European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 02, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Monday August 2, 1993 commentary the stars and stripes Page 15 1 immigration arguments go in wrong direction nativism a noun denoting some Nasty history is now an epithet distorting debate about this nation s policy regard ing immigration. Nativism the practice of showing partiality toward native born people and hostility toward immigrants is As old As the Republic before the end of the 18th Century German immigrants were stigmatized As an a Assimilable eth Nic group because of their language and catholicism. Religious and racial prejudice greeted among others Irish immigrants on the East coast and chinese on the West coast. George f. Will but xenophobia and greediness the desire to slam shut the Golden door Donot explain All or even most of today s opposition to current immigration poli cies particularly in the United states. America is As the economist save the Only first world country that snares a2,000-mile Border with the third world. Dirt roads up against Bright and the most luring lights Are those of Southern California. In the 1980s, about 9 million people immigrated to the United states legally another 2 million illegally. Today one third of All immigrants come to califor Nia where the population currently 31.5 million Rose by 570,000 last year and is expected to Rise another 600,000 this of the growth is caused by Immi Gration from Mexico Central America and Asia or from births to recent Immi about immigration is approaching Mono mania in California where the recession has approached the Depths of a depression. There As else where immigration is discussed first and too much As an economic Issue. The argument about immigration what kind of people should come and in what quantities is actually two arguments. One is economic but the More important and interesting one is cultural. The economic argument con Cerns immigration s costs. Is immigration economically injurious or do Immi Grants constitute a net addition to the nation s wealth if not immediately and in every location at least Over time and to society generally Resolution of this argument requires Complex calculations that quantify among Many other variables the eco nomic value of the infusion of entre pre run fit on Yourt rep your Mboi your Hup legit. J neural Energy from those who travel sometimes 10,000 Miles in search of entry level american jobs. Such industrious immigrants May or May not have a depressing effect on some american wages if so that May or May not make american Industry More suited to an increasingly competitive global Economy. Many immigrants particularly very new ones Cost More in welfare health and educational services than they pay in taxes. All immigrants pay sales taxes Many pay income taxes however their economic activity earning and spend ing makes them i believe substantial net contributors to National wealth. Twenty five percent of immigrants in the 1980s had College degrees but that positive economic fact does not Settle the argument about the net effect of an proper policy concerning immigration. The cultural argument about immigration begins with this fact Immi Gration at the end of this Century occurs in a social context different in two crucial ways from the context at the beginning of the Century. Today immigrants Are received into a welfare culture that encourages an entitlement mentality. That mentality weak ens the mainspring of individual striving for upward mobility. A generous welfare state such As the United states and Cali fornia especially can be a Magnet for migrants. To the extent that the welfare culture has such enervating effects the argument for immigration As a source of social invigoration fails. The second difference in the context of immigration another difference that makes problematic the tradition of liberality regarding immigration is the weak ening of the Ideal of assimilation. But it is unclear the extent to which immigrants themselves Are hostile tip or even ambivalent about assimilation. The anti assimilationist impulse May emanate primarily from those native born intellectuals who believe America is a sick racist sexist exploitative oppressive patriarchal Etc. Society into which no self respecting person would wish to assimilate. Furthermore say some intellectuals diversity is an inherent Good the More the better be cause it is Good to weaken a sick Community s sense of Community. In addition individual authenticity requires adherence to ethnic identity. And ethnicity should be the basis of a civic life built around group rights and entitlements. Here is an immigration policy for every 10 immigrants Deport an unhappy ten ured professor such Home grown intellectual fruit can Poison the debate about immigration and perhaps can spoil immigrants. De Bate should begin with this premise America is not just an Economy it is More than an Arena for wealth creation. It is a culture. The High rate of immigration since 1960, combined with the High Fertility rate of immigrants relative to that of native born americans is producing rapid change in the nation s ethnic and cultural balance. Peter Brimlow a contributing editor of National review and senior editor of Forbes says the onus should not be on the critics of current policy to explain their motives. Instead supporters of cur rent policy must explain Why they wish to transform the american nation As it had evolved by 1965." True. And accusations of nativism arc not explanations. C the Washington Post tax subsidies Send airline debate off course what do you do when a major Industry makes some bad Calls saddles itself with excessive debt through unwise expansion and acquisition and Man Ages to lose collectively $10 billion in three the answer is Cut its taxes. Or at least it is part of the answer provided by that Mouthful of Wisdom the National commission to ensure a Strong and competitive airline Industry. This sort of gives you the idea of How Well represented the various airline interests were on the commission and How Little Chance there was that it would come out with draft recommendations that did not involve a minimum of government intervention with a maximum of govern ment largess. A lot of people let out a sigh of Relief and com mended the commission for not recommending heavy deregulation of the airlines. But the Case for re Regula Tion was never there. The real question asked was this a vital Industry of critical importance that left to its own devices and those of tace free Market As we leave most industries might run itself completely into the ground and require an even costlier Federal bailout somewhere Down the rce a mainly if you have flown with an airline lately even a bankrupt one you have noticed that the flights Are As frequent the planes get there and the food is no More prosaic than when the Industry was posting profits. So we have to ask whether the situation is critical enough to warrant targeted tax subsidies. Giving tax Relief to specific Industry is after All a subsidy really no different than if the commission had recommended that the Treasury go out and give the airlines Morley. Besides since most Federal taxes Are applied to profits How much Relief can he provided to a Money losing Industry through tax Relief the question applies unless you Are talking about some of the weird financial schemes in which corporations can take losses and turn them to the advantage of certain investors. If the nation needs to bail out its airline Industry it would seem much More straightforward and efficient to subsidize the Purchase of More fuel efficient aircraft Robert Reno knowing that this would serve identifiable Public Pur , the Day after the commission s report was published Amr corp., Parent of american air lines reported a $47 million profit in the second Quarter compared with a $183 million loss in the same period of 1982. Us air reported similar improvements in earnings. Perhaps the recovery of the Industry is Al ready in the Central question raised by deregulation of the Industry remains. And that is will this release of free Market forces ultimately Lead to an Industry dominated owned in fact by three or four carriers in place of the seven or eight that once flew profitably the present two tier half bankrupt system has yielded passengers enormous advantages through fare wars that have been destructive of airline profits. Is it merely a step toward a closed system in which you Fly american United Delta or nobody at All and on their terms clearly the commission has provided new terms of discussion but no final solution to How free markets and Public purpose can be married in a permanent air transport policy. To
