Get Out! No, Wait--Come Back!
David Weigel | September 26, 2007, 8:51am
The
New York Times checks in with some of the towns and cities that passed draconian anti-immigrant measures. The results were so shocking, so unpredictable, that... well, actually, they were pretty predictable.
With the departure of so many people, the local economy suffered. Hair salons, restaurants and corner shops that catered to the immigrants saw business plummet; several closed. Once-boarded-up storefronts downtown were boarded up again.
Meanwhile, the town was hit with two lawsuits challenging the law. Legal bills began to pile up, straining the town’s already tight budget. Suddenly, many people — including some who originally favored the law — started having second thoughts.
So last week, the town rescinded the ordinance, joining a small but growing list of municipalities nationwide that have begun rethinking such laws as their legal and economic consequences have become clearer.
“I don’t think people knew there would be such an economic burden,” said Mayor George Conard, who voted for the original ordinance. “A lot of people did not look three years out.”
When prefab populists like Laura Ingraham badmouth immigration reforms because "the elitists" don't understand "what Americans want," this is why she's off base. Municipal "kick 'em out!" laws pass because local leaders pander to the lower sentiments of their voters, and their voters are wrong.
Kerry Howley on immigrant restrictions in lily-white areas right here.
whit | September 26, 2007, 12:17pm | #
"Declaring immigrants "illegal" IS shunning them."
im not declaring them that.
the US Code declares them that. our country, like every country in the world (are there any exceptions) prohibits people from crossing their borders and living in their country without permission
try studying up a little before you prattle
"You only want to shun "illegal" immigrants? Gee, that's great. Fred Phelps only wants to shun "illegal" homosexuals. That's because he wants homosexuals to be denied legal sanction!"
lol. yup. that's a perfect analogy. gawd, how typical. you sound like some ninny on democraticunderground.
there is no such thing as "illegal homosexuals" because our country (correctly) recognizes that who you schtup is your business (unless you do it to a 12 yr old, or your sister or brother, but i digress)
our country, like ALL OTHER COUNTRIES recognizes that illegally crossing the border is... a crime. sorry, if that's tautological you get the point.
if you are going to be so moronic as to compare illegal border crossing to sexual preference, then you'd be better off hanging with idiots. doors to the left.
and again, IM NOT DECLARING THEM ILLEGAL
the US Code does that. if you want it changed, and you believe (absurdly) that there should be no laws respecting our borders and sovereignty, then go lobby for that.
VikingMoose | September 26, 2007, 12:52pm | #
It was really cool, that old neighborhood.
Lincoln and Western Avenues, Chicago. "Lincoln Square" neighborhood.
It was once a primarily German enclave. A little to the northeast was Andersonville, a Swedish neighborhood.
In both neighborhoods, there are shops with food, etc. from each, respective nation.
You can still hear German - albeit from older residents - in Lincoln Square.
Moving a little north, you see different enclaves of upwardly-mobile people from all over. Sure, there are vestiges of their cultures - signs in different languages, different foods, different types of people walking around. Amazing.
It's a gateway. After a generation or two, you can't tell if they're "American", because they are. Just like us, 100 years ago.
And they're just newer versions of Lincoln Square and Andersonville.
This bullshit about "hurting" our culture really angers me, because to me, it says that you don't have belief in the strength and beauty of US culture. You feel it's a house of cards. It's not. No matter how much you wish it were, so you can hide in your ignorance.
The US culture is powerful, robust, and enduring.
When do you celebrate Christmas? 24th at night or 25th? Oh. You're Jewish, so you don't celebrate. Cool. You're Muslim - yeah, I'd love to come over and celebrate breaking the Ramadam fast.
It must be really sad for you to be so frightened and so weak. You see, if you actually learned a little about your own culture, your own heritage, and how that culture's presence in the interwoven fabric of the US contributes to how amazing this cultural experiment is - A SUCCESS!
So, I'm gonna stop teasing you. I think I pity you (well, besides having a heapin, honkin' pile of contempt for your deliberate ignorance).
You live in the greatest country ever, and the amazing diversity contributes greatly to that fact.
Tis a pity. Tis a shame. Tis contemptible that you're so frightened about the world and insecure about yourself that you can't comprehend that.
saludos afectuosos,
Viking Moose
whit | September 26, 2007, 12:53pm | #
"Quoting US Code as if it is some sort of God-given revealed truth won't go too far here. If you haven't noticed most here think the US Code is full of shit."
so what? it's still fact. if i declare a person an illegal alien, it's because they committed a crime. i happen to believe that law is just. you may not. but it's stupid to say what the OP said, which is that i was just declaring them "illegal".
IM NOT
the law does.
disagree or agree. i happen to agree. but don't try to pretend this is a matter of people making this stuff up
"Uhhh... that's kinda the idea (to one degree or another). Of course, there are idiots that call that sort of lobbying "treason". The people who think this way are welcome to their opinion, but I hope they won't be upset if most of us think they are either passively ignorant or actively evil."
yes. they Are idiots who misuse words. much like the OP did.
facts are fact. before you decide how to solve a problem, you have to recognize the problem
the problem is not that laura ingraham (and I ) are "declaring" who is and isn't an illegal alien
because the law already does that.
i guess every nation in the world is passively ignorant and evil in that they ALL (like i said, im not aware of exceptions but there may be one) criminalize illegal border crossings AND living in a country w/o permissio
every nation on earth
so, this is a global problem, apparently?
all these nations with borders just need to dissolve them, and we can all live in one amorphous feelgood blob of humanity
kumbayah!