Newt's Novel Idea: Privatizing Immigration

Now, how about if we were to privatize immigration, and maybe have American Express, Visa or MasterCard run the show?

"I favor a guest-worker program and I would outsource it to American Express, Visa, or MasterCard, because they can run it without fraud and the federal government is hopeless," said Newt Gingrich, offering his novel idea during the CNN presidential debate Thursday.

Privatize immigration? Of course, Newt advocated it only for a guest-worker program. But, privatizing immigration of workers takes in a good portion of immigration, most immigrants needing work if they are going to stay here long.

And, if the federal government is so riddled with fraud and hopelessness in one portion of immigration, I imagine it is with them all. So, why not just privatize the whole thing? Maybe that, indeed, is what Newt was suggesting.

With such a program in place, Newt said, "You then say to employers, 'If you hire somebody who's illegal, we're going to have an enormous economic sanction,' because there will be no excuse once you have a guest-worker program that's legal."

Newt's suggested most undocumented people would go home under such a program, but would they? First, there would be a program in place, making it legal for those who are now illegal to be here. Second, by its nature, private enterprise drums up business. It sells all the product it can. If the product is entrance into America, it might even advertise it to bring more people here.

American Express: Don't leave your home country without it.

As a postscript, added Jan. 26:

For all its unique appeal, I do not favor privatization of immigration. Render to Caesar that which is Caesar's, or that to government that which is government's. This is a matter for government. Private enterprise would be no less apt to fraud.