Immigration Reform not happening under Obama

[Slargos]

The choice here is the issue of efficiency. Either you think the benefits of having legal cheaper workforce outweigh the potential cost of encouraging more illegal immigration or you don't. What I find bizarre in the immigration debate is that some people seem to view this as a moral issue of principles and argue one should not recognize illegal aliens as legal not because it would be bad for the economy etc., but just because they broke the law.

Well, it's also a question of what sort of people you want in. Those of us in the Anglosphere are pretty big on waiting our turn and not queue-jumping.

Only that it's never been so and preventing immigration is exactly the opposite of what made America great.

A wonderful line of bullshit.

European immigration is what made America great.

Rat can also be used as topping for pizza, but I'm sure you'll agree it won't make it great even if you argue "Meat makes pizza great".

[KRonn]

Um...the people who arrived on Ellis Island and the Irish who built the transcontinental railroad were all legal immigrants. 

I think if they were illegals they probably would not be going through an immigrant processing center like Ellis Island.    Also how exactly was the 19th century immigration inglorious?  I mean it wasn't easy to come here and do well but I think it is what made America great.

Agreed. Most Americans aren't against immigration, but they want it controlled or regulated to some extent, not a free for all coming across the border, as makes sense for any nation to do. The US takes in a large number of legal immigrants every year.

[MadImmortalMan]

It's amazing the level of expectation people seem to have. Obama's already working on a number of huge projects that are time-consuming, like health care, fighting two wars, etc. The guy can't just snap his fingers and fix every interest group's pet issue overnight.

[Berkut]

It's amazing the level of expectation people seem to have. Obama's already working on a number of huge projects that are time-consuming, like health care, fighting two wars, etc. The guy can't just snap his fingers and fix every interest group's pet issue overnight.

He is certainly proving that to be correct.

[Valmy]

He is certainly proving that to be correct.

Proving what?  That finger snapping tends to fail in the process of government policy?

[Barrister]

Agreed. Most Americans aren't against immigration, but they want it controlled or regulated to some extent, not a free for all coming across the border, as makes sense for any nation to do. The US takes in a large number of legal immigrants every year.

Not really though.  You guys take about a million immigrants per year, legally.

But your overall population is over 300 million.

Canada receives about 250,000 per year, legally, but into a population one tenth the size of the US.  Australia seems to take in around 120,000-150,000, into a population of 20 million.

[Valmy]

I always thought we should allow anybody to move to the US provided they agree to live in uninhabited places like North Dakota, Wyoming, or the West Texas desert.  Once they see where they have to live they will probably want to go back home.

[Barrister]

I always thought we should allow anybody to move to the US provided they agree to live in uninhabited places like North Dakota, Wyoming, or the West Texas desert.  Once they see where they have to live they will probably want to go back home.

Those places aren't uninhabited though...

[Berkut]

Agreed. Most Americans aren't against immigration, but they want it controlled or regulated to some extent, not a free for all coming across the border, as makes sense for any nation to do. The US takes in a large number of legal immigrants every year.

Not really though.  You guys take about a million immigrants per year, legally.

But your overall population is over 300 million.

Canada receives about 250,000 per year, legally, but into a population one tenth the size of the US.  Australia seems to take in around 120,000-150,000, into a population of 20 million.

How does comparing it to total population make sense?

Does this mean China or India ought to take in even more immigrants, despite the fact that there isn't anywhere for them to go?

What a bizarre metric - one should take in immigrants in proportion to their population, which of course means that their population will grow exponentially forever!

Great argument, counselor.

[Eddie Teach]

Canada and Australia are outliers. We have a greater percentage of foreign born residents than countries like the UK or France in spite of their close ties and ease of immigration from the surrounding countries.

[Faeelin]

It's amazing the level of expectation people seem to have. Obama's already working on a number of huge projects that are time-consuming, like health care, fighting two wars, etc. The guy can't just snap his fingers and fix every interest group's pet issue overnight.

It's not clear to me that status of between ten and thirty million people in America is a pet issue.

[Barrister]

How does comparing it to total population make sense?

Does this mean China or India ought to take in even more immigrants, despite the fact that there isn't anywhere for them to go?

What a bizarre metric - one should take in immigrants in proportion to their population, which of course means that their population will grow exponentially forever!

Great argument, counselor.

The obstacles to immigration aren't ones of physical space, not for western countries at least.  The barriers are cultural - how easily can they be assimilated/acculturated/whatever.  I would have thought that it was fairly obvious that immigration rates should be looked at as a per capita number, rather than total numbers.

Look, I have no horse in this race .  YOu guys can let in as many or as few immigrants as you want.  I was merely pointing out that I don't think it's accurate to say you're already taking in large numbers of immigrants when the other countries most comparable taking in significantly more immigrants per capita.

[derspiess]

I think it should include some guest worker program.

Agree.  Keep the lid shut pretty tight on citizenship, though. 

FWIW, I do support more open immigration for skilled/educated people.  I think it's silly that immigration from Europe is so restricted, when they're practically already assimilated. 

[Ed Anger]

I think it should include some guest worker program.

Agree.  Keep the lid shut pretty tight on citizenship, though. 

FWIW, I do support more open immigration for skilled/educated people.  I think it's silly that immigration from Europe is so restricted, when they're practically already assimilated.

I really don't want more Euro fucktards here.

[Barrister]

I think it should include some guest worker program.

Agree.  Keep the lid shut pretty tight on citizenship, though. 

FWIW, I do support more open immigration for skilled/educated people.  I think it's silly that immigration from Europe is so restricted, when they're practically already assimilated.

If you open up immigration for skilled/educated people who speak English, and you're going to be swamped by Indians.