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The solution, for your friends and for the economy, is more immigration. If the USA could some how get itself 5 million immigrants a year (an ambitious target)

The solution, for your friends and for the economy, is more immigration. If the USA could some how get itself 5 million immigrants a year (an ambitious target) then the economy would grow so fast that your friends, lifted by the overall economy, should have an easier time paying off their debts. And also, higher levels of immigration would help the USA avoid any of the negative effects of falling fertility. All 4 of my grandparents came to the USA at a time when the USA still had open borders and I’d like to think that they and my parents made a positive contribution.

deogeo 8y ago
> when the USA still had open borders Even under Trump, US borders are more open than ever, so the past tense is unwarranted. Sources: https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/immigration-statistics-fast-facts/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/immigration-statistics... https://cis.org/Report/US-Immigrant-Population-Hit-Record-437-Million-2016 https://cis.org/Report/US-Immigrant-Population-Hit-Record-43...
- lkrubner 8y ago
  Did you read the article you linked to? The sub title includes “Overall growth slowed”. And anyway it’s talking about the total immigrant population that’s built up over several decades, and even if that wasn’t an issue, it’s talking about absolute numbers rather than percentages of the population. As a percent of the population, immigration to the USA peaked in the early 20th century, which is when my 4 grandparents arrived. Immigration to the USA, nowadays, is just a small trickle, compared to what it used to be.
  - deogeo 8y ago
    From the chart in my second link, 2016 immigrant population (good proxy for yearly immigration) was 13.5%. The highest it has been since 1900 is 14.7%. How is that a trickle? For comparison, in 2010, China's population was 0.04% immigrant - 300-times less, per capita, than the US! Edit: More international comparison: in 2015, India's population was 0.5% immigrant, Japan's 1.9%, Brazil's 0.9%, South Korea's 2.9%, Mexico's 0.9%, and Turkey's was 3.8%.
    - lkrubner 8y ago
      So, according to your own numbers, the peak was 119 years ago. So your own numbers demonstrate why you were wrong when you wrote “Even under Trump, US borders are more open than ever”
souprock 8y ago
We'd be stealing those economic benefits from those other countries if we take their people. That isn't very nice. Maybe those countries would be amazing if we stopped taking their people.

deogeo 8y ago

> when the USA still had open borders Even under Trump, US borders are more open than ever, so the past tense is unwarranted. Sources: https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/immigration-statistics-fast-facts/index.html https://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/06/us/immigration-statistics... https://cis.org/Report/US-Immigrant-Population-Hit-Record-437-Million-2016 https://cis.org/Report/US-Immigrant-Population-Hit-Record-43...

lkrubner 8y ago
Did you read the article you linked to? The sub title includes “Overall growth slowed”. And anyway it’s talking about the total immigrant population that’s built up over several decades, and even if that wasn’t an issue, it’s talking about absolute numbers rather than percentages of the population. As a percent of the population, immigration to the USA peaked in the early 20th century, which is when my 4 grandparents arrived. Immigration to the USA, nowadays, is just a small trickle, compared to what it used to be.
- deogeo 8y ago
  From the chart in my second link, 2016 immigrant population (good proxy for yearly immigration) was 13.5%. The highest it has been since 1900 is 14.7%. How is that a trickle? For comparison, in 2010, China's population was 0.04% immigrant - 300-times less, per capita, than the US! Edit: More international comparison: in 2015, India's population was 0.5% immigrant, Japan's 1.9%, Brazil's 0.9%, South Korea's 2.9%, Mexico's 0.9%, and Turkey's was 3.8%.
  - lkrubner 8y ago
    So, according to your own numbers, the peak was 119 years ago. So your own numbers demonstrate why you were wrong when you wrote “Even under Trump, US borders are more open than ever”

souprock 8y ago

We'd be stealing those economic benefits from those other countries if we take their people. That isn't very nice. Maybe those countries would be amazing if we stopped taking their people.