Christopher Matthews investigates the contentious debate over immigration reform in America
Christopher Matthews investigates the contentious debate over immigration reform in America, as proposed by a bipartisan group of senators and President Obama. He alluded to the animosity between the mentioned parties and the House Republicans who opposed the proposal. According to Matthews, the opposition claims that immigration should contribute to the flood of illegal workers or reward workers who break the law. Matthews investigates the economic effects of immigration in the United States. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact of immigrants on Native American wages, welfare, and economic growth. He also uses the expertise of professionals such as Gordon Hanson to demonstrate that immigration reform has no negative impact on the long-term viability of the American economy. Instead, immigration facilitates economic growth, diversity of the population and rejuvenates the labor market to enhance production. In turn, the immigrants give the nation the vigor to compete in the global market through enhanced work put and ready market.
Part 2
Matthews states that
Economists, as a rule, like to look at the big picture. And the vast majority of the economic literature argues that a more liberal immigration policy would be good for the U.S. economy as a whole. The problem is, of course, that not everyone is going to come out a winner” (Matthews, 2013:4).
Part 3
Analysis of the quote
The quote shows that Matthews acknowledges the conflicting interests regarding the immigration reform as presented by the House of Republicans. However, the article explicitly explains that the immigration reforms shall benefit the state through enhanced labor, the extensive market for the produced commodities and revenue. The quote also emphasizes that the society should have minimal worries about the influx of immigrants because it presents immense opportunities. Therefore, the quote by Matthews informs the public to broaden their perception regarding the immigration proposal floated by President Obama. Furthermore, Matthews explains that the multiplicity of the society manifests in the different in perceptions and arguments regarding key reforms.
Work Cited
Matthews, Christopher. “The economics of immigration: who wins, who loses and why.” TIME Economics January 30 (2013).
