Facts Can't Trump Politics In Immigration Debate

The great eagle in the sky has told me we need to grow a giant MAGICAL WALL OF CORN to solve immigration problems.
 
Thanks for the article Daiki. NPR is almost always a good source that aims to bring reality, facts and, just as important, a sense of calm deliberation, back into political discussion, which is too often defined by fearmongering and hatred.

Immigration... it's always the same story every election year; politicians and commentators choose which group to define as the scapegoat, the "other," to blame all of society's ills on... It's all based on fear and intolerance of anything that's different from oneself. If people would take a basic economics class they'd learn that immigration itself isn't necessarily a harmful process; the job market is so enormous and complex and multi-leveled that it's absurd to say with certainty that anyone is "taking your job," because they might be taking jobs you would never take, and at the same time, by living in the country, they add demand and create more business and consequently create jobs. And of course, there's the human rights aspect... I understand that completely open borders might lead to chaos, but philosophically, it's unfair that depending on what side of a border you are born on, your life and the opportunities available to you may be completely different.

If political fearmongering were harmless, I wouldn't care about it, but when people stir up anti-immigrant or anti-other sentiment, it leads to a widespread culture of fear and hatred, which is harmful to society. Politics can be so frustrating sometimes - I just hold on to the belief that progress is being made, and that the sweep of history tends to be one of gradual improvement, although there are temporary backward steps from time to time.