Working Against Our Own Best Interest

An ongoing exploration of how America is working against its own best interest.

 

Does anyone know what our Immigration policy is?

Part 2

Doesn't it strike you as strange that most of the big problems in America today are of our own making. Too many times we act as a nation or as a people in ways that are not in our own best interest. We Suboptimize* the public good  by optimizing our personal, professional, or corporate gain.

Exactly what are our guiding principles, our goals and our core values? Lets start with something basic. Does anyone know what our Immigration policy is?

Ok, I know that there are millions of pages of immigration statutes and laws. Certainly there many rich Immigration attorneys. There are also many thousands of immigration workers and boarder guards all working to keep America safe. But what exactly is our Immigration Policy?

Damn If I know. Is it nudge nudge wink to the 12 million illegal aliens in the country?

Is it "Give me your poor"? By the way that last one is not in the constitution and yet the sentiment spoken during the 19th century endures today. But is it our policy?

And why do we bestow American citizenship on anyone born in America even if born of an illegal alien? That sounds like a disconnect. It rewards being an illegal alien with an American child and creates yet another emotional barrier to solving our immigration problems. Tell me is that our Immigration Policy?

 

I don't pretend to know any of the answers. What I do suggest is, that since there appears to me to be no answer to what our Immigration Policy is, that there should be a national dialogue about what our Immigration Policy should be. An honest dialogue about our current system, possible outcomes from doing nothing to enacting various alternate immigration policies would go along way to creating a future that is manageable, fair, and in our own best interest.  

For instance we might discuss;

How large should our  country's population be now and in the future?

How should our immigration policy work and for whom? 

If we know that we need x amount of farm laborers ( and have done so for many years) lets be honest about that. Lets create fair and honest guest worker programs or bestow citizenship on those who fill our pantries, but lets be honest.

Should our policy be to let anyone immigrate, or should we allow only immigrants who meet educational, skill levels, or income criteria's?

Should our policy be to do what we have always done because we are a nation of immigrants, or should we assess immigration in the light of what is in our best national interest?

Oh, and what is in in our best national interest? Now that would be in our best national interest to decide!

 

*Suboptimize

The act of committing energy and resources to maximize a portion of a process or system that undermines the effectiveness of the overall process or system. http://www.electronictrainingsolutions.com/glossary/suboptimize.htm