Saturday, February 16, 2019

Let's Discuss The 'Freedom Visa Proposal'

Saturday Mail Bag

As a follow up to my post, Countering the Socialists: The Five Freedoms Proposal, John K., an immigration attorney and hardcore libertarian, emails:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for the recent proposals. It is an important discussion to have to create a proper agenda that can be easily expressed to the population.

I thought I would add some analysis of the "Freedom Visa" since it is my field. My personal view is that the Free movement of people should be made as easy as possible. But that comes without expectations from the host community. However current laws make this impossible as free Medical Care and Education for all are essentially constitutionally protected rights.

Also, it would require increased enforcement of immigrants in case they don't participate. For example by getting paid with cash. This would increase surveillance of the immigrant population with further calls to eliminate cash.

Finally, would the immigrant worker need to have an employer lined up before getting the Visa to enter the US? Would there be a minimum salary requirement? Would employers be required to police the employees or post a "bond" in case they disappear? The current "E-verify" system already has anti-freedom connotations.

I don't mean the above to dimish your ideas. Just want to flesh them out to better prepare for opposition. The idea seems to be a vast expansion of the current H-1B program which is limited to less than 100,000 potential degreed beneficiaries in "Speciality Occupations." However, this program has received serious hate from the Conservatives so would open up an additional front in addition to challenging AOC type Socialists.


Best Wishes,

John K.

RW response:

Hi John, 


Thank you for your questions and comments.


The answers to many of your questions come in my rather nebulous in the below paragraph that appeared in the Five Freedoms post, especially the sentence I have now bolded:

Now, these proposals are aimed at the masses. Some of them have interesting secondary consequences, if you get my drift. And, of course, my desire is for freedom well beyond these proposals. I consider this Five Freedoms Proposal a modest first step. 
Indeed, there are many secondary matters that must be considered. I for strategic reasons only laid out the basic principle rather than lose the masses in details. I want them to adopt the basic principle. 

To use an example of how the Left uses this technique, the Green New Deal goes well beyond climate change proposals but the large majority of the masses have no awareness of this.

Indeed, when some of the specifics of GND were explained to students who supported GND, they rejected the specifics raised ( SEE: Students Love AOC's 'Green New Deal'... Until They Hear What's In It).

The idea is to get the masses accepting the basic concept and then working from there.

The basic concept being:
Hey, social security is in trouble we may not get our retirement. Let's allow foreigners to pay into the system with a 10% fee on their income that goes into paying our retirement not theirs. It's a lifeboat for us.
Now, I will get to some of the specifics you raise, although I believe most discussion should be only at the very simple level above, but for the occasional individual who thinks more than one step out, here we go:

I have put your comments in blue:

 [C]urrent laws make this impossible as free Medical Care and Education for all are essentially constitutionally protected rights.

One thing that is clear about the Constitution is that it is rubber law that bends to popular trends, so I am not concerned about the Constitution.

As for those that believe we should provide free Medical Care and Education to anyone who crosses our border, my reply is simple. We are in a crisis financial period because of decades of government mismanagement and we can't afford to add to the burden but rather we must try and lower the burden. If immigrants are willing to come here of their own free will and pay the 10% fee, why should we stop them, when it helps both us and them?

[I]t would require increased enforcement of immigrants in case they don't participate. For example by getting paid with cash. This would increase surveillance of the immigrant population with further calls to eliminate cash.

I don't believe this would be the case. Almost all employers withhold income tax from US citizens. The jobs where cash is paid are few and far between. Many illegal immigrants now get paid in cash because it is illegal for them to be hired by American employers. It would make no sense for US employers not to withhold the 10% fee and instead pay in cash. It would be a great risk for employers with no upside. The illegal nature of the current hiring of such immigrants is where the risk comes in for employers and why they pay cash. If withholding 10% eliminates that risk they get upside by hiring them under my Freedom Visa.


Thus, I would also see no greater call for surveillance or elimination of cash.

[W]ould the immigrant worker need to have an employer lined up before getting the Visa to enter the US? Would there be a minimum salary requirement? 


My argument here would be: Why should an immigrant need a job lined up to enter? The agreement is to pay 10% of earnings once they start working. Let them come here and find jobs as long as they can't leech off of us. 

As far as a minimum salary requirement. No. Minimum wage laws are always a bad idea .

Would employers be required to police the employees or post a "bond" in case they disappear? The current "E-verify" system already has anti-freedom connotations.

No bond. When they work the employer takes the 10% before they even see their 90%.

As for e-verify, it disappears, what would you need to verify? If it is an illegal that is already in the country, the employer simply makes him sign the Freedom Visa pledge.

The idea seems to be a vast expansion of the current H-1B program which is limited to less than 100,000 potential degreed beneficiaries in "Speciality Occupations." However, this program has received serious hate from the Conservatives so would open up an additional front in addition to challenging AOC type Socialists.

You bet it is a serious expansion of H-1B, with the elimination of the major hurdles that employers have to go through but added benefits for Americans (saving Social Security). You never know how conservatives will react but the pitch here, which is not part of H-1B, is that the Freedom Visa is the saving social security part--and every conservative I know is getting older every day and thus a day closer to drawing social security payments.

1 comment:

  1. The 10% freedom visa is brilliant because it disarms arguments on both sides. It also negates much of the complexity of a conventional welfare wall. My only contribution to the five rules is birth of baby from illegal immigrant does not automatically award naturalization. They should be made to wait for age of majority

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