Welcome Asylum Seekers Community of Tomorrow (WASCOT)
In 1966, Walt Disney announced to the world a plan for what he called the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). It was to be a completely functional city that housed and employed thousands of people in a modern, efficient manner to solve a public need. The city’s residents were guaranteed a place to live within the confines of a well-maintained and well-managed community, but would not own any property and could not vote on how the city was run.
After Walt’s death, the people in charge at Disney decided that lack of ownership and representation were significant impediments to attracting Americans who would live and work in EPCOT, and it was reimagined as something totally different. However, the original vision of EPCOT may be better suited to meet the public need of properly managing our immigration and asylum process in America. Immigrants and those seeking asylum do not have an expectation of property ownership or representation when they first arrive, and require the kind of community support we believe was envisioned by Walt to be safely processed and successfully transitioned into our society.
The creation of WASCOT will solve many problems associated with our seemingly endless immigration issues. Asylum seekers from multiple states can be relocated to WASCOT immediately upon entering our country. They will be welcomed and presented with a safe place to live, be able to meet with their legal representatives, and learn what they need to know for their future life should they be given the opportunity to live in America. Once their status is resolved, they will either be integrated into our society in an orderly fashion or sent to other destinations.
The infrastructure that supports immigration and asylum, including attorneys, judges, and courtrooms, will be located within WASCOT. Immigrants and asylum seekers will be given jobs, earning their spot in the community while they wait in the months-long queue we currently have for this process in a safe environment designed to fulfill the promise of America.
While addressing the logistics of our immigration and asylum process is important, the real benefit of implementing an effective process is economic. For decades, our country's workers have been contributing to Social Security and Medicare as a social safety net for their retirement years. As the "baby boomers" reach retirement age, we find an imbalance between those that contribute to these programs and those that consume them. With birth rates declining in this country, infusing our workforce with immigrants and asylum seekers means we will be able to fund Social Security and Medicare for generations to come. Ensuring the economic and medical security of our older population is respectful of the contributions they made to keep our society prospersous in their working years.
So, we have a purpose and a vision for what WASCOT could become. Our first step will be to perform a feasibility study to determine if there is sufficient interest in America to implement a workable solution to our decades-long struggle with our immigration and asylum processing issues. Our study will, at a minimum, address the following topics:
- Expected population inflows and outflows (based on immigration quotas and provided services).
- Land acquisition (perhaps with an independent special district status).
- Development planning (industrial, commercial, residential, farming, green space).
- Site evaluation analysis (desirable characteristics, environmental impact).
- Infrastructure improvements (transportation, electrical, water, sewer).
- Safety and services (police, fire, sanitation, landscaping, recreation).
- Business development (recruitment, considerations, marketing).
- Financial planning (sources of initial development and recurring operational funding).
- Social and political considerations (private and public sector participation).
As Walt said in 1966, “We don’t presume to know all the answers. In fact, we’re counting on the cooperation of American industry to provide their very best thinking during the planning and the creation” of our Welcome Asylum Seekers Community of Tomorrow. If we can bring together the technical know-how and creative imagination of American business and industry, we can create a showcase of the American free enterprise system that will treat the future citizens of this country with the dignity and respect that no other nation on Earth can offer.
If you would like to watch Walt's original 1966 EPCOT presentation, you may click here. While we question the wisdom of implementing a few of the ideas you will see, we believe the concepts presented will lead us toward a workable, sustainable solution to the processing of our immigrants and asylum seekers. Their orderly, safe, and humane entry into America will reinvigorate our country, enabling us to continue our leadership in the world as the shining city on the hill.