Here are some thoughts I want to present, along with an opportunity for others to chime in.

We’ve all seen the pictures of the tragedy going on in Haiti. We also know that Haiti is perhaps the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere (although my money on that is actually Cuba; but I digress). All attempts by the U.S. to provide Haitians with the ability to elect a responsible government have failed miserably. Haiti as a nation looks like Detroit. On steroids.

There is a way to fix this problem, at least in the long term. Invite Haiti to be a part of the United States. Maybe as a semi-autonomous territory at first, like Puerto Rico, then maybe later as a state if they want to be one. Yes, I understand there would be issues with this as leftists would do what they could to maintain the victimhood status of Haitians, as they do with Detroit. But Haitians don’t have the kind of axe to grind that the politicians of Detroit try to perpetuate there. We know that legal Haitian immigrants have contributed mightily to the United States.

What this also does is get Haiti out from under the failed thumb of the UN. UN peacekeeping missions do absolutely nothing to get a failed state like Haiti out of the misery its in. I would argue that they help perpetuate the misery by encouraging “victimhood”. Where in the world have these kinds of actions actually helped any nation?

Sure, there would still be corruption, especially in the short term. But Haiti would then be under the purview of United States law. Much as we complain about it, our federal laws are much stronger than those of Haiti’s national laws. It would also give Haitians the real security to set their own direction as a territory and perhaps as a state.

One of the criticisms from others in the Western Hemisphere will be the notion of expanding U.S. imperialism. That will come from the Castros, Chavez, Ortega, Morales, and the usual leftist jerks running their countries into the dirt. There might even be some push back from trading partners like Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and perhaps even Colombia. The Dominican Republic, Haiti’s neighbor on the island of Hispaniola, may feel threatened; they must be assured U.S. interest in offering Haiti to be a part of the U.S. will not expand to there. It must be explained that this is an invitation, not a usurpation. If Haiti says no, then the no must stand and the U.S. butts out. But if they say yes, there would be all kinds of benefits to Haiti, as well as the U.S.

An invitation like this shouldn’t be made lightly. Geography has to be taken into account, so we can’t just make these invitations willy-nilly. But I think it would work for Haiti.

Let me know what you think.