Swiss Deportation Suggestion

Hmmm. I'll have to think about this one.

The nationalist Swiss People's Party is proposing a deportation policy that anti-racism campaigners say evokes Nazi-era practices. Under the plan, entire families would be expelled if their children are convicted of a violent crime, drug offenses or benefits fraud.

Generally, I'm not a big fan of making a whole family pay for the crimes of one of its members. A wife, for example, is not responsible for the actions of her husband, nor he for hers. Though parents have incredible influence over their children, children do have free will, and parents can do everything right and their children still turn out bad.

"We believe that parents are responsible for bringing up their children. If they can't do it properly, they will have to bear the consequences," Ueli Maurer, president of the People's Party, told The Associated Press.

He explained that his party has long campaigned to make deportation compulsory for convicted immigrants rather than an optional and rarely applied punishment.

The party claims foreigners — who make up about 20 percent of the population — are four times more likely to commit crimes than Swiss nationals.

The point is that immigrants are guests in a country and not citizens. As guests, if they don't behave properly, they should be asked to leave, and be forcibly expelled, if necessary. We don't tolerate persons who refuse to respect us in our homes. Bars bounce people who are disruptive. Why shouldn't countries do the same?