 Open Borders: Left of Center View The open borders debate has been ongoing at the fringes of the immigration debate since 2000 when then president of Mexico Vicente Fox suggested that the time may have come to open the borders between Mexico, U.S.A. and Canada in order to promote better trade between our countries. At the time then candidate George W. Bush and his counterpart on the Democratic side Al Gore were somewhat skeptical of the idea and the matter was not given much time in the race for the White House. Now that we are once again looking at the immigration issues facing our nation, it may be time to give the issue more time and consideration than it has been previously given. While some isolationists would have you believe that there are no upsides to the opening of our borders they do not explain that opening our borders could actually improve the security of our nation by having vested partners in a regional economy in Canada and Mexico. When the economic interests of our nations are all dependent on one another, it becomes in the best interests of both Canada and Mexico to keep America as stable as possible. Likewise it becomes in the best interests of America that we lend assistance to Mexico in identifying and eliminating the criminal elements that have undue influence in the local governments in Mexico. As those elements undermine the authority of their federal government, the presence of a strong partner such as the United States would likely be welcomed in a directed effort to eliminate the unwanted criminals from their country. Also, by working with the Mexican and Canadian governments to improve the security of all three nations, we make it more difficult for terrorists to penetrate our borders. The net result is the equivalent of extending the US border by thousands of miles making it that much harder for terrorists to threaten our cities. The argument that these countries would weaken our economy does not stand up to closer scrutiny when you consider the equilibrium effect that typically occurs over time when economies converge. While there would likely be some wage drops in some industries in the U.S. there would also be increases in other areas in Mexico and Canada until wages stabilized overall. With the free flow of labor across borders, we would have all the benefits of skilled labor from all countries being available to our companies. By eliminating the need for illegal immigration, the number of undocumented people in the US would drop and our tax base would increase as a result. At the same time, the companies across the borders would have to compete for skilled labor so job opportunities across the border would be present for American workers with wages driven up by competition for the labor between the companies on both sides of the border. The flow of less expensive consumer items from our neighbors would also lessen the cost of some items we use every day making our dollars go further. Things such as less expensive Canadian drugs and Mexican textiles would filter into our stores at the same time our bigger ticket items were filtering into the other countries' markets stimulating our manufacturing and lowering our cost of living. Eventually, the region would have an overall stable economy with opportunities for people across the board. Perhaps the time is right for America to put aside the ideas of fear and hate and look at how we can work with our neighbors to make the region work better for everyone. L.J. Finstermore - World Citizen | E-mail Comments on this column. Got a liberal viewpoint? We want to know what you think. Next week's subject: Driver's Licenses for Undocumented Immigrants Send in your view from the Left to be our featured Left of Center View for the week. Click here to submit your article. Last Week's View from the Left: Sanctuary Cities Previous Weeks Views from the Left: Common Sense Laws Rise & Fall Outsourcing & Insourcing English Amnesty vs. Reality Defining Immigration |
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A Plan
The one major thing that seems to be lacking in the immigration debate is a real plan that addresses the legitimate concerns with illegal immigration. There are strong opinions on both sides and a lot of rhetoric but there isn’t really any solid plan being promoted to address the illegal immigration issue in a way that is both fair and logical.
So, that being said here is my idea:Read More
Trucking Cross Borders
This is mainly a concern for the trucking business. If we allow these people to come into our country, bringing cargo that we in America have, and can supply, then we are saying that the American working people are not needed, and have lost all say to legally enforced DOT (Department of Transportation) laws.Read More