Columns

Private property provides solution
BY HOWARD J. BLITZ, A LIBERTY MOMENT
Sep 19, 2006

With increased incursions and violence along the Arizona-Mexico border and the increased number of deaths in the Southwest desert and now on the highways, individuals need to look at the principles America was founded upon for a solution to illegal immigration.

Private property rights, ridding America of its current welfare state, reverting to the great republic America once was and adhering to the basic principle in the U.S. Constitution of limiting government to very specific and enumerated duties would go along way to reducing illegal immigration.

Government's responsibility is not to protect its citizens. Rather the primary function of government is to protect the inalienable rights of the individual as stated in the Declaration of Independence. By following the principle of private property rights, the individual then becomes responsible for protecting his own property.

The so-called immigration invasion can then be addressed through private ownership of all property, resulting in each individual being responsible for protecting his own land.

However, government owns more than 50 percent of the property in the United States and about 85 percent of Arizona, making it very difficult for individuals to maintain and be responsible for their own possessions. In other words, government is now in the position of protecting most of the assets in the United States. This violates the limited authority given to it in the Constitution.

With government owning such a large percentage of the nation, it also now interferes greatly in the lives of individuals through the welfare state.

The welfare state requires an increase in the number of laws, rules and regulations, resulting in increased illegal activity. With the increased amount of illegal activity must come an increased amount of military and law enforcement personnel. This results in increased violence and death.

There was a gigantic immigration invasion in the early part of the 20th century, but there was not much of an uproar over it. The reason for this was the United States government adhered pretty much to its constitutional duties, was a republic instead of the empire it is today and today's welfare state was practically nonexistent.

Military personnel were not stationed on the border and individuals were free for the most part to travel and trade as they liked. America had essentially an open border and an open immigration policy. Less violence and death and less criminal activity ensued.

If peace, goodwill and less violence and death are the objectives, the government must relinquish its hold on the vast amount of property it owns in order for individuals to be responsible for their own property.

It must also rid itself of the welfare state that has been created so individuals are responsible for their own lives. The government must stop being an empire to the rest of the world and revert to the republic it was established to be and adhere to the limited functions it was given in the Constitution.

Illegal immigration then becomes a non-issue and greater peace results because freedom and individual liberty exist.

Ricardo Valenzuela, adviser to the recently elected president of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, will be the featured guest at The Freedom Library Annual Education Forum Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Booth Machinery conference hall located at Araby Road and 30th Street. Valenzuela is president of Liberty Americas Foundation in Tucson and a former rancher, banker and editorial writer. His topic will be “The Future of Freedom in Mexico and Its Impact on Arizona and the United States.”

Also, Thursday night at 7 at The Freedom Library the Yuma Freedom Discussion Society will view a feature length film entitled, “A More Perfect Union — America Becomes a Nation,” depicting the creation of the U.S. Constitution. The public is welcome. It is free of charge and refreshments will be served.

Howard J. Blitz is a local libertarian and president of The Freedom Library Inc., 2435 S. 8th Ave. His e-mail address is info@freedomlibrary.org

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