The illegal immigration problem in America is not one easily solved but I think it is solvable. At least the Mexican problem may be solvable. But let's backtrack first.

The issue sprouted up when Republicans pushed a bill to get rid of the immigrants. After the outcries started they, the Republicans, flip-flopped a la Kerry and backed off that idea. But the idea is still valid: the immigrants are here illegally so get rid of them. Yet despite the validity of the argument, it simply won't solve the problem. Building and expanding the border wall with Mexico won't solve the problem either. Besides the cost in maintenance and surveillance, do we want the Land of the Free to look like the Berlin of old? How can Freedom and Democracy be compared to a mined "No Man's Land" between countries?

Wall or no wall, there will still be illegal immigrants. They see this country as one of opportunity and therein lies the problem and solution. The problem is that too many businesses here are willing to "hire" these people. What a choice: hire a legal American with all the inherent paperwork or "hire" an illegal for cash under the table. Bureaucracy loses every time.

Amnesty won't solve the problem. It's unfair to those people who played the process of becoming an American legally. Why should the illegals get to jump to the front of the line? If anything, amnesty demonstrates that the current process is too complicated.

Creating some sort of administration to oversee these people won't work. You'll get some people but, again, that choice of playing by the rules and dealing with a bureaucracy versus quick and easy looms up to favor the latter.

It's keeps coming back to business. There has to be an incentive for companies to not hire them or a reason for the illegals to stay in their own country. Doubtful that businesses can be completely convinced to not hire illegals because the odds of being found out is too slim. Kind of like cheating on your taxes. Odds are you'll get away with it. Sure you may eventually get caught, but for businesses the penalty can be easily offset by the profit in the meantime.

The solution is to make an environment where the immigrants can prosper at home. I think Vincente Fox was on the right track when he nearly signed a bill making drugs legal in his country. If he were to make, for example, only marijuana legal in Mexico, that would create a massive new market to exploit. You'd have jobs from bottom (growing) to top (oversight and taxation). You'd have a tourist industry similar to what the Netherlands enjoy but one that can take advantage of the proximity of the U.S.. In short, you have a reason to keep more illegals at home.

Even more reason: as the U.S. becomes more totalitarian, Mexico would boom by becoming a democracy of American dreams. As the U.S. removes the rights of citizens, Mexico should do the reverse. As the U.S. seeks to exploit it's Microsoftian position as THE world leader, Mexico should become the free rebel. By doing so, I feel the country will blossom. By having a nation where religious and political freedoms are truly free, Mexico could fulfill the American Dream and laugh all the way to the bank.

And the border? The Mexicans would have a hard time keeping us Americanos out.