In his NY Times column today, David Brooks worries that the protestant work ethic is fading quickly from the American psyche, as evidenced by our perpetual shift from producer economy to consumer economy.
Only I wish he'd mention the great contribution open immigration policy has made to maintaining a good American work ethic over the years. Most of our professors and PhD's are immigrants, as are many of our technology entrepreneurs and workers. I think America has managed to avoid the decadence that has historically afflicted other great nations by giving each generation a shot in the arm of new immigrant blood to lead the way forward. It takes a lot of motivation to drop everything you know, leave a country, and come to America. It's precisely this motivation that propels us forward. As border policy is tightened, we'll see the decadence Brooks fears take over ever more quickly.
Unfortunately, many conservatives have a tendency to only see immigrants as a burden to America, which perhaps explains why he hasn't mentioned this.
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