Thread: DMregister - latinos will assimillate history shows, and ...

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Latinos will assimilate, history shows, and strengthen America
REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD


April 6, 2006


Part of the controversy over immigration stems from the fear that Latinos will not assimilate, as past waves of immigrants have.

All of American history suggests that fear is groundless.

Moreover, as in the past, whatever short-term distress is caused by immigration in the present will be more than offset by long-term gains in national strength.

That has been the American story from the beginning. It sets us apart.

In Western Europe and Japan, population is declining, and economies are stagnating. Immigration is keeping the United States from a similar fate. Without immigration, an aging U.S. population would be at about zero growth, and the economy probably would be, too.

Alone among the highly developed nations, the United States remains growing and vibrant, partly due to immigration. It helps us stay ahead in the economic race with fast-growing India and China.

In Iowa, demographics point to a shortage of workers in the next few decades that will stunt economic growth. So immigration is vital. Politicians like U.S. Rep. Steve King who want to clamp down on immigration are working against Iowa's self-interest.

Some stress in settling strangers is inevitable, but if Iowa is to have any expectation of growth, it must be an immigrant-friendly state.

Another element in the fear of immigration is the realization that newcomers, legal and illegal, are arriving at a record level. That is true in raw numbers. But in proportion to the population, immigration was greater at the turn of the 20th century.

In 1890, nearly 15 percent of the U.S. population was foreign-born. Today, about 12 percent is. Proportionately, there were more foreigners to assimilate then than there are now. And they assimilated just fine. They helped America win two world wars and become the most prosperous country in the world.

The numbers reveal something else: Immigration tends to occur in waves. It ebbs and flows. We're at a peak now, but history suggests this wave, too, will subside as the economy of Mexico improves. Some futurists even speculate that the flow will reverse someday: Americans will move into Mexico as they did into the U.S. Sun Belt.

In Iowa, the foreign-born population in 1890 was more than triple what it is now. English was a second language in entire communities.

All those Germans, Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Irish, Dutch, Bohemians, Italians and others who came to Iowa back then have descendants who are now pure Iowan and 100 percent American.

The same thing will happen to the descendants of the Latino-Americans arriving now. It should be a joy to watch it happen.

When pigs fly......gee better go take a look they might be

Ah, but they fail to take into account the multiculturalism and political correctness that has dominated the last 40 years. I don't think they will assimilate. Why would they? They've got yahoos on the left telling them to speak their native language, be proud of their cultural identity, and yahoos on the right telling them how much we need them to prop up our own economy. It used to be that immigrants needed to function in English--even if with a translator--because that was the language of public discourse. Signing a contract? English. Prescription from a doctor? In English. But not now. Now we have Spanish subtitles for just about everything. They don't have to engage in the language of public discourse! Then if we have the audacity to expect that they speak English we are told that we are racist, anti-hispanic, intolerant, that we don't understand the importance of their cultural identity. Moreover, unlike other waves of immigrants--which were mostly short-lived--this one seems to be neverending--at least until they've dragged down our country's citizens to the squalor they're used to.

if you want to see a great example of how they haven't assimilated, just check out pictures from the protests

I wonder if the DM register thinks burning the US Flag is assimilation?

Or just take a drive through any of the areas already under Reconquista control.

Oh for God sakes!

Is this person for real????? This has to be a sick joke.

Let's cram as many people into the US as we possibly can! We must compete with the overpopulation in China and India!