Progressives Have A Third Way on Immigration

Thom Hartmann, via Common Dreams, gives us "Today's Immigration Battle - Corporatists vs. Racists (and Labor is Left Behind)" that makes tons of sense to this Progressive. He is citing Caesar Chávez and writing with his heart and mind. Except maybe that the "racists" label in the title is a bit too global for me. I do think many "law and order" types are motivated by "racism" or "nativism" or other nasty thinking yet perhaps not all. Mr. Hartmann argues,

Every nation has an obligation to limit immigration to a number that will not dilute its workforce, but will maintain a stable middle class - if it wants to have a stable democracy. This has nothing to do with race, national origin, or language (visit Switzerland with it's ethnic- and language-dived areas!), and everything to do with economics.

Without a middle class, any democracy is doomed. And without labor having -through control of labor availability - power in relative balance to capital/management, no middle class can emerge. America's early labor leaders did not die to increase the labor pool for the Robber Barons or the Walton family - they died fighting to give control of it to the workers of their era and in the hopes that we would continue to hold it - and infect other nations with the same idea of democracy and a stable middle class.

The simple way to do this today is to require that all non-refugee immigrants go through the same process to become American citizens or legal workers in this country (no amnesties, no "guest workers," no "legalizations") regardless of how they got here; to confront employers who hire illegals with draconian financial and criminal penalties; and to affirm that while health care (and the right to provide humanitarian care to all humans) is an absolute right for all people within our boundaries regardless of status, a paycheck, education, or subsidy is not.

There's a middle ground maybe yet I think this is more of a third way. I'm doubtful the DC crowd will have the wisdom and courage to try this approach but we can try. More to follow on immigration! Peace ... or War!