Posted under Immigration
Ron Unz has written another piece for TAC. Like his piece on Hispanic crime (which turned out to be statistically incorrect), this article as well trumpets the pro-immigration talking points. This essay, however, does seem to be an improvement upon his previous article, as he does make some good points — such as about the “populaztion ponzi scheme” falling apart. And some of Unz’s momentum seems to be in the right direction (toward immigration reduction), which is a 180 from previous essays. Unz’s minimum wage scheme is plausible in theory (removing the cheap labor magnet), but probably wouldn’t work because big business interests (as he points out). But also, even if there were a higher minimum wage and few economic attractions (such as free hospital visits and free education), mestizos would probably continue to come to the US simply because of the higher standard of living. They have turned Mexico into a hellhole and want out. (In theory, we shouldn’t accept immigrants from any failed state. If they have ruined their own state, why let them ruin ours?) After reading the article in its entirety, one is left feeling that Unz is still up to his old tricks: grasping at straws to justify mass immigration (and more of it). What’s telling is his denouncement of restrictionist Republicans. How dare Republicans try to stop the tide of Third World immigration! And the glee with which he seems to celebrate the “end of white America” is quite disturbing. Although certainly other policies would be part of a realistic immigration reduction strategy (such as reducing incentives, a policy of attrition leading toward self-deportation, ending chain migration, ending birthright citizenship, paying immigrants to leave, ending all legal immigration, etc. — many of which policies Unz doesn’t discuss), enforcement and arrests would have to be part of the overall strategy, things which Unz seems to dislike. A display of force would help to expedite self-deportation.
David on 23 Sep 2011 at 12:37 am #
The American Conservative went completely downhill after Buchanan and Taki left and Unz bought the publication.
Matt Weber on 23 Sep 2011 at 1:29 am #
I found Unz’s article interesting, though too long and containing a few howlers. His minimum wage strategy, though, is completely implausible for reasons he himself gives. If business has the power to thwart immigration restriction because of its desire for cheap labor, then it has the power to thwart minimum wage increases as well for the same reason.
IanH on 23 Sep 2011 at 1:41 am #
I only go to TAC to read Daniel Larison’s blog. Everything else is forgettable fluff.
Brock Townsend on 23 Sep 2011 at 1:42 am #
Related.
http://freenorthcarolina.blogspot.com/2011/09/study81-of-texas-jobs-went-to.html
Kirt Higdon on 23 Sep 2011 at 2:55 am #
I found Unz’s article to be carefully researched and reasoned as usual. That does not mean I entirely agreed with it. I don’t believe that raising the minimum wage would significantly impact immigration one way or the other, but I favor raising the minimum wage and indexing it for inflation simply to prevent a steady erosion of the income of the poor and middle class, especially the young. I also don’t consider immigration in itself to be a problem. I interact in business and socially with the dreaded mestizos every day without any difficulties. One of the insights of Unz’s article is that the main difficulties across ethnic lines in this country are between blacks and whites, not whites and everyone else. Even more accurately, it’s between blacks and everyone else.
RonL on 23 Sep 2011 at 4:46 am #
TAC discusses immigration? That’s new.
Unz makes some good points on page 1. It’s all downhill.
Patroon on 23 Sep 2011 at 10:48 pm #
“If business has the power to thwart immigration restriction because of its desire for cheap labor, then it has the power to thwart minimum wage increases as well for the same reason.”
Bingo. But they won’t use such language to oppose it.
J on 23 Sep 2011 at 11:49 pm #
Great quote from email:
The problem with Unz’s argument is that he assumes that Hispanics will assimilate the same way whites have. But there is a bit problem with this argument. About 98% of the Hispanics coming to the US aren’t Western.
As others have quoted at other websites:
The CIA World Fact books puts Mexico at:
60% Mestizo
30% Amerindian
and
less than 10% European
Using genetic testing, Ruben Lisker has found lower-class mestizos to be:
59% Amerindian
34% European (oft. Spaniard)
and 6% Black
Average mestizo IQ: 86
These people are not Western.
Steve Sailer responds to Ron Unz | Conservative Heritage Times on 04 Oct 2011 at 2:20 am #
[...] Sailer has responded to Ron Unz’s piece, which recently appeared at TAC. Regarding the “Sailer Strategy” (aka, “the [...]