Hell freezes over yet again

Those of you who follow this blog will know that this happens whenever I agree with Weblog Bahamas' Rick Lowe (and vice versa).

But his commentary on illegal immigration just makes sense. See below:

While the country has a major problem with illegal immigration and people should not break the law by hiring immigrants that are not entitled to be here, there must be more facts to be considered.

Why would people knowingly break the law and hire an illegal immigrant for example?

1. Could it be that the law is too restrictive on allowing them in within the legal frame work?

2. Could it be that minimum wage laws prevent the hiring of Bahamians for the same job?

3. Could it be that Bahamians no longer do the menial tasks that the illegals usually do?

4. Could it be that Mr. McCartney is simply grand standing for political points?

I suspect it is a combination of the above points.Our problems with illegal immigration by Haitians are very similar to those faced by the United States from Mexican's sneaking across the border looking for a better life.

However, they do not seem to be able to deal with the problem either.

As the Cato Handbook for Policymakers suggests:

"Any lasting solution to the challenge of illegal immigration must recognize the legitimate needs of American employers to hire the workers necessary to meet the demands of their customers."

Hopefully one day our policy makers will offer more serious dialogue when addressing such a serious subject.

Continuing to excite our base instincts with rhetoric, rather than examining the fundamental reasons for the problem will never solve this dilemma that crosses all political lines.

WeblogBahamas.com: Branville McCartney Bahamas Immigration Minister speaks out