I don’t know why Trump is running for president. Candidates don’t run for office because they want to help everyone else. Nature provides no natural incentive to serve. Service to mankind that is devoid of self interest is rare. There is always a Mother Teresa somewhere but these kinds of people don’t run for president.

In the minds of many, the job of president includes the task of enforcing federal laws. There is a law on the books that makes it illegal just to cross a border and come into the United States. As far as I can tell, Donald Trump is the only candidate for president in many decades who sees the importance of enforcing laws.  Immigration laws are just part of the many laws that are enforced selectively.  Many laws that have to do with the financial markets are being overlooked completely. Consumer laws are enforced if someone with political power wants them enforced. If enforcing a law is perceived to be bad for profit, then no one sees laws being broken.

So, what we have is a huge set of federal laws that are enforced selectively. Folks wonder why people at the bottom of the pyramid have lost respect for the law. It is not just those at the bottom of the food chain. It is everyone in the country. Should we make a list of laws for which enforcement is optional? Perhaps immigration laws should go on the top of that list.

Which is worse, a candidate who promises to enforce the immigration law or a candidate who promises to help people break it?

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