We’re a Nation of Americans

More Misinformation from the Media:

We’re not talking about Trump’s building a wall between the United States and Mexico. . . . [T]he wall will never be a part of a serious immigration discussion, outside the most xenophobic and bigoted circles. . . . No, this is about Trump’s endorsement of a Senate bill that would cut in half. . . . There are, of course, noble principles in favor of immigration. America is a nation of immigrants. We welcome your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. . . . And we are stronger for having diverse cultures and ideas. [A study found] that immigration has had little or no impact on long-term wage growth. . . . Those findings align with the findings of . . . the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Immigrants take jobs Americans don’t want. – Maximize Economic Growth by Welcoming Immigrants, The Denver Post Editorial Board, 9/4/17. [Link]

Fact Check: One may certainly disagree with aspects Trump’s plan for a wall. Indeed, many experts believe that building fences at strategic areas on the border would be more cost-effective than a barrier along the whole border. But would the Post’s Editorial Board accept even that? The tenor of their writing makes one wonder. For many immigration advocates it seems that any concern about border security is “xenophobic and bigoted.” If that’s what they think about our border, and by extension our country’s rule of law, what does that say about their loyalty to our country?

Immigration enthusiasts seem to think that they win any argument about immigration by simply repeating the mantra “nation of immigrants” and emoting about “huddled masses.” If we are a nation at all we are a nation of American citizens, whose rights and interests precede those of foreigners. That is the essence of a nation. To say we are nation of immigrants provides no guidance as to what level of immigration is in our national interest or what kinds of immigrants we should take.

Are we really stronger for having diverse cultures and ideas? Certainly it depends on what that kind of diversity and ideas are being discussed. Diversity and ideas that cause strife undermine our common culture certainly don’t make us stronger. And this is what is happening as we accept massive streams of immigration from countries which have beliefs and values quite often antagonistic to our own.

The editorial board goes on to cite a study claiming that immigration doesn’t have a long-term impact on wages. Such studies, however, are often based on assumptions which may or may not happen in the future. We do know, however, what has happened in the past, specifically since the present wave of mass immigration took off in 1965. During the ensuing decades, our wage levels have stagnated. Is this just a coincidence?

One interesting thing about the National Academies of Sciences study, cited by the Editorial Board, is its data showing that immigration currently suppresses the wages of working people, and that this suppression boosts the profits of employers. In effect, mass immigration takes from the poor and gives to the rich. As the media often serve as the mouthpiece for wealthy elites, their advocacy of mass immigration becomes most understandable.

As for the cliché claim that immigrants only take jobs Americans don’t want, data from the Census Bureau reveal that native-born Americans are the majority of workers in almost every occupational category. Even in the few fields where immigrants are the majority, there are still considerable percentages of Americans.

The Editorial Board of The Denver Post has little to offer the discussion of immigration other than name calling, vapid sentimentalism, and faulty analysis. In these respects it resembles most advocacy of mass immigration in the media.

 

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