Illegal immigration is anything but an ‘act of love’

Illegal immigration is anything but an ‘act of love’

There sure is a pile jumping on former Florida Governor Jeb Bush for his recent statement concerning illegal immigration. Bush is on tape saying that crossing the border illegally is an “act of love.” To be fair, he said many things before and after those words but the basic argument boiled down to a need for amnesty in some form. Here is a good portion of Jeb Bush’s comments so you can see the answer in context.

“I’m going to say this and it will be on tape, and so be it. The way I look at this is someone who comes to our country because they couldn’t come legally, they come to our country because their family’s dad who loves their children was worried that their children didn’t have food on the table, and they wanted to make sure their family was intact. And they crossed the border because they had no other means to work to be able to provide for their family. Yes, they broke the law, but it’s not a felony. it’s kind of — it’s a — it’s an act of love. It’s an act of commitment to your family. I honestly think that’s a different kind of crime that should be, there should be a price paid, but it shouldn’t be — it shouldn’t rile people up that people are actually coming to this country to provide for their families. And the idea that we’re not going to fix this but with with comprehensive reform ends up trapping these people, when they could make a great contribution for their own their families but also for us.”

I’m not sure where to begin with this loaded answer filled with emotion and loftiness but lacking in practicality and basic math. I can empathize with families who feel like America is the land of opportunity that will lift them into a better life. Immigrants come to this country from all nations, most of which are in dire straights when it comes to opportunity, freedom, and economic growth. It isn’t that I can’t appreciate the plight of many people in this world yearning for a better life. Furthermore, at least Jeb Bush is being honest with his views on this subject.

However, back in the land of laws and budgets, America cannot afford this “act of love.”

What is so loving about putting health care facilities out of business because they can’t afford to keep treating illegal immigrants? What good is it to come to America if there are no hospitals in border states to treat you?

What is so loving about overcrowding schools with children who cannot speak English and, thus, make the entire class learn at a lower and slower pace? It isn’t because they’re not smart, but rather because they’re not able to learn at the same rate as the English-speaking students. We’re not doing our children any favors by churning out students educated at a lower level so that the non-English-speaking students can stay caught up with the class. No amount of money can fix this problem.

What is so loving about driving wages down for every American? Every time more low-skilled immigrants enter the country, they drive down the cost of labor for Americans in similar lines of work. It’s been documented over and over again that the worst possible affliction on the lower and middle class would be any form of amnesty or continued influx of unskilled, uneducated workers.

What is so loving about breaking budgets at every level of government to provide social welfare programs on the backs of working Americans? Why should tax-paying-Americans face tax increases and deficit spending to subsidize families who enter this country illegally? Many Americans, especially in the robust economy of President Obama, are already struggling to put food on their own table, let alone the tables of millions of immigrant families.

So please, Mr. Bush, explain how eroding our health care system, education system, labor market, and social welfare system is an “act of love” we should be eager to embrace? I think this issue needs to be continually hammered and discussed since it is becoming harder and harder to fight against this pro-amnesty march which has infiltrated the big-government, progressive wings of both major parties.

If Republicans want to win in 2014 and 2016, by convincing Americans they have a superior economic vision, I suggest they put this issue to bed moving forward.

Nate

Nate

Nate is founder of the blog YouDecidePolitics.com. He is a software developer by day.

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