I agree -- no sense in tossing out that baby with the bath water

[alfreda89]

Overall, it's one thing we do correctly. I was shocked when I discovered that France, Denmark, Germany -- none of them allow the children of immigrants to be citizens, never mind the immigrants themselves earning citizenship. I suppose it's interesting that I was shocked -- it never occurred to me that it would be different. (Do we then call Britain the "British Paradox" in that they have home-grown Brits of recent immigrant descent blowing themselves up? Were those young men a month or so back Brits, or multi-generational guest workers?)


"Compared with every other country in the world, America does immigration superbly. Do we really want to junk that for the French approach?"

-- Fareed Zakaria, columnist for The Washington Post


To Become An American

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/03/AR2006040301621.html

Comments

[mongo42.livejournal.com]

Yep. Not offering citizenship to the children of residents just opens the door to having a permanent underclass. Well, umm, I mean even more of a permanent underclass than we already have.

[alfreda89.livejournal.com]

Well, umm, I mean even more of a permanent underclass than we already have.

One of the best things I've heard about to overcome this problem is an experiment somewhere in the US (can't remember where) where welfare families have been intermingled with people who are solidly blue collar and a few white color, so to speak. The welfare children get to see people going to work every weekday. So simple, and yet I believe they are seeing more children staying in school in those living areas.

I wonder how that development is doing . . ..