Corporatist interests groups that donate heavily toboth political parties, as well as left wing ethnocentric advocacygroups have been some of the strongest advocates for open borders.
Fifty years ago California was a paradise where people from acrossthe country and the world were attracted by a pleasant climate,plentiful affordable open space, and a great standard of living. Todaythe State has a $42 Billion Deficit and a dwindling middle class. Muchof our open space has been destroyed by urban sprawl and many oncemiddle class comminutes are now rundown gang infested slums. The Stateis becoming like a third world banana republic with a widening gapbetween rich and poor and a declining middle class.
Both Liberalsand Conservatives love to point fingers at each other, as to who isresponsible for the state’s mess we are in. In reality both left wingsocial engineering, as well as greed often defended by Republicanpundits is destroying the State.
I have always considered myself someone with a strong sense ofrugged individualism as well as a strong supporter of property rights.However our state has faced destructive changes that force us tore-evaluate our land use policies. The attitude of most conservativesand libertarians has traditionally been that people should be able todo what ever they please with their own property. That was fine fiftyyears ago before the Immigration Act of 1965 along with lax borderenforcement opened the floodgates to millions of people, many of themattracted to California because of its allure and multitude ofopportunities.
Policies promoted by the left and special interestsuch as the powerful Teachers Union have destroyed our urban schools,driving middle class families out of the cities, further contributingto urban sprawl. Corporatist interests groups that donate heavily toboth political parties, as well as left wing ethnocentric advocacygroups have been some of the strongest advocates for open borders. Manymembers of the conservationist organization, The Sierra Club wanted theorganization to recognize the affects of massive immigration on theenvironment. However the organizations leadership caved into politicalcorrectness and pressure from left wing advocacy groups and their WallStreet Financiers.
Greed on Wall Street along with socialprograms promising loans to those who were unqualified has created theforeclosure crisis in suburban California as well as subsidizingunsustainable development. The combination of over development, greed,and the massive immigration advocated by both the left and big businessour destroying the quality of life in our state.
Liberal areas ofthe state, particularly the Bay Area have elected some of the strongestadvocates for open borders in the Nation. However on a local level theyhave done an excellent job preserving open space and the historiccharacter of their communities. Slow growth policies coupled withhigher wages has deterred the massive over population that has plaguedthe southern part of the state. Southern California on the contrary haselected many hard liners on immigration. However the regions recklessgrowth and disregard for open space and historic preservation justifiedby their laissez faire philosophy has spoiled the region.
I havebeen accused of being anti capitalist by conservatives for supportinglimits on growth, as well as a xenophobe by liberals for wanting toenforce our immigration laws. Liberals must re-evaluate their supportfor massive immigration and the damage it is doing to the environmentand working class. Conservatives must be for conserving our naturalresources as much as our fiscal resources instead of what is best for aquick profit.