Marcy,
I think what you say here is correct in part. The flow of migration
will be towards areas of greater wealth and opportunity (I assume
that's what you mean by "greater resources," since Congo has fantastic
resources but I know of few people trying to migrate there).
However this trend won't equalize wealth in all areas, and wouldn't
have that result even if the entire planet were free of migration
controls. The wealth of a particular country is largely dependent on
how much freedom exists there over time. Freedom of movement is an
important freedom, and places where people are unrestricted in their
comings and goings will likely be wealthier, on average, then places
where relocation is limited, but as you know many other factors
determine societal wealth.
Of course if a lot of poor people suddenly migrate to a wealthy
nation, it raises the probability that any particular person you might
meet on the street there is poor. However this does not an indication
that many people in that country are losing money, or that the society
as a whole is becoming poorer. In fact, most are probably becoming
wealthier, because immigration is generally an engine of wealth
creation. It is one way in which the human ecosystem self-regulates,
matching people with resources and opportunities. Taking away the
ability to self-regulate and replacing it with government immigration
controls produces the kind of results usually seen when government
interferes in the economy.
Yours in liberty,
<<< Starchild >>>
Hi Starchild,
Huummm...Not really. The pros and cons of open borders, I think, fall
under
a different rule in economics: The flow of immigration will move
towards
the areas of greater resources, untill the resources in all areas are
equalized. Some people might not go for that.Marcy
From: Starchild <sfdreamer@earthlink.net>
Reply-To: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
To: lpsf-discuss@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lpsf-discuss] Re: Federal Nanny State Strikes Again - Using
Your
Tax Dollars
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 2003 18:00:07 -0800Marcy,
These are good points. A similar phenomenon can be seen when it comes
to immigration laws. Some people support such laws, just like others
support seatbelt laws, because they don't want to have to subsidize
anyone else's health care costs, insurance, etc. Like you said, it
doesn't mean we should stop trying to repeal immigration controls, but
we should acknowledge that support for such laws is fueled by the
welfare state spreading around the costs of personal behavior.Yours in liberty,
<<< Starchild >>>On Sunday, December 28, 2003, at 01:21 PM, Marcy Berry wrote (in
part):2. The key word in my comment on the article is "theoretically."
Unfortunately, in a welfare state such as the one we live in today,
we
are
all affected by "personal behavior," since we all pay for services
that may
be called upon to remedy the results of such behavior. We all pay
through
the tax system, in one way or another, for rescue vehicles, public
hospitals, state disability insurance, Medicare, Medical, etc. etc.
Also,
the market price of private services is also affected by the welfare
state;
HMO's and other private care providers are not allowed to pick and
choose
who they treat, so they must remedy the results of all behavior, and
spread
the cost to all customers.3. Do I think, therefore, that seatbelt laws and other such laws are
good?
Not at all. However, libertarian opposition to them should perhaps
include
a word of aknowledgement as to why such laws are easily enacted by
our
various legislative bodies -- people are just trying to cut their
losses._________________________________________________________________
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