Open Borders would be suicide for America. It would sink our lifeboat.
Just so we are on the same page, Open Borders means people can enter a country and settle there without government restriction.
That means as many people who want to come, could.
And how many people might that be?
Gallup says 158 million. Read down a few paragraphs.
America’s current population is 330 million. The 158 million would be an almost 50% increase.
How in God’s name could we handle another 158 million people?
How could their needs be met, even for the basics, the fundamentals?
Where would they work? Can we wave a magic wand and create millions of jobs, irrespective of their skills? We can’t, and a massive surplus of labor would result in lower wages. That’s simply supply and demand.
If they can’t work because there are no jobs, how can they feed themselves? And if they can’t, can we?
How about schools for them and their children?
How could we build enough schools for them and staff with teachers and support personnel?
Next, housing. Where would these people live, assuming they could buy a house or pay rent to a landlord? And if they did not have the money for that, where would it come from? Imagine 158 million more people living on the streets. Nightmare city.
Next, health coverage. Our medical system seems to be staggering now. How could it cover another 50%?
Do you find the image of people dying in the streets appealing?
I am talking about common sense numbers. It’s got nothing to do with race, religion, gender, or nationality. It’s got nothing to do with the morality of immigration, just the actual numbers.
And the numbers say, “No, we can’t.”
Think of the United States as a lifeboat — as many immigrants rightfully do — with 48 seats, and Americans now fill 35 of them.
We have room for another 13 people.
If 13 people arrive, fine.
We might even take 18, with some squeezing.
But if 24 show up, they sink the lifeboat and everyone drowns.
OK — I can hear you say, “But 158 million won’t show up at one time.”
Probably correct.
Let’s be generous and say only 10% show up — 15 million.
The U.S. will get some 2 million undocumented people just this year and we are scrambling to feed and house them,
That’s just 2 million. Now imagine 15 million.
And that’s just in one year. Imagine 15 million every year.
How soon before the lifeboat sinks?
All my life I thrilled to the words of Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, “The New Colossus.”
Especially to these lines: “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
I was thrilled because she was describing my grandparents, whose memory I honor for crossing the ocean and coming to a strange land so that later I could be blessed with the incredible gift of American citizenship.
But Lazarus’ words were poetic and not policy, and, back then, America’s needs and space were different. My grandparents came by the rules that were then in place. And they didn’t just waltz in. Immigrants were stopped and screened at ports of entry. Many were detained for political reasons, and many were deported for health reasons. The process could be brutal.
Today, the Biden administration doesn’t even screen for covid.
Today’s immigrants — excluding those who seek asylum — often sneak across the border or overstay their visas. (I covered asylum, mostly fraudulent, in an earlier post. )
This is about sheer numbers and our ability to absorb them.
We admit about 1 million legal immigrants a year — far more than any other nation. The vast majority are nonwhite.
Can we admit some more? Probably.
15 million more? Never.
Open Borders is suicide.
Yesterday’s piece and today’s. Help me understand – not what you wrote (agree 100%), but how these staggering numbers and consequences are not seen by the president and his policy supporters. Any eye opening comments (not attacks) are welcome.
P.S. my grandparents also came to America (1906) using the proper channels.
A,
In the ’50s & ’60s, our Italian neighbors would go ‘back home’ every so often. The y would take back to Italy cases of Light bulbs, toilet papers, dry goods, can goods. Things that we took for granted but were non-existent in the old country.
In the ’90s when Poland was gaining its freedom, my buddy would ship clothing, dry goods, light bulbs, etc to his families village. What wasn’t taken by the Russian border guards eventually made it to the village. One time we sent bedding and then I found out just how bad things were over there. When a villager was getting married, the women would sew together a goose down mattress for the newly wed. No sheets, pillows, nothing else. It went on the dirt floor. Those sheets that we gave away were the talk of the village . No one had ever seen such a set.
There is still a lot of poverty and ghetto in the world.
Tony
As I said, they feel virtuous about allowing “poor people” in. The further Left, the less concern about the law.
And is there a reason why you don’t use a name? Most people here do.
HAPPY TUESDAY !!!
pallie,
All true.
Everyone of us is borne from a foreigner. Even the real people. Those that you call, Indigenous, can trace their lineage back through Canada, then Russia.
FACT: The U.S. has always squandered big bucks in foreign countries. Sometimes, we got something in return, sometimes not. Had we ‘invested’ in the people of those countries, then we would not be in this predicament. People in the ghettoes of the world would love the opportunity to actually live in our ghettoes. Most of the world’s ghettoes do not have anything close to health accommodations. No sanitary, no running water, no nothing. Have you ever been to the hills or outlying areas of a tourist area ? I doubt it. In the islands off of our east coast, housing is built from whatever can be found. If a person is lucky ( American relatives ), the house is built from wood or cinder blocks. Maybe electricity ( a light bulb ), maybe running water. No windows and a dirt floor. These are the conditions of our southern folk back in the 1800s and early 1900s! Of course everyone wants to come here.
I mentioned before that I had spent time in England with family. His dream was owning a mustang. They all heard that our streets were paved with gold. Obviously a slight exaggeration on his part, but the gist of it is that we are better off than most of the world.
If we continue with open borders, it will be our demise.
Tony
Everything you say is so true. But we have to elect people who will not continue with these open border policies.
First of all, who is advocating for open borders? I simply have not seen anyone do that on either side of the political coin. I am pretty liberal, and I certainly am not in favor of this. Second, why this obsession with immigration suddenly right before an election cycle? Seems kinda convenient right now, doesn’t it? Aren’t there other important issues we should be concerning ourselves with? Climate change anyone? Has anyone noticed that U.S. manufacturing is making a comeback? Inflation is rampant worldwide thanks to a global pandemic. Why is it now all about immigration? Can you guess?
It seems like Mr. Freeze is suffering from a bit of Brain Freeze…
Respectfully, from what I’ve seen, it seems to be a permanent affliction.
I should worry about putative climate change instead of the immediate crisis brought about by MILLIONS of illegals crossing non-existent US borders? Talk about swallowing elephants and choking on fleas!
What’s so sad is there are millions of people like freeze that vote. God help us.
Danny Boy, do not forget a majority of the voters voted against the orange-skinned SOB in both elections.
Yes dummies like you and freeze. How’s it working out for everyone. You never have a thought of your own. All you are is a kiss ass.
As explained yesterday, Sanctuary Cities are de facto Open Borders.
Under Biden, this year we will have 2 million more. Few are sent back.
If you can arrive here illegalLy, or with dubious claims of asylum, and you can STAY, that IS Open Borders.
Why this obsession suddenly before an election. Maybe you should start reading other sources of news, beside what is being spoon fed to you.
This has been a concern from 2021 through 2022.
Not sudden at all. Just stating the truth.
I have been writing about these subjects for 20 years, irrespective of election cycles.
People do pay more attention near elections, because candidates often mentiin them.
I’m always amused ( SARCASM ) by our uncle sam, in particular, about this topic of illegal immigration.
Follow the facts. We just inherited two MILLION more relatives ( human race ). It is safe to say that most are – by our standards – uneducated. Technically, you can not work if you don’t have the credentials. What do we do with them ? A conservative COST number is about TWENTY THOUSAND per person ! That’s supposed to be per year for life. Throw in education, health and welfare and the serious medical issues. Don’t forget pregnancies.
We are stuck with these illegals. Should a deal be struck to grant legal citizenship then it’s a done deal. We do not need or want immigrants that are not productive and a plus to our society. It is our country and those are our rules.
As I stated before. Stop the problem in the third world countries. Trump was right. Stop giving everyone a hand out. Accountability and responsibility should be the focus. A dictator does not need another house or yatch. The poor villagers that exist in shacks that decent housing. Think about it. During a war, we absolutely destroy a country. After the war, we rebuild that same country with infrastructure that they have never seen. Why can this not be done in third world countries. Eliminate the graft, greed and corruption ant the world will be a better place.
Tony
The orange-skinned SOB got the court-ordered review he wanted of documents seized from his Mar-a-Lago home as well as his preferred pick for a so-called special master to carry it out. But less than a month in, he has complaints about how that review is taking shape.