Opening up borders: An idea economists tend to love and politicians detest

We already have a surplus of labor in this country, adding more labor would further depress wages. I'm all for the concept of open borders (people being free to go wherever they want), however until several reforms are made it would be a complete disaster. The first step would be ending the war on drugs, you can not have open borders and war on drugs at the same time. The second step would be returning manufacturing to the US, if you can bring back enough jobs that there is an actual shortage of labor... open borders wouldn't necessarily hurt the people the American government is supposed to be serving. Third, and perhaps most importantly, we need to develop a system that ensures workers receive a living wage and benefits like sick leave despite market conditions. Imports from countries that do not have such worker protections would need tariffs to level the playing field.

I am not a learned man on this subject, nor can I back up my assumptions on this subject with data or the studies of learned academics. But never stops anyone from commenting so it won't stop me.

Any course of action may make absolute sense, if only looked at from one perspective. The President has cabinet members who are charged with viewing any national policy issues from their own parochial point of view. Good Presidents, with good advisors, and good cabinet members form courses of action that form the optimal solution. Most likely there will be trade-offs. What economists favor may be bad from a national security perspective, or for good order in heavily impacted neighborhoods ill-equipped to assimilate overly generous immigration quotas..

Furthermore, too much, too fast, may alter the characteristics of the nation in a way objectionable to the prior inhabitants. If you don't think so, ask the American Indians. (I'm not trying to be funny).

Finally, an American centric point and American elitist point of view that I hold after years of international travel, rarely spent in "tourist havens". Democracy (or a representative Republic) requires a certain level of individual responsibility/accountability, a certain level of mistrust of centralized authority, a certain level of risk taking, and an irrational belief in the ability to overcome any obstacle.

I have been in countries where the local population has one of those by the bucket, but they are ALWAYS fatally weak in one of the others, or are strong in the first three but have an incredible fatalism and tolerance for the status quo.

I believe that America is becoming fatalistic and tolerating the status quo. I offer the current slate of Presidential candidates, elected Federal officials, journalistic ethics, and growing acceptance of governmental dependency. If this does not change, I fear "government of the people, by the people, and for the people" will be a failed, ridiculed, and "discredited" historical joke in less than 100 years.

Like I said; no supporting references, no empirical data and clever analysis, just a heartfelt belief.

No open borders, that only invites economic strain on the host nation..immigrants can come here and there is a process, use it..