Illegal Immigrants: The Free Market People

Some Americans would think most illegal immigrants are socialists, wanting to come here and take over, and live off of welfare. While it might be politically true that their culture would tend to support big governments, they are living more of a free market lifestyle here in the U.S. than we Americans are. The ironic part about this whole immigration debate is that the Republicans, who often preach about the glories of a free market, have failed to see these people as an example of their principals and have instead reverted to socialism to punish them.

Some of you might be scratching your heads right now wondering how an illegal immigrants live in a free market. Well, it's not entirely Free Since they still must work around strict government rules, and it's more of a black market, but it is more free than what your typical American citizen lives in. Yes, they are breaking the law to do so, but ignoring the fact that they, or their employer, are breaking the law, or have to work around the laws, the image of a free market is still there. I'll give you some examples:

1. Illegal immigrants don't have to pay income taxes, pay into social security, or any of the other government mandated schemes. They still have to pay sales taxes when they buy something from a store, but overall, they'll be able to keep more percentage of what they earn than an American.

2. They can work bellow minimum wage. This is what makes it so hard for Americans to compete for lower paying jobs is because they will work for such low wages. Many of them will come here to work for a wage that no typical American could survive on, but they will take the money back home and thrive on it because it can go farther there.

3. They don't apply for government authorization documents. We get assigned a social security number, we get drivers licenses, and go through all of this government bureaucratic process just to carry out or daily lives. While many of them will obtain fake documents and break the law, they don't have to go through the same process we have to get these. The though that you have to get government approval to carry out the many things in your day to day life should anger anyone that loves the free market. However, many who say they support the free market, while supporting this war on illegal immigration, ignore the fact that this is what they are supporting.

4. They sell and transport drugs, weapons, and other banned items. Now, I'm not saying all illegal immigrants do this and certainly plenty of Americans do this, but I thought I would include this anyway. In a free market, you are allowed to buy, sell, use, or trade whatever you want as long as you aren't harming someone else without their consent. Everyone knows drugs are bad for you, but if you still want to take drugs, I think you should be free to do so. Government bans have no place in a free market. People against illegal immigrants will tell of horrible violence along the border, which is true, but it is from the war on drugs creating a black market, which is kind of like a free market, only it comes with many problems that a free market doesn't. A black market sells item x, which is banned, expensive, hard to obtain, and people live under the threat that government is going to lock them in jail. A free market sells item x, which isn't banned, cheap, easy to obtain, and there's no threat of going to jail. Black markets require the use of violence to stay in business. Free markets require peaceful competition to stay in business. Alcohol was banned at one time and we saw the black market explode and people killed each other over it all the time. It was then legalized and liquor store owners never kill each other to get ahead. I think later on I'll write a post devoted to comparing and contrasting the black market and the free market, but to stay on topic, I'll skip the long details.

5. Illegal immigrants are free to go as they please. When Americans want to cross into Mexico, we stop at a government check point, show papers, and get approval to cross over, or come back in. An illegal immigrant doesn't want to go through this process. Imaginary lines drawn on a map does not confine them to one area. The imaginary line that surrounds the area they came out of their mother in does not dictate what rights they have as a human being.

Now what I have just said is actually a black market instead of a free market. However, the only difference in the two is the presence of government rules. Most would think I'm crazy for making an argument to support the free market by using people that most think of as poor. However, they might be poor by American standards, but they are rich when compared to where they originally came from. The only reason they can't get rich here is because government rules won't allow it. It's harder for them to get an education without the right documents and it's harder for them to make lots of money without drawing attention and risk being deported. If we lifted government restrictions on them, they could flourish even more.

The main point I'm trying to make is that Republicans, Conservatives, and even some Libertarians that say they support a free market, but still support closed borders are missing a great opportunity. They see these people as a problem and want to punish them by making stricter government rules to prevent them from succeeding in life. I look at this see these free people not only surviving, but thriving under in a black market, which could easily be made a free market.

Americans against illegal immigration say they are a threat to jobs, so instead of doing away with minimum wage laws, income taxes, and other things that makes it hard for Americans to compete, they want to keep all that junk and spend more of our money to keep them out. If we were by some miraculous way able to keep them out, we would still be losing jobs in this country to countries overseas. I find it almost comical that the same people that want to use the government to protect their jobs from illegal immigrants will likely say how evil unions are and how much they hurt the economy. What bigger and more destructive union is there besides the United States Government? They see illegal immigrants as parasites on our welfare system, while ignoring the vast amount of American parasites who live on it. Instead of doing away with our welfare system and going to private organizations to help out people, we create more laws to discriminate who can and can't get help. They are afraid of all these violent illegal immigrants coming over hear and chopping people's heads off, so they want to put more money into border patrol and law enforcement to go after these people. They could end all the violence along the border and in most American cities overnight if they would end the war on drugs. Not only that, but they would be saving billions of dollars each year and freeing up jails for actual violent criminals like murderers, rapists, and thieves that threaten lives and property.

Instead of saying we should make these free people be more socialist like the rest of America, we should make America be more free like them. Bring ourselves to their level and let them be free and let ourselves be free from government rules. Let everyone compete on a level field for jobs. If we try to bring them to our level, we're going to spend billions, if not trillions more on border security and other government agencies to do so. Like the war on drugs, it will never be effective of stopping illegal immigrants. Besides that, we Americans will still be living under these same restrictive government rules. I say we make it easier for these people to come here by lifting the restrictions we ourselves live under. If we did that, the true supporters of free markets will be killing two birds with one stone.

FM Radio On Cell Phones By Law

I came across this article the other day. Basically, the music industry is in a dispute for more money from radio stations. To counter this, radio broadcasters are willing to agree if they get help to pressure the government to force cell phones makers to build FM receivers into their phones.

This is a clear example of how regulation really works. Regulation isn't about protecting the consumer, but rather, making money for businesses. FM radio and the music industry in general have been on the decline since the internet and cell phones became popular. They see cell phones as competition for business, so they naturally want to take control over cell phones and force their product on it. They can't do this using free market principals (since they suck and fewer people really want them hanging around), so they want to use the government to force it on them with laws. Using the force of government is the only way they can keep making money. I wonder if telegraph operators were this annoying back in the day when telephones came around to drive them into extinction.

If people actually wanted this in all of their phones, it would already be in place. There is no need to require this to be on all phones. It's not like millions of people are dying because their cell phones don't get FM radio. Most people's phones can play MP3s, Pandora, and access to the internet. Any information, or music they want, or need is already there. I don't know about you, but it's been years since I've tuned in to a local radio station. With all of this new stuff around us, who needs to? I'm not saying do away with FM radio, since there's some people that can only afford, or know how to use a radio, but if you're able to buy a cell phone, you really don't need an FM radio in it. It's like forcing you to buy a horse just because you own a car.

It's just a tiny radio receiver, so what's the big problem? Well, first off it's not right when people who aren't harming anyone are forced to by the government to do something, especially just so someone (the music industry and radio stations) who refuse to adapt to new technologies can be kept on life support, or just get more money than they're already getting. One regulation doesn't kill an inustry and free market, but where there is one regulation, there will be more...LOTS MORE. All those regulations can kill companies, prevent newer companies from starting up. Worst of all, they will create huge corporate monopolies that thrive in an ocean of regulation by drowning other companies in those same regulations. While I doubt requiring FM radios would actually make a cell phone company go under, it does put them under more pressure to have to comply with regulations.

Most people don't care that much about companies surviving(even though they should), but their main concern is how can it hurt them the consumer. Well, if it's mandated they have to put FM radios in their phones, then that will either add to the cost of the phone. It could make them design a phone with less features to fit an FM radio into it physically and economically. Adding an FM radio feature might drain your battery life faster. Besides, there are already phones out there with FM radio features if you want one. It's not like FM radio is some precious resource that cell phone companies are keeping you from enjoying. FM radio is like a dinosaur and should just go extinct already. Actually, now that I think about it, they aren't, since dinosaurs are still cool and popular. FM radio is like a dodo bird...

Outrage At Ground Zero

As most of you are probably aware, there are plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero. This has sparked outrage throughout the country among some people who think that it's offensive and some people even think they shouldn't be allowed to build there. A lot of people might be asking themselves if we have a Muslim problem in America. To that, I would say no.

However, it is far too clear that America has a hate problem and an ignoring real issues for ones that don't really matter problem. I find it outrageous that it's been 9 years since 9-11 and billions of dollars spent there and nothing has been built at Ground Zero! That's the story that should be making people angry. Oh, and while this story is the major headline, a Florida church is planning on burning Korans on 9-11. How about stop worrying about Muslims for a second and start worrying about this country making Hitler's Thousand Year Reich a reality. I'm not saying they don't have a right to burn Korans, but if you're going to be protesting people for doing something, this seems like something more important than building a mosque. If anybody is going to help terrorists recruit others, don't you think these book burners would be doing so? Terrorists are going to look at these stories and say to new recruits, "They burned your Koran and took away the freedoms of your fellow Muslims in New York. They hate your people and your Mosques. Here's your proof that America is evil and hates you. Now go kill them!"

I think a lot of the individuals who are opposed to this Mosque are so swept up in their own anger that they are too blind to see themselves for what they are. It doesn't matter if it's gays, Muslims, illegal immigrants, or whatever, as long as you aren't similar to them, they automatically hate you. There are Americans out there that don't judge people as individuals, but as a group. They will group together people based on the negative actions of a few individuals, or more often, what they think those people are like without really meeting with them. Human beings who aren't like they are will always be seen as nothing more than cattle that need to be rounded up and sent to the slaughter house. A lot probably wouldn't be willing to go that far, but if it did happen, they wouldn't feel any remorse about it. These individuals ignore, or are just ignorant to, the fact that innocent American Muslims died on 9-11; some even trying to rescue people.

With these haters, there is no "turn the other cheek". There is no, "Americans embrace freedom". Yes, we should speak out against radical Muslims that kill people and use their governments to oppress people, but these are those Muslims. If we don't change our ways and speak out against our people who want to do the same things the radical Muslims are doing, their hatred is going to spread and the only thing left in America anymore will be a bunch of crybabies that get offended over the littlest thing, or worse. I've studied history enough to know that America is looking a lot like pre-Nazi Germany right now. The economic crash and all of this anger and blame placed on minority groups for "causing our problems" is just like it. If we don't change, we will no longer deserve this Republic. We will no longer be the land of the free, or the home of the brave. We will have become cowards, scared of a few people wanting to build a mosque, or like Germany did, we'll become something much more horrible than just cowards.

Honoring Flight 93...By Stealing People's Land

On September 11, 2001, some passengers aboard Flight 93 fought back against hijackers, which eventually crashed the jet into a field in Pennsylvania. Their brave sacrifice saved countless others. Because of this, our government now plans to build a memorial and national park near Shanksville, PA dedicated to the passengers and crew of Flight 93. It sounds innocent enough, until you found out they are trying to use eminent domain to take land from people that don't want to give it up.

(SOURCE)

The plan is to set aside a 2,200-acres, and spend $58 million dollars to build the national park and memorial...by the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. Of course if it's like the 9/11 memorial in New York, they'll probably take the land and won't get it built for decades.

The people who died on 9/11 had their lives taken away and they should be remembered, but is taking away someones property the way to go about remembering them? I don't think that's the way they would have wanted to be remembered. I'm sure these families will be compensated and some might be fine with that. However, for some that have grown up on that property and have family memories there, how can you put a price on that?

If the government wants to use my money to buy land off of willing people to build a memorial to Flight 93, I wouldn't really mind that much. I think it could be spent on better things, especially now that we're in an economic mess. However, I think it's a dishonor and a disgrace to force somebody off of their land just to build this thing. If they cannot get it done with people voluntarily turning over their property, then I would rather not see a memorial at all than see a memorial tarnished by the use of force by our own government to get it built.