Thread: Snyder touts benefits of immigration at WSU conference

Snyder touts benefits of immigration at WSU conference
Last Updated: July 18. 2011 4:12PM

Kim Kozlowski/ The Detroit News

Detroit— One of the keys to reinventing Michigan is looking to the state's past, Gov. Rick Snyder told hundreds of people attending an immigration conference at Wayne State University on Monday.

"Michigan's been in a crisis and continues to be in a crisis," Snyder said. "Now is the time to be proactive. One of the keys to Michigan's future is to look back to our past and one of the keys to our past …(is) the topic of immigration."

Snyder's sentiment came during a conference that many organizers hailed as a landmark event to talk about how immigrants can help boost the state's economy.

It was the governor's first major speech on how he hopes to attract highly skilled immigrants to the state to boost the economy, which is part of his overall strategy to turn Michigan around.

"Immigration seems to be a subject that gets harder and harder to discuss with civility," said WSU President Allan Gilmour said before Snyder spoke. "People on opposing sides are dug in and in the middle are millions of people … who every day are uncertain about their future."

Immigration is not just a personal issue, it's a political issue, Gilmour added. That's why we have to not just talk about it, but also find a way to solve it.

"A permanent state of uncertainty is not a solution," Gilmour said.

Earlier, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that immigrants can help Detroit's economy, contrary to what detractors say.

"Immigrants make jobs, rather than take them," Bloomberg said via video teleconference. "We all benefit."

To make his point, Bloomberg said New York lost only 1 percent of private jobs during the recession while the rest of the nation lost 6 percent, a phenomenon he attributed to the scores of immigrants in the Big Apple.

Bloomberg put Detroit in the spotlight in May when he suggested on NBC's "Meet the Press" that all immigrants come to the Motor City as a way to repopulate the city, once the nation's fourth-largest city but now at its lowest population in a century with 713,777 people.

During the conference Monday, he said Detroit needs to start recruit more immigrants to the city and to work in Washington to change immigration polices to make it easier for investors to come to the city.

Before the conference began, Congressman Hansen Clarke said he planned to introduce legislation before the end of August to make it easier for foreign investors to raise the money to start new businesses in Detroit.

"Immigration can help save Detroit's economy," Clarke said.

Others who spoke at the conference included former Compuware CEO Peter Karmanos Jr. and Detroit City Councilman Ken Cockrell Jr.

kkozlowski@detnews.com

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110718/MET ... z1SUy4tZqv

The reason people left Detroit was because of lack of jobs bringing in more people looking for work is not a cure.

Immigration takes more jobs than it creates. With the manufacturing base being dismantled and shipped overseas we do not have the base to support more immigrants. Population growth now would only mean higher taxes to spread the income more from stagnant or decreasing production.

Not to mention we are looking at overpopulation and rationing of everything now anyways...

They are so full of it...

Related: http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-243984.html

How about hiring LEGAL AMERICANS first! Let the immigrants take the back seat on the bus on this one. Also use E-Verify on each and every new hire.