Andy Wilson

April 25, 2005

Position paper

Issue 17

Issue 17 addressed the question of whether or not America should remain a nation

of immigrants. Social scientist Tamar Jacoby maintains that the newest immigrants keep

America’s economy strong because they work harder and take jobs that native-born

Americans reject. Columnist Patrick J. Buchanan argues that America is no longer a

nation because immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American and Asian countries

have turned America into a series of fragmented multicultural enclaves that lack a

common culture.

I agree fully with Tamar Jacoby that immigrants are a vital part of the American

society. They work jobs that most Americans turn up their noses to. America is a nation

founded by immigrants and for anybody to say that immigrants aren’t welcome is simply

ignoring their past, especially someone with a good Irish name like Buchanan.

Immigrants also help bring new ideas and life into American society. They keep

American culture from becoming stagnant by infusing different aspects of their culture

into ours. What would America be like without St. Patrick’s Day or a tree on Christmas?

I strongly believe in that immigration should not only be permitted but that it is a vital

part of American society. The Immigrants goal is to live the American dream and thus

they help to keep it alive.