Stopping illegal immigration would mean that wages would have to rise to a level where Americans would want the jobs currently taken by illegal aliens.
Thomas SowellRead
Once you buy the argument that some segment of the citizenry should lose their rights, just because they are envied or resented, you are putting your own rights in jeopardy - quite aside from undermining any moral basis for respecting anybody's rights. You are opening the floodgates to arbitrary power. And once you open the floodgates, you can't tell the water where to go.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote warns that allowing some people to lose their rights due to envy endangers everyone's rights and invites arbitrary authority.
Thomas Sowell's quote elaborates on the dangerous precedent set when a group of people is stripped of their rights based on societal resentment or envy. By suggesting that it's acceptable for certain citizens to lose their rights, one invites the risk that their own rights may be compromised in the future. This perspective encourages a moral obligation to uphold the rights of all individuals, as permitting the erosion of rights for some undermines the integrity of rights for all and paves the way for unchecked power.
Themes
RightsJusticeFreedomPowerSocietyEnvyMorality
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate on civil rights, this quote can emphasize the importance of protecting everyone's rights.
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Why is history important? Without history, many people have no idea how many of today's half-baked ideas have been tried, again and again - and have repeatedly led to disaster. Most of these ideas are not new. They are just being recycled with re-treaded rhetoric.
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