Tom on Migrant History in the U.S.

 Now that the first wave of primary elections are over, national attention is being directed at the flow of migrants crossing the southern border. 

 House Republicans to tout the HB2 bill, which is a draconian set of regulations that would be dead on arrival in the Senate.  But Senate negotiators were nearing a bipartisan compromise that offered some, but not all, of what  each side wanted. 

Until today.  It seems that Donald Trump has forbidden any compromise because he wants nothing more than to use the migrant flows as a cudgel with which to beat Joe Biden about the head.  Remember that this is the same Donald Trump who promised a wall between the US and Mexico that would prevent illegals from attempting to cross the border; a wall that would be paid for by the Mexican government.  How much have they paid so far?  Nothing.   Mr. Trump is cynical in such a profound way that he puts almost all politicians to shame. 

The nature of the movement north from Mexico and Central America has gotten more global over the past quarter century.  It used to be that the migrants were from Mexico and some of the more. unstable and violent Central American countries,  such as El Salvador and Guatemala.  Some were seeking asylum, but most were men seeking work. They would sneak into the country,  work in agriculture and construction, and then go back home for the winter.  A notable success was the 'Bracero' program that ran from 1942 until 1964.  It admitted temporary workers to the US, initially to mitigate a labor shortage that resulted from the manpower demands resulting from WWII,and were extended for the next couple of decades, because the program served everybody's purposes.  One of the criticisms of the program was that it had the effect of lowering wages earned by Americans, but there have been studies that examined data sets from the period in question and determined that there were no adverse effects on wages earned by native workers. 

Over the years the composition of the migrant flow has changed appreciably.  While it used to be the case that migrants were from Mexico and Central America, an increasing number are from such exotic locales as Russia, China, and Venezuela, to name just a few.  Everybody wants to go to a western country for any number of reasons.  Some are in search of opportunity, others are fleeing ethnic strife, (this is especially true for many African migrants), and others are fleeing the effects of climate change.  Instead of viewing migrants as a lower form of life, looking to displace White Americans, we should look at them as a sort of crop.  America is a nation with a demographic problem: American women are not having enough children.  Our population is getting older, and this is a problem facing all rich countries.  There is opportunity to breathe new vigor inti the American economy here, and we would be foolish to cut off our collective noses in order to spite our faces. 

Mr. Trump reminds me of Phineas T. Bluster, the mayor of Doodyville on the old Howdy Doody show that was a staple of TV whenI was a kid.  The show always kind of creeped me out, because marionettes, like clowns, are intrinsically creepy.  Too many freckles.  Too cheerful.  They all have the jerky movements of someone affected by spasticity.  You get the feeling that if you fall asleep in the marionette's presence, you'll never wake up.