[clue-talk] Immigration Gumballs

[Angelo Bertolli]

Kevin Cullis wrote:
> This is really scary.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ
>
> Here's the original site
>
> http://www.numbersusa.com/about/advisors.html
Is he referring to all immigrants, or legal ones?  If he's referring to 
only to legal ones, then the census numbers ought to reflect also the 
illegal immigrants, but it seems the gumball refers to the just the 
legal immigrants.  If that's the case, then you can see how the 
presentation is slightly misleading (although not wrong in its message). 

Another area that this may be slightly misleading is how we've had to 
construct new infrastructure--twice the amount as before, implying that 
us non-immigrants have to work harder to support immigrants.  This isn't 
true.  Having twice the population and twice the infrastructure just 
scales everything up by a factor of 2... twice as many people to work, 
with twice as much infrastructure.  However, this does not mean that 
it's "ok" because there still is the issue of clean air, water, and 
natural resources which must be shared.  Whenever we consider societal 
issues, we must always consider shared resources, and now our usage of 
those resources affects the whole and other people.

So then you have to ask yourself, why is it we have this "problem" on 
one of our borders but not on the other?  I think the answer to this 
problem that people often overlook because they're too busy getting 
scared of the individuals crossing over is that we do not have sovereign 
reign over other countries, and when Mexico plays "unfairly" we stand to 
lose.  So why does our government allow this, and who is winning?  I 
think what's actually going on here is that companies make money from 
this scenario, and therefore America does get something back:  we get 
cheap labor (in Mexico mostly, but that's why we need to be more 
diplomatic with them) which translates into greater profits and 
"prosperity" here.  But of course, it's not the individuals who are 
getting the benefit so much as it is the corporations.

So yes, it's a good thing to throttle immigration, and be strict about 
illegal immigration with policies that will make Mexico improve itself.  
I just don't think it's for the surface reasons that people think it 
is.  But if gumballs are what get people's attention, then so be it.

Angelo