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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This whole debate over immigrants is very narrow.  Maybe broaden the picture beyond the Scandinavian countries and you will get a different picture of whether high numbers of immigrants are important.

Every year, The Economist publishes a City Liveability Report which ranks cities on liveability based on: Stability, Healthcare, Culture & Environment, Education, and Infrastructure.  Maybe you can debate whether those indices are the important ones but they seem pretty reasonable.

In 2023, cities ranked at nos 3, 4, 7 and 9 are all in Australia and Canada, countries with much higher levels of immigrants than the US: Melbourne ranks 3rd and 36% of its population was born overseas; Sydney ranks 4th and 49% of its population was born overseas; and immigrants account for 47% of the population of Toronto which ranks 9th.  It's worth noting that 22% of Sydney's population speaks a second language at home.

Some people argue it's hard to compare as these countries are much smaller, population-wise, than the US.  But, if you are comparing cities, this shouldn't make a difference.

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Great post. I think one question is going to be where those immigrants are coming from. If you're getting immigrants from places that are relatively wealthy, educated, and/or functional, there's a great chance that the immigrants are going to add a lot to your community. But it's so hard to divorce consideration of that kind of question from xenophobes and racists who will use it as a pretext for trying to exclude people who they regard as too alien or inferior. And, even as I type this, I'm thinking maybe it's not all that important at all. I'm thinking of the Latino people I see all over my community. I suspect plenty of them are unauthorized aliens. But, by and large, (as far as I can tell) they work hard and seem to be great family people and generally add to the vibrancy of my community. [/quote]

11.59 here.  I agree it is really difficult to dissect the immigrant issue and maybe it isn't necessary.  My father went to Australia as a 19yo refugee who didn't speak a speck of English.  By the end of his life, his health was wrecked by hard manual labour in the outback and poor lifestyle choices, but he was able to live comfortably on a pension and was provided with excellent medical care. There were no overseas holidays or fancy outings, but he didn't want or need that. Clearly, his example is anecdotal, but I definitely think a key factor is whether key material needs are met.  [/quote]

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