With President Obama expect to speak about immigration reform in his 2013 State of the Union speech, this might be a good time to revisit the findings of the Jordan Commission on Immigration from back in 1997. Their recommendations still look pretty fair to me and, indeed, a lot better than what I’ve been hearing lately. The quick summary might be more immigrants that are needed, fewer that aren’t needed, and a better job enforcing the law and monitoring the results.
I’ve made my suggestion many times before: I think there should be a central, online clearing house for jobs for which H1-B visas are being sought.
As long as the battle lines are drawn between nativists and proponents of open borders, progress will be very, very difficult. I would prefer that the guiding principle be national interest. Too much to hope for, I guess.
OT regarding immigration reform options, but still in the realm of tonight’s SOTU speech….
An electrician friend was over this morning and we started talking about the group of young people who were going to be left holding the bag for the large and self-serving boomer generation — basically the under 30 crowd. This discussion dovetails into the opinion piece I just read on Reason asking young people if Obama will tell them that he is screwing them big time.
I would love to hear a SOTU speech given from the perspective of this guy!
What a novel concept — making decisions based on fact, rather than ideology!
Jan, how’d a nice girl like you get so tied up in ideology?
Mr. Dave, as Catholics, are you planning on giving up something during Lent?
Y’all seem pretty spare as it is.
jan:
Frankly, I’m suspicious of perpetuating the notion that physicians, chemists, biologists, etc. are thinking machines that make wholly empirical assessments untinged by bias or ideology. Scientists are human, too, and subject to all of the agendas, biases, and preferences that the rest of us are.
I probably should write a whole post on this subject. Once upon a time we ate entirely vegetarian diets throughout Lent. Something like the Great Lent of Eastern Orthodoxy. My wife used to give up chocolate, a serious commitment for her. For me giving up chocolate would not have been unlike most people giving up veal brains. I rarely eat them, so why not?
I received my first results from 23andme.
Lo, I’m Caucasian. H5a1.
I’ve got the red beans simmering; the Wild Magnolias funking; and I just popped a homebrew. Bon Ton Roulet.
Wild Magnolias?
The Nevilles are better, but the Wild Magnolias are fun, PD.
Y’al,l I’m 56 since yesterday. The big Mardi Gras party I went to was Saturday night.
Is that the maternal haplotype? mtDNA? That’s Austrian, isn’t it?
@PD Shaw
I’ve got the red beans simmering …
I do mine low and slow for 12 to 16 hours.
That’s the maternal haplotype. Beats me.
It comes from the Caucasus through the Balkans to Poland , Romany and wherever.
That’s my first result.
@Dave Schuler
The scientific method was designed to remove bias, ideology, and theology. One’s results must be available for scrutiny, and one’s method must be available for repeatability.
2.6% Neanderthal.
Dear Jan,
Thomas Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
Shrove Tuesday so we had pancakes at church. Would much rather have red beans and rice.
Agree on physicians. Not that unusual to hear physicians deny evolution or other elementary science secondary to religious beliefs or political affiliation. However, if the intent of the statement is that more docs, scientists, etc. should be involved in public policy, I would agree. We leave it up to the lawyers more than is good for us.
Steve
I’ve never seen a doctor get hung up on more than money.
That’s not fair, Steve. But unfocused doctors have given me more than my share of grief for about eight years now.