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Well, back when I would have been in a position to consider living somewhere else, I was a minor. And since I've been in the US from age six and am functionall

Well, back when I would have been in a position to consider living somewhere else, I was a minor. And since I've been in the US from age six and am functionally American for all practical purposes, obviously, like most people, I am not possessed with the desire to uproot myself and relocate without a compelling reason. You seem to be clinging to relative arguments throughout the comments. I agree that it's important to keep the overall merits of the US relative to many alternatives in perspective, yes. But relative arguments only go so far. Yes, I could be in a refugee camp in Darfur; doubtless, my situation--almost anyone's situation--could be a lot worse than the espresso machine breaking down or the laundromat being inconveniently far away. But it doesn't mean people shouldn't be allowed to complain about absolute inadequacies of the system, or advocate for its improvement.

tokenadult 16y ago
I'm 100 percent for people from anywhere in the world, even people who have never seen the United States, advocating for improvement of policies in the United States. Policy improvement is a great idea, and I was happy to have it happen in the United States even during the several years of my life when I wasn't living here. But I ask about the policies of other places, and what attractions those set up for immigrants, for a policy-based reason. Most public policies cannot be set to be ideal in the abstract. Indeed, there is not even enough agreement among voters to be sure what the abstract ideal of perfect policy would look like. Every country in every era, democracy or dictatorship, makes policy trade-offs. I think the discussion of United States policy can be best informed--and thus most helpful to the United States, the country I now live in--if people like you with valuable international perspective are as specific as possible in comparing United States policies to policies of other countries you know about. As I wrote in the first reply I posted in this thread, there ought to be official statistics on many of the issues mentioned in the article that opened this thread, and those official statistics from various governments may guide us better to understand what policy trade-offs make for a thriving economy, well functioning democracy and rule of law, and an open and vibrant society.
- abalashov 16y ago
  Fair enough. That seems like a very well-reasoned position.
- djjose 16y ago
  My worry with your argument (if I'm following correctly) is why should we compare/base US immigration policy on the policy of other nations? If we accept that US policy is more favorable than others, is it purely acceptable to meet the lowest bar? I'd argue we should always, in all facets of policy and life, be actively working to raise the bar.

tokenadult 16y ago

I'm 100 percent for people from anywhere in the world, even people who have never seen the United States, advocating for improvement of policies in the United States. Policy improvement is a great idea, and I was happy to have it happen in the United States even during the several years of my life when I wasn't living here. But I ask about the policies of other places, and what attractions those set up for immigrants, for a policy-based reason. Most public policies cannot be set to be ideal in the abstract. Indeed, there is not even enough agreement among voters to be sure what the abstract ideal of perfect policy would look like. Every country in every era, democracy or dictatorship, makes policy trade-offs. I think the discussion of United States policy can be best informed--and thus most helpful to the United States, the country I now live in--if people like you with valuable international perspective are as specific as possible in comparing United States policies to policies of other countries you know about. As I wrote in the first reply I posted in this thread, there ought to be official statistics on many of the issues mentioned in the article that opened this thread, and those official statistics from various governments may guide us better to understand what policy trade-offs make for a thriving economy, well functioning democracy and rule of law, and an open and vibrant society.

abalashov 16y ago
Fair enough. That seems like a very well-reasoned position.
djjose 16y ago
My worry with your argument (if I'm following correctly) is why should we compare/base US immigration policy on the policy of other nations? If we accept that US policy is more favorable than others, is it purely acceptable to meet the lowest bar? I'd argue we should always, in all facets of policy and life, be actively working to raise the bar.