By Dr. Harold A. Black
blackh@knoxfocus.com
haroldblackphd.com
Just to make sure that I am fair and balanced, I read some of the left-wing press. It seems to think that the border crisis is some made up right wing fantasy concocted to keep the base inflamed. I wonder if the authors have ever gone to the border and talked to the citizens there? Well unlike the president or vice president I went to the border in November – albeit to deer hunt near Eagle Pass, TX on a 16,000 acre ranch. There the border crisis is real. The rancher, his wife and his three teenage children all have 9mm pistols strapped to their legs. He has electrified the area around his housing compound and lets his dogs patrol the perimeter at night. His trail cameras show young men – both Hispanic and African – in camo with backpacks on his land. He confronts trespassers who want water, food and to charge their cell phones. When denied they often get threatening. His family has operated the ranch for generations but he says that the past year has been unlike any he has seen and has been pure hell. They find dead bodies, evidence of sexual activity and drug use. The border patrol is overburdened but is trying to do its job. The rancher showed me a chart with the number of illegals caught in mid-year exceeding those apprehended the previous year. More troubling, the illegals were from over 100 different countries. Who knows how many were not caught.
The question is why does the left want open borders and illegal immigration? Some democrats say that the increase in the flow of immigrants will lessen inflation by depressing wages. This is idiotic and likely cause the opposite as the burden on welfare programs will increase. Another is that the democrats see the illegals as a pool of new voters. Is this true? Cuban-Americans knowing too well the horrors of socialism tend to vote republican. Many of the illegals also have experienced socialism firsthand. It is doubtful that they sympathize with Bernie Sanders and AOC. The illegals from the countries to our south are mostly Catholic. Given the teachings of their church, I wonder if they support the abortion-on-demand-up- to-and-until-birth position favored by the democratic party, including the CINOs (Catholics in name only) like Biden, Pelosi and Sotomayor. Consider that the citizens along the border are predominately Hispanic and want the inflow of illegals to stop. Local municipalities are overburdened. The ousting of Hispanic democrat politicians by Hispanic republican ones in local and congressional races should send a warning to the left that their strategy is not working.
The last reason why some democrats favor open borders is probably too esoteric to be taken seriously. Some academics have postulated that open borders would lead to the lefts’ dream of a guaranteed annual income. This would come about by overwhelming the current welfare system. However, I don’t view this as a plausible explanation. First, it would call for the elimination of all welfare programs. This won’t happen because of the huge constituency of people who make their living by servicing the poor that would be thrown out of work. Second, the leftists in congress such as Bernie Sanders and AOC are not deep thinkers and would want a continuation of current welfare in addition to a guaranteed annual income. Lastly, a guaranteed annual income would not eliminate wealth disparities. Since we all have different tastes and preferences, much to the dismay of the naïve left, we could all have the same income, but have very different wealth.
