Jonathan: Depends what you mean. If you mean:
(A) “No American is entitled to any American job. All jobs in America
should be up for grabs for anyone from the entire world willing to do
them…”
…Well, that may be a fine conservative principle, but lots of luck getting
elected to office on it. And I do not in fact believe it to be a
conservative principle. I believe it to be a crazy principle.
If, on the other hand, you mean:
(B) “It is not the government’s business to provide anyone with a job. It
is only the government’s business to provide a sound currency and a stable
commercial environment, so that lots of jobs will be generated…”
Then I’m with you, and we are both talking conservatism as I understand it.
The administration’s proposal of last week seems to me (and obviously to the
correspondent I quoted) to be uncomfortably close to (A).