Don't blame it all on Mexico

Let's face it, when people talk about illegal immigration, they are usually referring to folks coming from Mexico. They speak about how illegal immigration is straining our resources. Rarely do they mention how over-population in general is stretching us thin.

It is also worth reminding ourselves that illegal immigrants don't only come from Mexico. Many "illegals" come from across the oceans on first-class flights, with money in the bank and family businesses awaiting them, and with little intention of assimilating into our culture. These immigrants are here just as illegally as those captured in the desert. And some might have worse intentions. At the very least, they are adding to our population problems.

I understand that conditions and fears in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas might be different than in Virginia, and that those states have a right to protect their interests. But we also have to fess up to why a lot of Mexicans are currently fleeing their country. The drug wars have escalated. Drugs are big business in Mexico largely because of Americans buying the illegal substances. If I were the father of kids just across the border, and dozens of people were being killed weekly by drug lords, I'd do anything to get my family to safety in the U.S.

I am not saying that we don't need to get control of our Southwest border, but we also should understand that over-population, fear and lack of opportunities are root causes for many things that ail us globally, and no security fence or ethnic profiling policy will stop that. Whether the population explosion is fueled here more by illegal immigration or by our own overflowing American maternity wards is almost irrelevant. The end result is the same -- too many people competing for limited resources. No one country can provide a haven for an endless stream of consumers in need of everything from jobs and health care to clean water and personal safety. Our infrastructure won't support it. Our tax structure can't pay for it. Yet, we need to hold on tightly to our sense of decency.

President Obama spoke about Arizona's bill on illegal immigration today. He's not a big supporter of it. He is putting a lot of the blame for "misguided" laws on the federal government's lack of a coherent policy regarding immigration. I agree that it is time that we have one cohesive and fair policy that addresses all immigration from all countries, regardless of ethnicity, wealth or how illegal aliens got here. And that law needs to be enforceable. I also believe we need to rethink population strategies on an individual and global level. That will be a much harder nut to crack.