that moment on, anything that may enhance their reaches and control was on the table. One such thing was immigration control.
Immigration was sold by politicians to people as a benign process. Passports were to be travel documents that would simply identify the owner as a citizen of such and such country, with the purpose of asking the host country for support and help. Nothing more.
From those humble beginnings, passports have evolved into highly restrictive tools of control; one that politicians manage at their leisure. They are now our supreme overlords.
IT’S FOR YOUR OWN SECURITY AND SAFETY
That we need to know who you are, where have you been, how much money do you have, what are you doing here, for how long and where are you going next and who are your friends. Oh, and by the way, anything else we can get our hands on.
Right!
This excuse would be quite funny, if it would not be such a slap in your face. The scare tactic du-jour is “terrorism”. This is actually quite a convenient threat… for politicians and bureaucrats that is. Particularly when it is sold and packaged as the “War On Terror”.
This is, of course, a deliberate misnomer. If you would to ask any career military person what exactly is the “war on terror” and how do we win it, they would be as puzzled as you are. Terrorist tactics are just that: tactics. They is no specific enemy, there is no specific country, there are no specific ideologies and there is no specific target. Terrorism is an idea and as such it is everlasting and omnipresent. It is whatever politicians decide it to be today; tomorrow it will be something else; and it lasts for as long as politicians decide it will last (forever). It is the proverbial and ideal unwinnable war. Perfect!
And so, they need to know anything and everything there is to know about you. For…. your security and safety…. yeah… that’s it.
Of course, it is all extremely idiotic and cynic. Let’s be clear. Terrorist groups have existed since pretty much the beginning of the human written history. Some groups become forever labeled as terrorists and some become heroes later on, depending on who won. That is not the point. The point is that terror and terror tactics always existed and will continue to exist. The solution is not to try to eliminate the source, the solution is to eliminate the target. You see, no target no terror.
And how do we eliminate the target? We eliminate governments. Governments create policies that create the dismal conditions that give rise to rebellions. Some rebellions are classic, some are underground, guerrilla-types. Some play with kid gloves and some use terror tactics. Again, no governments no terrorism. Simple, right?
This excuse of “for your own security and safety” is so insulting because governments create the conditions for terrorism to blossom in the first place and then steal the so-called “moral high ground” and declare holy war against it. Ridiculous! Preposterous! Insulting!
Yet, it is the ideal excuse to control the movement of people.
WE ARE PROTECTING YOUR WAY OF LIFE
This is yet another favorite political excuse. Let’s analyze the myths of this one.
Job Losses
Immigrants steal jobs from “decent” and “hard working” people. At least, that’s the myth politicians love to leave unchallenged because it serves their purposes.
There is a pile of economic research papers this tall (well, you will have to imagine it reaches up to your head), concluding that immigration is neutral to slightly negative at worse when it comes to jobs. Let’s repeat this again. On average, jobs are not lost to immigrants. This is reality.
Immigrants mostly move due to poor economic conditions. They want to prosper. They actually bring prosperity with them. Is there a surprise then that they don’t affect jobs if they increase wealth? Of course not!
However, there is one critical issue: they move from bad governments to better governments. If there would be no governments, everybody’s wealth would be higher and many of current emigrants would not feel the need to move in the first place! And who creates dismal economic conditions that force emigrants to move? Governments! We keep going back to the same time-tested solution: get rid of governments and most problems solve themselves!
Safety Net Drain
Immigrants are draining our “welfare” or “workfare” or “school systems” or “health care system” or… insert you favorite government program here…. Yet another myth happily left alone by politicians with a “no comment”.
Again. There is a mountain of economic research showing this not to be the case. It only makes sense. If immigrants increase our wealth, they pay more into whatever “safety net” may be there.
Paying Less Taxes
Again. Plain and simple BS. Immigrants actually pay equal or more taxes that existing citizens.
Commit More Crimes
Much that movie makers may have lead you to believe, immigrants have a much lower criminality than existing citizens by a large margin.
They Don’t Integrate
The horror!!! Of course, integration is so critical to our way of life. Without integration they may…gasp… continue to use their culture!
Let’s get one thing straight. The “melting pot” theory is just that, a theory. It is plainly idiotic to expect it to hold true. The reality is that on average the first generation of immigrants retains their culture. The second creates a blend and the third more or less adopts the culture of the country. We keep hearing about this concept of “no integration” but the reality is completely different. Cultures change all the time. It is impossible to have one culture remaining immune from another when the first is immersed in the second. Sooner or later both change, and isn’t this the desired effect? The “melting pot”? No?
So, what you want is immigrants without culture is that it? You mean the less educated the better, right? So as to ensure economic burden, that it? No?
We get it! It’s the “multicultural” approach you want. Many separate cultures remaining isolated one from another in the same geographical location so that they may continue to expand endlessly. That it? No?
We give up. What it is that you want? Sorry to say this, but it would seem that you answer lies in a parallel universe and not in this one.
Conclusion
So, how exactly are governments “protecting our way of life” through immigration limitation, if by doing so they ensure lower wealth levels, higher taxation levels, lower employment level and higher criminality levels?
Note: please see the Glossary if you are unfamiliar with certain words.
Continue to Immigration policies are the ultimate monopoly - Part 2