Non-Voters, Not Illegals
Having put in a lot of time wrestling with the issue of "illegal" immigration, and seeing what kind of a practical nightmare it has become, I think I am compelled to post in my blog the solution which I have recently discovered.
I will begin with what now is, and then, analyze the problems that did exist in what has been:
An individual who is not a Citizen who comes into America from a foreign land, or by sea, is called a "Non-Voter". A Non-Voter is not considered an "Illegal", as the word has been tossed around so loosely in the past. While a Non-Voter is free to travel where one wants and offer to work where one wants, the Non-Voter status means that the individual can never vote in America for a person running for a political office or a proposed law on any ballot.
There are a few obligations that newly arrived Non-Voters have. A Non-Voter must be cleared of the three possible scenarios that can reject one's domestic American status:
(1) A Non-Voter cannot be a criminal on the run for a significant offense.
(2) A Non-Voter cannot be a carrier of a contagious, significant disease.
(3) A Non-Voter cannot be a spy planning or having carried out serious espionage.
The only other major obligation is that a Non-Voter must register for, and soon receive, a Federal State ID (i.e., an American identification). This is necessary because government officials, such as police or polling officials, have to know who a Non-Voter is and where that Non-Voter is residing.
Now, let's cross-apply the new "Non-Voter" immigration philosophy with the "Illegal" philosophy of the past:
Under the "Illegal" model, there are tens of millions of Illegal aliens in America. It has been said that no one knows exactly how many. I am just going to estimate it at 30 million. The "Illegal" school of thought says that America does not have to send back 100% for the rest of the "Illegals" to get the message. But, even if that would have the practical effect, consider what sending back just 3 million individuals would cost. It is not practical.
The focus is on what is best for America. And factoring in the boost to the U.S. economy--especially low-cost labor related goods--a massive number of working Non-Voters is a great thing. But, look also at the effect on the soon not to be denied neighbors. No longer does one have to live in anxiety of a midnight raid, or the next knock at the door. No longer is one lured into the only ways to make a little money, such as prostitution or the drug trade.
If one gives the argument that health care, government school, public housing, etc... is too expensive, I just respond that these things do not exist in government--neither for Non-Voters, nor Citizens.
And then there is the denied "voter status". Are these poor Non-Voters soon to be aching and wallowing in sorrow at their lost franchise? Certainly not! Imagine that you have been a hunted, hopeless want-to-be worker, never able to stay in one place for long. You would be glad to give up a vote. Look what you have to gain!
In summary, I want to demonstrate just one example that leads to everything that is now possible. The following is a hopefully soon to be adopted script for American Border Guards patrolling north of the southern border:
Border Guard: "Repeat after me." "I swear by my Honor that I will never vote in the United States of America for a person or law on any political ballot for the rest of my entire life."
Non-Voters: {Repeated vow}
Border Guard: "O.K. You Non-Voters are free to proceed."
Paul Wharton
Objectivist Capitalist Medicine Promoter