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I've been thinking again. I know some of my readers regard that as a dangerous thing. For instance, the guy who ended his last letter to me with a 'your hypocrisy knows no bounds'. I get these sorts of letters all the time.

But, I have been thinking and, of course, I have been thinking about America's obsession with shutting down the Mexican-American border. You would wonder why I don't tire of this rhetoric and the reason is simple. America needs the likes of your humble and gracious columnist reminding them to get out of that box of uncritical thinking and untested assumptions.

So here goes:

1. When last I wrote on this issue, I dealt with just one of the 'Let's-run-out-all-those-diseased-Mexicans-out-of-our-country group's axes to grind'The American health care system. I made the point that at last some studies are coming out which show that Mexican immigrants, legal or otherwise, are NOT sucking dry the American health care system.[1] More studies are needed. This one needs replicating (see this footnote[2]). More will be forthcoming I am sure.

2. Another issue that all the Minuteman Project groups and their ilk espouse is whether Mexican immigrants, legal or illegal, are destroying the American economy. The Chris Simcoxs[3] of this world would have you believe that immigrants of any kind are a bad thing all around. They go beyond the pale to try to make the point that Mexicans do NOT come to America to try to better their lives but to take back the portion of America that America stole from Mexico'they call them invaders.

Think about these few points:

' Most Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal, come to America to seek an opportunity to better their economic circumstances. If you hold a different view then show me the proof. Show me the evidence in the form of properly conducted studies with replicated results in additional studies and then we will talk.

' Did you know that less than 20 million Americans will visit Mexico this year as tourists? That is a mere drop in the bucket of those who could come and drop some money into the Mexican economy that would provide more jobs for those illegals who come to America to find work instead.

' Legals or illegals come to America to offer their ability to work. They understand that in order to 'get' they have to 'give'.

' The Minuteman Project and their kind claim to be anti-illegals only. That is suspect with a capital 'S'. However, for the sake of argument, let's give them the benefit of the doubt. Their ideology is that illegals are 'bad' for America'but is that really true?

' The untested assumption that illegals are bad economically for America is based on the false notion that there is only a certain amount of jobs available in America for anyone to perform. It is false because it assumes that what people want to consume is limited. When you understand that what America wants to consume in terms of goods and service is actually UNLIMITED then you will understand that the amount of jobs needed to provide America's ever increasing UNLIMITED desire for more goods and services will always be scarce. If surplus labor EVER occurs, look to the real cause'the government'not to the false notion that Mexicans are taking away all the jobs.

' What about the idea that illegals are sucking American health care dry? See footnote number 1 and read my article. But let's assume for the sake of argument that this is true. If illegals are sucking dry American taxpayer-funded social services then cut off the dole to illegals and American citizens as well. Stop the handouts to people who won't work. I am not saying to apply this to people who cannot work'the truly disabled deserve support. What I am saying is to stop the freebies and put an end, once and for all, to the welfare state! If the Minuteman yahoos really want to be patriots, then they should devote their time to getting rid of a system that caters to malingerers and nonproducers'illegals and American alike. Destroy the system that caters to the 'good-for-nothings' and they will no longer come. There will nothing for them to take advantage of!

WHY ON EARTH IS THIS NOT SELF-EVIDENT?

'If immigration overloads government services ' hospitals, schools, et cetera ' it's just another reason to privatize them. Do Wal-Mart, Kroger, and Blockbuster Video complain about a flood of new customers?'[4]

[1] Are Mexican's Really Sucking Dry American Health Care; Doug Bower; http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-Mexican-Really-Sucking-Dry-American-Health-Care?&id=54683

[2] Read my series on Phone-Baloney Detection Lessons at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Bower

[3] Co-leader and founder of the Minuteman Project

[4] Sheldon Richman is senior fellow at The Future of Freedom Foundation, author of Tethered Citizens: Time to Repeal the Welfare State, and editor of The Freeman magazine.