Exactly right.
We do not need a system of identification papers.
We need a government that enforces the borders. We need a government that does not give money to people to people here illegally. We need a government that does not reward illegal immigration.
If we did not have such liberal welfare laws, illegal immigration would take care of itself.
With the Supreme Court taking up Arizona's "show me your papers" immigration law, we're once again thrust into a useful debate over the role of the government and the obligations of the citizen -- and non-citizen. Rather than come at it from the usual angle, I thought I'd try something different.
If there were one thing I could impress upon people about the nature of the state, it's that governments by their very nature want to make their citizens "legible."
I borrow that word from James C. Scott, whose book "Seeing Like a State" left a lasting impression on me. Scott...
You can always find a sob story, but, I served in the military, have worked and paid taxes my whole life. When I got laid off in 2008 I was not able to get any gov't help. I am still working half-time on average, and struggling with debt and no health insurance. WHY ARE WE WORRIED ABOUT PROVIDING HEALTH CARE FOR ILLEGALS WHEN THEIR BABIES STUPIDLY BECOME FULL CITIZENS ONCE BORN IN THE US. GIVE ME A BREAK.