Scott Porad

I don’t know very much about immigration, and it’s possible that I’m out of my depth here, so forgive me in advance.

I do know is that every one of us is the sum of our ancestors, so unless you are a Native American, then you are an immigrant too.  In other words, it behooves us all to be more compassionate on this issue.

And, I also know that our country is built on the backs of immigrants…it always has, and despite what people believe, continues to this day.  Immigration is the fuel that allows us to enjoy a continuing high quality of life.

I learned this morning that today is the first day of a new immigration policy by the Obama administration that allows children who were brought into this country illegally to prevent being deported for two years.  Yay Obama for being compassionate!

This reminded me of a proposal by a conservative friend of mine (yes, it’s true…some of my best friends are conservatives!) for how to solve the problems of illegal immigration.  I’ll do my best to represent it faithfully here…

In a nutshell, he suggested, that if you are in our country illegally you could apply for some sort of permit which would allow you to live and work here legally.  In an instant, just fill out the paperwork and you’re in.  The string attached?  Until you get legal residence you will have to pay the maximum income tax rate.

If you think about it, that’s a pretty interesting tradeoff.  As someone here illegally, you get a legitimate path to legality, and in exchange you pay a premium to enjoy the benefits and services of living in America until you’re an legal resident (or whatever the official terminology is for that status).

Seems fair to me…what do you think?