When it comes to immigration, let's just stick to the Facts

I read a column earlier today by syndicated columnists Cokie and Steve Roberts that I think completely crystallizes the logical argument against the anti-immigration furor that has swept certain segments of our country.

Let us never forget that the United States was founded on the spirit of entrepreneurship, and the idea that all who are willing to work hard to build something great are welcome.  We often lose sight of this.  We get caught up in ill-informed emotion, and it poisons the way we view what's really going on.  That's why this column is such a worthwhile read (You can read it here.) - it comes armed with facts about immigration that completely undermine the xenophobic fantasy.

The Robertses write, for example, that:

"The hardheaded business owners Republicans claim to care about so much... They know the truth.  Immigrants on both ends of the scale - from date pickers to data programmers - contribute enormously to America's economic well-being.  If you are truly pro-growth, pro-jobs and pro-business, you have to be pro-immigration as well."

They go on to say:

"Take Georgia, which passed a mean-spirited law this spring requiring employers to check the legal status of their workers against a federal database.  So many farmhands fled the state that valuable fruit and vegetable crops were left to rot.  Official estimates put the loss at $391 million, while 3,260 full-time jobs disappeared in food production, transportation and packaging.  Those farmworkers are also taxpayers, young and healthy taxpayers who help finance programs such as Social Security and Medicare."

Their point is clear and obvious: Politics traffic in emotion, not logic.  We need to be more logical when forming our opinions about such important issues as immigration.  Immigration is absolutely vital to the economic welfare of our country.  To deny that this is so is unnecessary and destructive.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this, and its implications.

by John W. Redmann
Attorney for the Injured and Others who once trusted Insurers©
and Matt Stokes
Co-Author and Online Editor at Redmann Law