Rick Lowe
The Immigration debate in the US is no less emotional than it is here at home in The Bahamas, but as Professor Andrew M. Yuengert of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty puts it:
"The biggest burdens from immigration are not economic – they are the turmoil caused by the large numbers of illegal immigrants. Most Americans are rightly concerned about the chaos that illegal immigration brings to our politics and our legal system. Addressing the problem of illegal immigrants will solve most of our immigration problems, and will allow Americans to give fuller rein to their generous impulses toward immigrants."
He could very well have been speaking about The Bahamas. Just substitute the word "Bahamians" where he says "Americans" in the quote above.
Professor Murray Rothbard also proffers an interesting viewpoint? He wrote in The Ethics of Liberty that:
"…there is no right to immigrate but rather immigration should be by invitation, not invasion, as consistent private-property rights economics would dictate. In the exact opposite of what a market policy would be, the state forbids invited people to immigrate, but invites millions with no invitation from property owners." [More on Rothbard here…]
This is by no means a simple subject, and hence there is no easy fix, but if we can remain civil with our discussion and leave the ad hominem attacks aside, we might find some solutions surfacing. But clearly there is a need for a wide ranging discussion to influence public policy issues to helpn solve this important matter that has been put on the back burner for decades.
