May 13, 2004

Who Are We?

Terrible, just terrible.

Posted by Ezra Klein at 01:42 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

January 19, 2004

Immigration Points

I've been meaning to point to this Brooks' column on immigration for awhile now. Brooks goes a bit farther than the initial application to stay in America, looking at how people might become legal, and this idea he puts forth is really good:

Some have proposed a point system. Sam could earn a point every time he did something that would make him a better citizen. A point for learning English. A point for a high school equivalency degree. With enough points he could earn a green card. He would be on a rigorous path to citizenship, which would still be longer than the one legal immigrants would take.
I love it. The Government can fund English classes, maybe they'll be held at community colleges or something. If immigrants are willing to learn about our history, our language, our culture, if they are willing to educate themselves and try and better their lot then goddamn it, they are exactly the sort of people America needs. They are living embodiments of the American dream and we should be proud to have them. It will be tough, but if you can't take the legal path to citizenship, then I have no problem making it tough. Immigration laws are there for reasons other than xenophobia, but it would be better for our country and our economy if we made those laws surmountable by hard work and education.

Posted by Ezra Klein at 04:12 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack