2006-07-10

Modest proposal for immigration reform

Immigration is on everyone's mind. Some support it, others believe that the immigration taps should be closed off because the United States are getting full. Still others say that as US is a nation of immigrants, stopping the inflow goes against the very nature of our country.

While most agree that illegal immigration should be stopped (violation of laws, high incidence of death, support of underground economy etc.), what should the overarching goal of immigration policy be is not at all clear. Amongst immigration supporters, there is dissonance over whether poor, illiterate but hard-working Hispanics be allowed or not. Should the immigrants be chosen by national origin, technical skills, money to invest or some other process?

I would like to offer a new approach. I propose that taxpayers be the deciders. The process would be really simple. Every year, when taxpayers file their tax returns, the IRS shall issue an "Immigration Coupon" to every adult tax filer who is a US citizen and pays net income taxes. Every person who applies for immigration would have to submit a certain number of these coupons. People receiving these coupons can either use it for a close friend, gift it to some charity or a university, sell to the highest bidder or simply destroy it, thus preventing its use.

This would mean that instead of influencing the government to change the criterion for picking immigrants, the public would be responsible for their own coupons and everyone can have their own policy on what to do about immigrants.

Could be fun...