In reply to the message dated 5-17-10 at 11:47:
1. The sort of authoritarian government necessary to pull off the enforcement scheme you propose would add further disruption to the economy already racked with the proposed national sales tax and add disincentive to risk home, capital, and reputation of entrepreneurs.
For example, the Soviet Union didn’t fall because of Ronald Reagan’s defense budget. It fell because the burdensome regulations, Central Committee five year plans, and its army of bureaucrats made economic distribution of scarce goods impossible. Shortages and repression caused the USSR to collapse.
Overly burdensome regulation will make the United States fall for just the same reasons. In fact the roots of this depression are the result of regulation causing the price of loanable funds to not be reflected by the interest rate. Your tax, regulate, and punish scheme will cause misallocation of goods because the catalectic price of goods will not be reflected in the cash register price. Remember, taking in account the cost of regulation, fines, taxes, and hassle are wedges between customers and firms.
This violence and aggression of this tax enforcement scheme simply is not well advised. Did something happen in your childhood that makes you hate people who peacefully exchange good and services?
The reduction of your argument seems to be that you don’t like Mexicans (because they are the bulk of illegals in Arizona and California) so we should trash the economy with aggressive taxes and bureaucrats with attitudes and guns. Perhaps you should rethink your premise.
2. Your sophisms about tax enforcement do nothing to defend your point (like the comments about collecting fines for car registration among others) therefore further response from me is unnecessary.
3. We clearly have been invaded neither by Mexico, China, Ireland, nor any other nation. Invasion involves a declaration of war, little men in green fatigues carrying carbines, and whatever bits of hardware the Mexican (or whoever) army can piece together. I think we would have heard about another army crossing our borders on Fox News, but alas no news. If they did, however, I’m reasonably sure one National Guard platoon could pick off most of the Mexican military.
But, the people coming across the border to pick lettuce and strawberries do not have rank, affiliation with an organized military, nor is there any conceivable threat that they will. If, however, these immigrants choose to violate your private property, please feel free to defend it. Uncle Sam is broke, corrupt, and incompetent. I’m not sure old Sammy is up for the job in light of the previously mentioned resources they seem to be vacuuming out of the economy and achieving so little success.
It makes no since to continue to dump enormous amounts of money in a failed policy.
I am sure, though, that the economic damage caused by federal, state, and local governments through their strong-arm tactics and economic predation far outweighs the cost of immigration. Oh…actually that was researched and it was estimated by the Heritage Foundation that stopping immigration would cost $171 billion in lost GDP , 1,000,000 jobs for legal workers, and $60 billion in income for US workers. These are costs in addition to the violence of the state.
If failing hospitals are the problem, privatize them and let them say, "no freebies." Hospitals are going bankrupt because the government meddles in every aspect of their activities (just or not) and limits competition.
4. You ask, “Therefore, you would be willing to fight & die for your country as many have done before us?” You seem bent on getting me killed in some battle with illegals or in some foreign war. No, I would not fight or be killed for someone’s xenophobic attitude or for the vanity of a politician. Murder is a sin. Therefore, I would fight for the South’s natural right of secession in the War of Northern Aggression and in the Revolutionary War but nothing in this or the last century. If someone tries to aggress against me or my property, however, they better come well armed because they are in for the fight of their life.
5. The Political Correctness which makes us do silly things like print multi-language tax forms is a problem which must be dealt with. It has little to do with immigration. Instead it has to do with politicians who couldn’t find their crack with both hands and who pander to constituent groups like LARASA.