FQ.07.15: Favorite Quote for This Week

[Illegal] immigrants haven’t come here demanding a better life; they have come for the opportunity to earn it.  And although they make significant contributions to our national economy, they are being exploited by politicians seeking to capitalize on the xenophobic fears of uneducated Americans. . . However, from a selfish as well as a moral point of view, we should not seriously want to stop economically productive individuals from entering our country. . . In the future, the immigration of productive individuals to the United States may be absolutely necessary to ensure our economic well-being.
—Paul Zane Pilzer, Unlimited Wealth

Comments

[Counter Revolutionary]

Cost, costs, costs. For every productive immigrant they can bring in their entire immediate family (2-10) members. For every productive immigrant, they can request priority processing for secondary family members (2-N) members depending on the limit on visas. Health care, education, infrastructure, housing etc. are all impacted for that individual productive immigrant.

Not saying it's bad, just saying the numbers are deceiving.

[Atlantin]

re: "In the future, the immigration of productive individuals to the United States may be absolutely necessary to ensure our economic well-being."

You forget the IQ curve. Importing more and more "Latinos" with mean IQs descending from 90, Blacks from Africa IQ descending from 80 and the grab bag of South Asians and Middle Easterners with their IQs 85 to 90 mean will dilute out the mean IQ of the USA as the White Stock with a mean IQ of 100 is replaced. Is that what you want?

[Jason]

"capitalize on the xenophobic fears" i.e. comments #1 and #2.

When making conclusions concerning millions of people, at least post a link to some supporting data.

[Bob]

It is rare, perhaps non-existent, when I find myself in total disagreement with the message from this blog.

Anyone who had ancestors, like myself, that came to this country, learned the language, customs and history and helped make the country better while doing so, is justified in their indignation about the preferential treatment shown to those coming here from our southern border.

I have no qualms with anyone coming here to improve themselves and make a contribution.

I have major, major issues when federal, state and local governments and their politicians use this class for their own purposes. And, if one has no intention to learn our language, tradition, culture and history then they should not be welcome.

I could go on and on about this.

[Steve]

Looks like this quote struck a nerve or two.

It's from chapter 8 of the book "Unlimited Wealth." Key words: "economically productive." I support the English-speaking requirement. I support keeping "illegal" immigrants out -- after we modify our law defining who's "legal." We are currently keeping out the best and brightest; that's bad for our future.

More from the book: Only those willing to work should be encouraged to come; only those who are successful should stay; prospective immigrants, before arriving, should have a private sector employer willing to train and employ them.

I've written on this topic before:
http://www.optimist123.com/optimist/2006/04/choose_your_gas.html

So has Steve Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2005/0704/031.html?partner=commentary_newsletter

So has Gary Becker:
http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2005/10/many_more_skill.html

So has George Gilder:
http://www.fff.org/freedom/0496e.asp

So has Alan Reynolds:
http://www.cato.org/research/articles/reynolds-040112.html

Count me in their camp.

[Steve]

Update: The Onion has an interesting alternative idea for illegal immigrants:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/47956

[Jon Thompson]

Italians and Germans did not learn the language very quickly when they came to this country. They didn't accept much of the culture (and neither did the Italians) and they remained clannish and closed from the rest of the society for at least a whole generation.

The idea that the Hispanics coming to this country today are qualitatively different from the non-English speaking Europeans of years past is simply silly.

[Morgan]

I still advocate walls along the borders with very large gates through which very large numbers of immigrants can be legally processed.

There is lots of demographic, social, and economic upheaval in the world today. That means, inevitably, that a whole lot of talented, hardworking people will be looking for an alternative place to build a life. I'd just as soon it was here.

Attitudes toward work (and, more generally, life) count for a lot more than IQ, in my book. Come here to work, bring your entire extended family, for all I care, as long as they share your outlook. And from that base produce generations of strivers. It's worth whatever services we need to provide in those first few years.

[mike]

"""The idea that the Hispanics coming to this country today are qualitatively different from the non-English speaking Europeans of years past is simply silly."""

Well, that's because the idea is founded upon racism, not reality or historical accuracy.

It might be worth noting that both Italians and Germans were also on the receiving end of said racism. Turned out okay of course, since the loudest complainers generally have the least economic power and influence, while the ones with the most power & influence profit from new lower class labor.

That's the true definition of "assimilation" in this country - once your ethnic group has been sufficiently exploited economically and attacked culturally, you become an American. Even the original British colonists stood up to this test.

[Ariah]

All of the bad things people say about the Mexicans now are things that have been said about the Irish, Chinese, Italians, and Germans during periods when those racial groups were arriving here in large numbers.

Anti-Irish sentiment is particularly amazing to me because it was so fervent and widespread during the nineteenth century, yet it seems largely forgotten by Americans today.

According to the editorialists of a century and more ago, the Irish were quite a blight upon America. They were seen as ignorant, unhygienic, violent alcoholics who drove up unemployment by taking so many low paying jobs. Worst of all, they were supposedly assimilating slowly or not at all - while breeding more quickly than the "true" Americans, thus endangering our nation's future!

I'm sure that the bad things said about Mexican immigrants will seem equally ridiculous in a few generations.

[Dave Justus]

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free

[Thumpalumpacus]

1) Some problems with this quote:

"[Illegal] immigrants haven’t come here demanding a better life; they have come for the opportunity to earn it."

They haven't demanded it? Exactly what were the half-million strong demonstrations? Polite requests?

"....they make significant contributions to our national economy...."

Notice no mention of the substantial drain on our resources, from infrastructure to health care to overcrowded schoolrooms.

And while I generally agree with the gist of the quote, I prefer my immigrants to be law-abiders, as a general principal. They would seem to cause fewer problems.

2) CR's screed about IQs indicates a basic ignorance of the measurement. Stanford-Binet tests cultural intelligence, not raw processing power. Since cultural intelligence is transmissible -- and sheer idiocy isn't -- his point would seem to be based on skin color and not brain power. In assessing brain power, I should always opt for the latter standard.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Pardon me, that wasn't CR posting that IQ rant, and I apologize to him or her for my mistake. The person arguing a racial basis for IQ score was Atlantin.

I again proffer my apologies to CR.

[Bob]

I read all the links you provided, Steve. My thoughts:

No problem importing the geniuses.
Get 'em here pronto.

Some problems with importing cheap technical help especially if they are from a country whose government funds college. Why take on a college loan here when you're competing with that?

Read nothing that changed my mind about the problems with our southern border.

BTW, add SarbOx to the list of overreactions.