Re:The U.S. Can No Longer Hide from Its Deep Poverty Problem
by 11_4_time on Thursday January 25, 2018 @12:51PM
(#16232833)
That's from a poem tacked onto the Statue of Liberty in 1903, not U.S. law or policy. People quote that as if it's from the preamble to the constitution or something...
Mass immigration made sense when the U.S. was a manufacturing colossus, no longer. Immigration should be targeted and far lower than it is now.
Re:The U.S. Can No Longer Hide from Its Deep Poverty Problem
by orf on Thursday January 25, 2018 @01:20PM
(#16233107)
Well it was also written specifically for the statue of liberty, and was 'tacked on' to it, not even 20 years after it was dedicated for a reason. Because that's literally what the statue represents.
It's kind of sad to see a nation built by, from and for poor immigrants completely forget their origins.
Re:The U.S. Can No Longer Hide from Its Deep Poverty Problem
by 11_4_time on Thursday January 25, 2018 @02:00PM
(#16233485)
People haven't forgotten their origins at all; in fact most people are probably too overly proud of them.
But times also change. What may have made sense in 1903 may be detrimental to the descendants of those immigrants today. I believe we should have a sharp but temporary reduction in most immigration today to see if it benefits the lowest wage earners in the U.S. It's an easy policy to reverse if it doesn't.
> Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
> The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
> Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me
I think it would be hypocritical at best, given America's history and current position to take such a stance. Surely the right thing to do is not to be scared of the immigration bogeyman and take some concrete steps towards the future, rather than closing the door and pretending things will get better by itself. It won't.
If you want to comfort yourself in a nice blanket of blame, go ahead and blame the immigrants rather than the people in power who have actually caused this.