Peggy Noonan on Imigration

[Chris Alger]

The non-sequitur queen at it again. Typically without a shred of evidence, Noonan contends that today's anti-immigrant zealots are a new breed concerned primarily with abstract rule-of-law issues instead of the fears and prejudices that have driven their movement for the last 150 years. Policy makers who fail to recognize this truism are therefore "unknowing and empty-headed."

Nearly every GOP pundit that opines on immigration fails to mention the obvious: illegal immigration is GOP policy. "Illegal" immigrants come here because they are aided and abetted by highly visible employers who give them jobs. If the U.S. didn't want the immigrants to come, they'd tax or punish the employers to the point where the jobs are no longer economical to provide. The GOP doesn't do this because immigrants help more than hurt and the GOP isn't in the business of screwing small employers. We could rationalize the policy with the sort of guest worker programs they have in other rich countries, but racism and xenophobia make it politically infeasible. The GOP trick is to capitalize on the hatred without having to hurt the employers. Peggy Noonan's insinuations that current immigrants are more often cynical lawbreakers now than at any time in the past is just another speech insert for GOP demagogues. After all, it's her job.

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they'd tax or punish the employers to the point where the jobs are no longer economical to provide. The GOP doesn't do this because

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Taxing is meant to raise revenue, period. Not to control other peoples lives, businesses, who they hire, or what they spend their money on. The GOP doesn't target taxes like this because the basic belief in economic freedom doesn't escape them too often.

[Chris Alger]

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Taxing is meant to raise revenue, period. Not to control other peoples lives, businesses, who they hire, or what they spend their money on. The GOP doesn't target taxes like this because the basic belief in economic freedom doesn't escape them too often.

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No one with a passing familiarity with the tax code believes this. To note the most famous example:

"Affordable housing is in the national interest. That is why the mortgage interest deduction for primary residences was put into the federal tax code and why tax reform of
any kind should continue to encourage homeownership."

From the GOP's 2004 platform.

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Typically without a shred of evidence, Noonan contends that today's anti-immigrant zealots are a new breed concerned primarily with abstract rule-of-law issues instead of the fears and prejudices that have driven their movement for the last 150 years.

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We could rationalize the policy with the sort of guest worker programs they have in other rich countries, but racism and xenophobia make it politically infeasible.

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Just wondering, Chris, if you, in light of the above, differentiate between those who oppose illegal immigration and those who oppose legal or all immigration?

Surely there can be those who oppose illegal immigration who are not motivated by racism or xenophobia--no? One simple reason might be the desire to keep out those with totally unknown backgrounds, especially criminal; another might be the long-standing preference for immigrants with advanced job skills, money or education--not wholly unreasonable preferences.

[Chris Alger]

Some people no doubt "oppose" illegal immigration for no other reason than its illegality, and to the same degree oppose illegal tax deductions, traffic violators and the like. But "illegaltiy" is obviously not what's driving this issue and the respect accorded "legal" immigration -- which largely involves highly educated, skilled workers -- is a smokescreen.

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One simple reason might be the desire to keep out those with totally unknown backgrounds, especially criminal

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Americans live without a care in the world about the "totally unknown" backgrounds of their neighbors. The obsessive concern for background checks for immigrant laborers reflects the mentality I was referring to.

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Some people no doubt "oppose" illegal immigration for no other reason than its illegality, and to the same degree oppose illegal tax deductions, traffic violators and the like. But "illegaltiy" is obviously not what's driving this issue and the respect accorded "legal" immigration -- which largely involves highly educated, skilled workers -- is a smokescreen.

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One simple reason might be the desire to keep out those with totally unknown backgrounds, especially criminal

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Americans live without a care in the world about the "totally unknown" backgrounds of their neighbors. The obsessive concern for background checks for immigrant laborers reflects the mentality I was referring to.

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I don't see how you can fairly claim this, or fairly assert that most Americans oppose illegal immigration because they are racist xenophobes.

In your prior post, you wrote:

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We could rationalize the policy with the sort of guest worker programs they have in other rich countries, but racism and xenophobia make it politically infeasible.

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Don't we offer visas and work permits and green cards already?

There are myriad good and valid reasons to oppose unlimited illegal immigration. Racism and xenphobia are not among them, nor even at the forefront of most Americans' concerns: because if racism and xenophobia were at the forefront, then most Americans would oppose ALL immigration, legal immigration too--not just illegal immigration--but they don't.

I think you are viewing too much through a racism/non-racism lens, and are unfairly attributing negative characteristics to the average American. You are also making it sound like there are no good reasons to oppose illegal immigration; when in fact there are, and they are plentiful.