Becker on The (Fatally Weakened?) Case for Open Immigration:
Gary Becker: "Open immigration to America worked well during the
19th century because the government did very little for
immigrants and their families. How immigrants voted after
becoming citizens also mattered little because government
decisions were not so important. With the growth of government
during the past half century, neither of these conditions
continues to hold, so the case for open immigration is fatally
weakened." Hat tip: Mike Rappaport at the Right Coast. I would
throw in the fact that the American establishment has a much
weaker commitment to assimilation these days, that modern
communcations allow immigrants to retain much stronger ties to
their homelands, and that the courts require the government to
allow dual citizenship. Also, if we're serious about preventing
terrorist attacks in the U.S., wouldn't it make sense to ban
immigration from the countries where terrorists are most likely
to come from (e.g., Saudi Arabaia, home of 1