Americans asked to abandon Draconian fingerprinting plans
So it seems that the government currently presiding over the former British colony of Virginia are planning to collect digitally-recorded fingerprints of all foreigners entering and departing the country after August 2009. The reason: to prevent people entering the country illegally by making all visitors traceable to the local police.
The airlines and the EU, along with several other countries, claim it will cost $12.3 billion and mean that private companies will be required to enforce immigration and border security laws. More than 24 foreign carriers and about eight US carriers have halted operations, gone out of business or sought bankruptcy protection, and the situation is going to get worse if fuel costs continue to escalate.
The Bush administration wants the plan rushed into action. It claims it will only cost $3.5 billion, and points out that tourists and other foreigners can't vote anyway.
While the discrepancy of projected costs is expected from opposing sides of the debate, there seems something peculiar about handing security control over to private companies-the airlines will require security personnel. While the Border Control Guards are able to carry out a job that has been performed by government-appointed officials for as long as transportation has existed, any airline personnel dragged in to assume this role are going to become an additional cost for the airline, and, by extension, to the passenger.
And what for? A country, itself founded almost entirely upon large-scale immigration from other countries, wants to keeps those borders sealed up, y’all! Never mind that illegal Mexican immigrants have actually benefited the Californian agricultural industry, or that many electricians and construction labourers are migrant workers. Or that the only people who have any right to defend the borders are the indigenous Americans.
There seems to be some huge problem with the perception of illegal aliens taking “American jobs”. In reality, they are given jobs that have lower wages than those mandated locally, often in areas of employment that involve undesirable working conditions and minimal payment. Disguising racism as the favouring the preservation of local economies is dishonest and unhelpful when the impact of such policies affects the aviation industry, innocent business travelers and tourists.
Can this country still be affectionately called the "Land of the Free"? I remain optimistic, but only time will tell.
The airlines and the EU, along with several other countries, claim it will cost $12.3 billion and mean that private companies will be required to enforce immigration and border security laws. More than 24 foreign carriers and about eight US carriers have halted operations, gone out of business or sought bankruptcy protection, and the situation is going to get worse if fuel costs continue to escalate.
The Bush administration wants the plan rushed into action. It claims it will only cost $3.5 billion, and points out that tourists and other foreigners can't vote anyway.
While the discrepancy of projected costs is expected from opposing sides of the debate, there seems something peculiar about handing security control over to private companies-the airlines will require security personnel. While the Border Control Guards are able to carry out a job that has been performed by government-appointed officials for as long as transportation has existed, any airline personnel dragged in to assume this role are going to become an additional cost for the airline, and, by extension, to the passenger.
And what for? A country, itself founded almost entirely upon large-scale immigration from other countries, wants to keeps those borders sealed up, y’all! Never mind that illegal Mexican immigrants have actually benefited the Californian agricultural industry, or that many electricians and construction labourers are migrant workers. Or that the only people who have any right to defend the borders are the indigenous Americans.
There seems to be some huge problem with the perception of illegal aliens taking “American jobs”. In reality, they are given jobs that have lower wages than those mandated locally, often in areas of employment that involve undesirable working conditions and minimal payment. Disguising racism as the favouring the preservation of local economies is dishonest and unhelpful when the impact of such policies affects the aviation industry, innocent business travelers and tourists.
Can this country still be affectionately called the "Land of the Free"? I remain optimistic, but only time will tell.