Immigration and bias

Kathleene Parker presents a liberal argument for placing limits on immigration:

Barry is outraged by the recent overwhelming passage of Arizona's Proposition 200, a ballot initiative requiring state and local agencies to verify the immigration status of those seeking non-emergency benefits.

Admittedly, this is the type of measure that happens when lawmakers fail us. Those earning less than $15,000 a year supported this measure by 72 percent, while some predominantly Latino counties supported it in ranges approaching 60 percent - not indicative of racism, but dispelling the myth that illegal immigrants take only jobs that Americans don't want.

Why is it that poor citizens have dropped beneath the radar of political correctness? Where is the realization that a flooded labor market keeps earnings at poverty levels and plays a major role in continuing double-digit unemployment for young blacks and Latinos?

Barry asserts that immigration reduction obstructs progress. Yet, illegal immigration drives 70 percent of a United States population boom, the third highest growth rate behind only China and India. We accept more immigrants than all other nations combined, though it's a mere drop in the bucket when more than 80 million people are added to the world's population each year.

We could more substantively contribute to education and social reform in corrupt nations and restore funding to international family planning, which was cut by President Bush based on false claims it funds coerced abortions in China. China does not use U.S. money for family planning.

If we fail to tighten our borders, we will see a population of 500 million Americans (up from 300 million today) by 2050, and a China-like 1 billion by 2100, even as other developed nations have effectively stopped growing.

Meanwhile, we face overwhelmed emergency rooms, failing schools, gridlocked freeways, water shortages, sprawl, disappearing wildlife and poverty.

We delude ourselves if we believe our unprecedented growth and our soon-to-be Third World-like population offer anything but ever-worsening problems and a decreased standard of living.