5 ms·
What about fairness to existing residents.
by zxcmx 6y ago
What about fairness to existing residents.
- hh3k0 6y agoPlease elaborate, as I fail to see how freedom of movement and residence would be unfair to them?
- zxcmx 6y agoI live in a country with nationalised healthcare and a strong welfare system. About 75% of gov expenditure is pensions and welfare. If the borders were completely open then it is likely this system would collapse or perhaps be forced to introduce the idea of "second class" citizens with tiered benefits. It's possible this might not happen but as far as I know the experiment has never really been tried. There's a lot more to nations than just "land and freedom of movement". There's a regulatory climate, political system, local culture(s), defence, social contracts. It feels to me a bit like you are handwaving away all the "hard" parts of being a nation. The half-way solution is to restrict immigration those who can demonstrate they'll contribute and not be a drain on locals (i.e, not divert too much resource away from existing citizens who currently benefit from and support the system). It's very divisive and a compromise that leaves many unhappy. Interested in your thoughts on balancing universal benefits with open borders.
- Tade0 6y agoCompetition for real estate comes to mind. Housing prices in e.g. Zürich and the surrounding area are already insane. There's something fundamentally sad about being priced out of the place you grew up in, let alone the country.
- iliketosleep 6y agoAlso competition for jobs. I know of one instance where a country fast-tracked permanent residency for those who study accounting. Guess what happened? There's now a glut of accountants and real wages have dropped.
- boomer_joe 6y agoNo such thing - To the kind of people you just replied to, a cultural identity and homogenous, well educated society means nothing.