Why We Need Immigration
Basically, without it, as the above graphs shows, we are getting old. And that is a recipe for national decline.
Click here for reuse options!When immigrant contributions to population growth are removed, the U.S. population is projected to stop growing in the 2040s. Further, without immigrants, the number of retirement age people per working age person would increase 30 percent faster over the next several decades. These trends have critical economic implications. Reducing the number of workers available would limit the future growth of the economy, and increasing the number of retirees that each worker must support would harm the budget, especially Social Security and Medicare. In this way, immigration’s demographic implications become a key economic advantage for the United States.
On the international stage, these economic benefits make immigration an important power asset. Nations with faster-growing economies and healthier budgets have an easier time influencing world events. For example, a larger economy can increase a country’s power in trade negotiations, the effectiveness of its economic sanctions, and the size of its military investments. If the U.S. continues to harness immigration’s economic and fiscal benefits, it can expect to have an easier time maintaining its prominent position in global affairs.
Copyright 2014 Liberaland
By: Stuart Shapiro
Stuart is a professor and the Director of the Public Policy
program at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers
University. He teaches economics and cost-benefit analysis and studies
regulation in the United States at both the federal and state levels.
Prior to coming to Rutgers, Stuart worked for five years at the Office
of Management and Budget in Washington under Presidents Clinton and
George W. Bush.
16 responses to Why We Need Immigration
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
John Tarter May 30th, 2014 at 22:03
The type of immigrants is also a crucial factor. Millions of low skilled immigrants who tend to sign up for government services is not what this nation needs. But if you are talking about immigrants with their own money who arrive here ready to start their own business, or have critical skills that the country can use – now that’s a different story altogether.
William May 31st, 2014 at 12:57
Millions of low skilled immigrants who tend to sign up for government services is not what this nation needs.
Thanks for taking a dump on the fundamental spirit of what built this nation.
Thank God selfish, misogynistic blowhards like you weren’t checking bank books at Ellis island.
John Tarter May 30th, 2014 at 22:03
The type of immigrants is also a crucial factor. Millions of low skilled immigrants who tend to sign up for government services is not what this nation needs. But if you are talking about immigrants with their own money who arrive here ready to start their own business, or have critical skills that the country can use – now that’s a different story altogether.
William May 31st, 2014 at 12:57
Millions of low skilled immigrants who tend to sign up for government services is not what this nation needs.
Thanks for taking a dump on the fundamental spirit of what built this nation.
Thank God selfish, misogynistic blowhards like you weren’t checking bank books at Ellis island.
John Tarter May 31st, 2014 at 06:30
And we don’t need the thousands of un-accompanied minors that are now crossing over into the nation either – with some 60,000 this year alone. There are so many that they are being housed at U.S. military installations in Texas. And the cost? An estimated 2 BILLION dollars of taxpayer funds. What we really have here is illegal activity aided and abetted by the President of the United States with his stupid “Dreamer” and de facto “open border” policies and cheered on by Democrats no less. Unbelievable!
Obewon May 31st, 2014 at 10:47
Immigrants add more to the US economy and start more business too. “Immigrants generated (Medicare) surpluses totaling $115 billion from 2002 to 2009. In comparison, the American-born population incurred a deficit of $28 billion over the same period.”-Study Harvard Medical School. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/health/immigrants-give-more-to-medicare-than-they-receive-a-study-finds.html (Undocumented immigrants annual Social Security surplus is greater than $50 billion each year)
2. “the current immigration surplus is about 0.28% of GDP, or roughly $37 billion (to $62 billion) per year.2 1997”-NBER via GWB.
3. “immigrants and their descendants would contribute about $80,000 more in taxes (in 1996 dollars) than they would receive in public services. (Source: Smith and Edmonston)”-Dallas Federal Reserve Bank Study citing the National Research Council, via the guy you voted for twice GWB. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.html
And John Tarter is a French Immigrant whose xenophobia is “Unbelievable!”
John Tarter May 31st, 2014 at 11:51
This is funny. We can’t reliably predict the weather but these people can accurately predict all the un-skilled illegal immigrants will bring us a monetary surplus? Give me a break! (Remember, it’s 2 billion dollars that it’s costing us right now to take care of all those illegal minors.)
mea_mark May 31st, 2014 at 12:31
If you really want a break go to a right-wing site where facts aren’t important.
Hardlee_Ded May 31st, 2014 at 22:56
…a 2 billion from 50 billion leaves 48 billion.
SteveD May 31st, 2014 at 19:16
Tarter-federal taxes DO NOT pay for federal spending. Therefore, you lose any ‘leverage’ you believe you have.
(1) Taxes don’t fund anything
(2) The government doesn’t borrow from anybody to finance its spending
(3) The government’s fiscal balance (deficit) is the non-government sector’s surplus.
(4) The government creates currency by fiat (‘out of thin air’)
(5) Bond issuance is not borrowing.
(6) Banks lend without reserves constraints imposed by the central bank.
See Obi’s surplus details below, which thoroughly debunks your nonsense.
John Tarter May 31st, 2014 at 06:30
And we don’t need the thousands of un-accompanied minors that are now crossing over into the nation either – with some 60,000 this year alone. There are so many that they are being housed at U.S. military installations in Texas. And the cost? An estimated 2 BILLION dollars of taxpayer funds. What we really have here is illegal activity aided and abetted by the President of the United States with his stupid “Dreamer” and de facto “open border” policies and cheered on by Democrats no less. Unbelievable!
Obewon May 31st, 2014 at 10:47
Immigrants surplus $50 B+ annually in taxes paid versus benefits received, adding more to the US economy, while also starting more business too.
-“Immigrants generated (Medicare) surpluses totaling $115 billion from 2002 to 2009. In comparison, the American-born population incurred a deficit of $28 billion over the same period.”-Study Harvard Medical School. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/30/health/immigrants-give-more-to-medicare-than-they-receive-a-study-finds.html (Undocumented immigrants annual Social Security surplus is greater than $50 billion each year)
2. “the current immigration surplus is about 0.28% of GDP, or roughly $37 billion (to $62 billion) per year.2 1997”-NBER via GWB.
3. “immigrants and their descendants would contribute about $80,000 more in taxes (in 1996 dollars) than they would receive in public services. (Source: Smith and Edmonston)”-Dallas Federal Reserve Bank Study citing the National Research Council, via the guy you voted for twice GWB. http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/cea/cea_immigration_062007.html
And John Tarter is a French Immigrant whose xenophobia is “Unbelievable!”
John Tarter May 31st, 2014 at 11:51
This is funny. We can’t reliably predict the weather but these people can accurately predict all the un-skilled illegal immigrants will bring us a monetary surplus? Give me a break! (Remember, it’s 2 billion dollars that it’s costing us right now to take care of all those illegal minors.)
mea_mark May 31st, 2014 at 12:31
If you really want a break go to a right-wing site where facts aren’t important.
Hardlee_Ded May 31st, 2014 at 22:56
…a 2 billion from 50 billion leaves 48 billion.
SteveD May 31st, 2014 at 19:16
Tarter-federal taxes DO NOT pay for federal spending. Therefore, you lose any ‘leverage’ you believe you have.
(1) Taxes don’t fund anything
(2) The government doesn’t borrow from anybody to finance its spending
(3) The government’s fiscal balance (deficit) is the non-government sector’s surplus.
(4) The government creates currency by fiat (‘out of thin air’)
(5) Bond issuance is not borrowing.
(6) Banks lend without reserves constraints imposed by the central bank.
See Obi’s surplus details below, which thoroughly debunks your nonsense.