Recently I was struck by a common fallacy in the immigration debate. Some people act as if there were a limited number of jobs in an economy, and that immigrants consume them, leaving fewer for the rest of us. This is plain foolish. An immigrant, like any other job holder, both produces and consumes. Like any of us he requires food, clothing, shelter, transportation, and entertainment, thus creating new jobs. The vast majority of immigrants are a net benefit to the economy. I do not mean to imply that the proper argument in favor of immigration is utilitarian. An immigrant ought to have the same right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as a US citizen, and I ought to have the right to do business with him.
Posted on: Sat, 30 Aug 2014 05:43:08 +0000
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