On Sun, 10 Feb 2013, Erik Mitchell wrote:

> In my career, I've had the good fortune of working with people from all 
> over the world. India, China, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Canada, Latvia, 
> Jamaica, as well as other countries I'm sure I'm forgetting. I consider 
> my life richer for the friends I've made, and I've always felt bad when 
> my friends have to deal with extra hassles to deal with immigration 
> issues, just so they can live and work where they'd like to on this 
> planet. I've felt ashamed when I see fellow Americans treat them badly, 
> just because they were born elsewhere on the planet.
>
> I hope in my lifetime I'll have the chance to travel to other countries 
> to live and work, and I hope to find people who are welcoming, rather 
> than the type of people to bitch and moan about their lot in life, like 
> I'm seeing on this thread. I think it's bigoted and pathetic, and I'm 
> glad I don't work with you.


That's a nice sentiment, but the topic here was really about policy, not 
about the people.  You might be talking about the kinds of hateful 
anti-immigrant statements we sometimes hear in this country and in other 
countries both now and at earlier times.  I don't think I've heard any of 
that kind of talk here, but it seems like you are accusing us of it.

I don't want to see a flood of immigrant workers coming into our country 
while unemployent is high.  It doesn't make any sense, well, unless the 
goal is to create a labor glut, increase competition for jobs and cut 
worker pay.  The problem isn't the immigrants, it's the policy makers.

People who are doing well are happy to have immigrants, but people who are 
struggling and out of work may feel differently.  They are the people who 
will fall for anti-immigrant, nationalist rhetoric and start attacking 
innocent people.  In other words, widespread anti-immigrant bigotry is 
caused partly by bad policy.

Like the liberal NY Times, I oppose the proposed massive increase in H-1B 
visas even though my wife is an immigrant (now US citizen) who came here 
on an H-1B.  It's not an anti-immigrant position.

Mike