The following excerpt is from an article by Fareed Zakaria in Newsweek:
...Polling on immigration has been remarkably consistent over the past few years. The American public wants tighter enforcement of the laws but also realizes that the system now in place is unworkable. Consistent two-thirds majorities favor a comprehensive overhaul that would include tighter enforcement, but also guest-worker visas and a path to citizenship for illegal workers already in the country. This compromise package has the potential to be realized after the elections. After all, how many issues are there today on which George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Ted Kennedy and Rudy Giuliani all agree?
The great obstacle to immigration reform has been a noisy minority. Only about 20 percent of voters, mostly but not exclusively Republican, are dead set against a guest-worker program as well as any path to citizenship for illegals. But they are active primary voters, which means that their influence has been vastly enhanced (and exaggerated) during the campaign season. Come Tuesday, the party will be over. CNN's Lou Dobbs and his angry band of xenophobes will continue to rail, but a new Congress, with fewer Republicans and no impending primary elections, would make the climate much less vulnerable to the tyranny of the minority.
On the contrary, it will make enormous political sense for all sides to come together and cut a deal...
Comprehensive reform is the only way forward. Enforcement only or first will not work. Laws that pay no heed to the forces of supply and demand end up as costly failures. (Think of Prohibition.) The good news is that this is a rare case where good policy and good politics could come together.
For the full article click here.
15 comments:
What the author is failing to mention is the impact of immigration on US population growth. We are now over 300 million - the 3rd most population nation in the world, with the population growth rate of a 3rd world nation. The European and modern industrialized nation are all pursuing population stabilization programs with low immigration rates. The US would be wise to do the same.
And I disagree with the author about "Lou Dobbs and his angry band of xenophobes". Whether he is implying that Lou is himself a xenophobe or merely associates with xenophobes, the message is unclear. In any discussion, when you cannot compete with logic, you resort to namecalling. The author is providing no alternative to Lou's logic.
Besides, he like the "warrior princess", as do I, and he's not afraid of her at all.
Lou Dobbs is an ratings demagogue on the immigration issue.
He twists and ignores the incovenient facts and slants his commentary on immigration in order to sell books and follow the Fox ratings-grab gameplan.
Lou is not on Fox, but rather CNN.
What inconvenient facts does he ignore?
Nobody said Lou Demagogue was on Fox.
His attempt to compete with Fox for ratings, leads him to draw from the same anti-immigrant well as the Know Nothings in the House leadership.
Over the next 30 years more than 70 million Americans will pass away due to old age the population is on the verge of its biggest decline in history.So please dont be fooled by numbers counting on us all liveing for ever and America is one of the biggest land masses on earth so dont panic just yet
I actualy care about this country
get over your fears dont pass them on
Jason Tyler
Jason;
I suppose you think all the fuss about global warming is bogus as well.
Global warming is a real problem we need a planet for all these immigrants to live on.Someone has to buy your sweet candy shop
Jason Tyler
Not sure what Jason thinks about global warming, but we do know that anti-imigrant folks like soon-to-be-ex-Senator Santorum were in serious denial of global warming.
Jason;
Well my point is that the fact of 70 million Americans dying over the next 30 years should not be considered in isolation. These folks have offspring, etc. The more important number is the net addition (subtraction) to (from) the total population. If 270 million people are added over the next 30 years, and 70 million die, the net gain to the US population is 200 million. This will bring us up to 500 million. Hardly the "verge of its biggest decline in history" that you fear.
Candy shop, The first point most Americans have much smaller familys these days that is why our population is droping . The real numbers we now have 300 million in America we let in 1 million immigrants a year we average 1 million babys born a year ,
over 30 years thats 60 million we will have droped 10 million in thirty years ,with over 70 million passing away due to natural causes
If we want to keep our econemy going as we are used to we need to bring in around 3 million immigrants a year just to keep ticking ovet with out growth
Jason Tyler
Jason;
It's more like 3 million per year (roughly) 1 million births; 1 million legal immigration; 1 million illegal immigration. Our rate of population growth nationwide is 1.1% compared to Europe at .1%. California is almost 2%.
Here is a table of US population growth through the years. It's not exact, but please feel free to verify the numbers and challenge me if I'm wrong:
1950 - 150 million
1970 - 200 million
1990 - 250 million
2000 - 283 million
2001 - 286 million
2002 - 289 million
2003 - 292 million
2004 - 295 million
2005 - 298 million
2006 - 300 million
Candy shop
please rember over 77million old age people will be leveing us and not coming back,in your own figures just look at drop from the 1990 on this is trough births todays familys average just 2 chirldren.In the 50s 60s and 70s it was 4 your own numbers prove iam right
Jason Tyler
Jason;
My numbers are 'net'. The people 'leaving' have already been subtracted out.
The 77 million havent been taken out yet and the smaller familys is the reason for the sharp drop in growth ,but this is the first time in the history of America their will be such huge numbers leaving .Your own numbers prove it
Jason Tyler
You are so wrong, Jason.
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