Tag Archives: immigration

Undocumented Workers Are Essential. Let’s Treat Them Like It.

As an American who has benefited immensely under our system of capitalism, I so want to believe the purpose of capitalism is to increase happiness for all. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, is prompting me to ask questions that challenge that belief. Questions like: who do we take for granted in our society, when the reality is that our society depends on them? The Coronavirus has … Continue reading Undocumented Workers Are Essential. Let’s Treat Them Like It. »

What Do I Like Best About America?

While touring a Shinto temple in Kyoto, Japan on Thanksgiving, six Japanese students approached my family and me. In school uniforms, offering enthusiastic smiles, they bowed before saying, “Hi, we are Japanese students. May we ask you questions?” They were there as part of a school project and were close in age to our kids. Our daughter is eleven and our son, thirteen. “Where are … Continue reading What Do I Like Best About America? »

The Criminalization of Poverty and Legal Immigration

Despite our country’s immense wealth, poverty has been a longstanding challenge to far too many communities, especially immigrant communities. This inequality has persisted for generations, simply because citizenship opens the door to uncountable opportunities, and immigration policy has frequently been racially and economically charged. Instead of policies to ease the path to citizenship for all people regardless of means and background, the current administration is … Continue reading The Criminalization of Poverty and Legal Immigration »

Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Policies Will Hurt the American Economy

We all know the moral arguments for a fairer, less cruel immigration system. But while the merits of not putting immigrant children in cages should be obvious, they don’t seem to be as persuasive as they should for a certain segment of the population. To those who are unconvinced by the moral argument, I would offer up the economic argument for a better immigration system, … Continue reading Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Policies Will Hurt the American Economy »

Blaming Our Woes on Immigrants is Fake News

What’s happening to our country? The Supreme Court just upheld President Trump’s travel ban. The Trump administration is determined to reduce all categories of immigration, including those seeking refuge and asylum from horrible conditions in their countries. Just this quarter, the administration has separated immigrant children from parents at the border, creating a massive outcry across our country. Uniquely a country of immigrants, starting with … Continue reading Blaming Our Woes on Immigrants is Fake News »

Prisoners Can’t Support Their Families, But They Can Make Investors Rich

Since 1984, when CoreCivic got the first contract to operate a for-profit prison, there has been a massive increase in private corporations finding ways to enrich themselves off mass incarceration. While it is unclear whether private interests or tough-on-crime public policy first fueled this epidemic, the result is that the U.S. has five times as many inmates as any other country. Unfortunately, this crisis touches … Continue reading Prisoners Can’t Support Their Families, But They Can Make Investors Rich »

Who was Nancy Pelosi Talking About?

A few minutes after ten o’clock yesterday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi started talking about some of the Americans who, as young children, arrived in this country with their families and have been here doing all of the things that make America America ever since: creating businesses, teaching our youth, even curing cancer. She is stumbling over pronunciations of names from Mexico and Thailand, from … Continue reading Who was Nancy Pelosi Talking About? »