More on Arizona

The issue of illegal immigration is almost entirely about jobs.

Americans no longer want to do the back breaking work of picking fruit and vegetables, packing meat, unskilled construction work or landscaping - to name only a few. At least, they don't want those jobs at the wages that employers, driven by relentless pressure for cheap goods and services, are willing to pay.

Hence a plethora of jobs for illegal aliens. Without demand for their cheap labor, however, these migrants will go home.

Here are two possible solutions.

First, even though the Federal Government actively regulates business, the States have greater powers. In particular, they have the power to issue Certificates of Incorporation and of Registration as a Foreign (that is incorporated in different State) Corporation. One of those is necessary to do business in every State of the Union.

States, then, have ample opportunity to cancel the corporate status of entities that are found to have hired or contracted with, whether deliberately or negligently, illegal aliens who do not have the right work in the USA.

If Corporation risked being put out of business as a result of hiring illegal aliens, they would be much less likely to do so and that should materially reduce the availability of jobs for illegal immigrants. True, a shortage of labor would increase its cost but that is the nature of a free market.

A second alternative is for the Federal Government (it is preferable to have a national policy) to make it a criminal offense for an employee of a corporation to hire, knowingly or negligently, an illegal alien. A minimum sentence of at least one year in jail - no parole, no suspended sentence, no work release, no halfway house, no "country club" minimum security jail - would also go far to reduce demand.

Then add a 'The Buck Stops Here' provision to the law which would provide for jailing the Chief Executive Officer in the case of generalized and widespread violations. Such a provision would likely put an immediate stop to almost all unlawful employment.

Since politicians seem to be in thrall to large corporations, and the political contributions of their executives, the chances of any such reform are not high. Add the screams from consumers, who who will have to pay more for the goods and services that are supplied by businesses where illegal immigrants are widely employed, and the chances of effective reform drop to near zero.

The need is for politicians with courage who will dare to stand up to corporations and short sighted consumers. Right now, nothing is happening at the Federal level but, in Arizona, our liberties are under threat from would be authoritarians, who don't believe that the Fourth Amendment is necessary - or useful, and who seem to have forgotten why America was founded.

It would be nice if Arizona's politicians took heed of New Hampshire's motto:

Live Free or Die

Few of us think that uncontrolled illegal immigration is good for our country but our freedom must take priority. The ends do not justify the means.