Our Finest Hour (Not)
Chasing down maids and meatpackers will not go down as America’s finest moment. I commissioned these sketches back when I was active in the immigration movement.
Immigration
Asylum Seekers
The two million people in Gaza sounds like a lot. But as a percent of the worlds population (approx ten billion) it amounts to 0.02%. Why don’t we allocate them among the countries who have expressed deep concern about their plight and let them move. The USA can supply the transportation and can take a number of asylum seekers proportional to the number of pro Hamas protesters we have. I suspect that Iran would take more than half of the Asylum Seekers since they deep… Read More »Asylum Seekers
Gated Communities
“The United States is the world’s largest gated community” And like the Great Wall of China or Hadrian’s Wall in the UK it will ultimately fail. Tell me why I’m wrong.
A Diaspora
“The costs of migration are greatly eased by the presence in the host country of a diaspora from the country of origin.” Paul Collier in Exodus One of the reasons that the United States is so successful at absorbing immigrants is that the new immigrants can find a safe place near their countrymen who proceeded them. The photo is of a mural in the lobby of the hotel at Lake Iseo.
WWIT About: “Asylum Seekers”
WWIT is an Acronym for “What Was I Thinking.” “Asylum Seekers” are the new hole in the generally protectionist armor of our immigration policy. Judges have said and the administration has implemented a policy of “all asylum seekers will get a fair hearing.” Which means they get to stay in the USA until they get the hearing. I favor the policy, they could have done the implementation better. The number of asylum seekers is growing rapidly although the total is still small (120,000 this year).… Read More »WWIT About: “Asylum Seekers”
Question of the Month
Why is it that when 8 million people a year move from one state to another within the USA it is no problem, but when a half million people a year move here from Mexico it is a big problem?
What a Great Country
“Americans are famous for their get up and go because all of us have ancestors who got up and came.”
Hamilton on Immigration
“Men are generally too much attached to their native country to leave it and dissolve all of their connexions, unless they are driven to it by necessity.” Alexander Hamilton as quoted by Ron Chernow in Hamilton
The Slippery Slope of Immigration
“Opposition to immigration skates precariously close to racism.” Paul Collier, Author Exodus: How Migration is Changing the World What a great country we live in. No wonder so many others want to live here. What a great postcard.