wall/fence

DallasMorningViews | Rod Dreher:

“I don't think wall/fence opponents are afraid it won't work; I think they're afraid it will.”

Ed Cognoski responds:

Close, but not exactly. I think fence opponents want to see immigration reform. They want to see many more immigrants allowed into this country, legally. They want our immigration processes to be more efficient and more effective at attracting the workers, the students, the entrepreneurs that this country needs to remain competitive with the growing economies of Asia and the rest of the world.

Fence opponents fear that the fence builders want none of that. That the fence is just a step on a journey into isolationism. And that way promises only a long, slow decline for the United States. It's a slippery slope argument.

The best way to rebut the argument would be for Congress and the American people to compromise, to support a program that combines border control, increased legal immigration, and a crackdown on both illegal immigrants and the big businesses that benefit from the cheap labor.

But what's the likelihood of a compromise where everyone supports a little of what each other wants? Not very great. Compromise itself has become a dirty word in American politics. So, the pro-immigration faction will remain anti-fence and the isolationist faction will remain opposed to any guest worker program.