Modern day slavery in the West

I was just obliquely trying to get at the thing about profitable smuggling to the US :noob:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aimless

They're less of a problem, as they can be machine-picked, right? Most of those come from California, a much better place altogether

---

Oh, that sort of criminal enterprise has happened here too. This is one of the unfortunate side-effects of lots of illegal immigration.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

That's empty rhetoric, no better than the one about ending our dependence on foreign energy. There is no "fix".

---

There are certainly ways to make it better, though.

Like not forcing our War on [some] Drugs onto the Mexican people, which we all know is responsible for most of the violence and instability "down South America way." Removing the biggest single cause of economic instability and violence from our Southern neighbor's shoulders would be a huge step in the right direction for Mexico, and would do our country great favors as well.

'Course, that's not gonna happen, because our elected tyrants are traitors who sacrifice their country's best interests for personal gain (which would be one of the definitions of treason, even). String 'em all up from the gallows and improve life for billions of people, says I. :sour:

Well, it's still nice to have dreams and fantasies. :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by LittleFuzzy

Oh, that sort of criminal enterprise has happened here too. This is one of the unfortunate side-effects of lots of illegal immigration.

---

Funny how that works, huh? You know, how when the state forgets about or ignores its duty to those under its charge, they end up horribly abused by evil men. :sour:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CitizenCain

There are certainly ways to make it better, though.

Like not forcing our War on [some] Drugs onto the Mexican people, which we all know is responsible for most of the violence and instability "down South America way." Removing the biggest single cause of economic instability and violence from our Southern neighbor's shoulders would be a huge step in the right direction for Mexico, and would do our country great favors as well.

'Course, that's not gonna happen, because our elected tyrants are traitors who sacrifice their country's best interests for personal gain (which would be one of the definitions of treason, even). String 'em all up from the gallows and improve life for billions of people, says I. :sour:

Well, it's still nice to have dreams and fantasies. :(

---

Sure, legalizing drugs might eventually reduce demand for some smuggled goods into the country, though any attempt to regulate the cost or availability of said drugs would undermine this objective. More importantly, there will always be things to smuggle into this country. If not drugs, it will be humans...And there's always money to made from smuggling cigarettes and to a lesser extent alcohol (to avoid taxes).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

Sure, legalizing drugs might eventually reduce demand for some smuggled goods into the country, though any attempt to regulate the cost or availability of said drugs would undermine this objective. More importantly, there will always be things to smuggle into this country.

---

Sounds like some of the arguments for why ending prohibition wouldn't work. To some extent, the genie's already out of the bottle, but on the other hand, maybe ending the drug war allows proper businessmen to step into that market and enforce contracts in that market in a court of law, rather than at gunpoint.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Loki

If not drugs, it will be humans...And there's always money to made from smuggling cigarettes and to a lesser extent alcohol (to avoid taxes).

---

Hey, it's almost like you know my position on "sin taxes" already. :p

The point is that changing in one policy in isolation to the others will just lead to a substitution effect, and we all know what are the odds of all of those policies being changed. :noob: