I’m just a little curious on your behalf, indulge me if you will. You don’t have to share your results. In fact, I would prefer if you don’t. But, just take the quiz and see where you are. billoreilly/quizarchive… Allow me to tell you a quick little story that just might shed a little further light on the topic that will be addressed in this post. After all these centuries of human history and people passing on, it starts getting a little crowded in Heaven, as you can imagine, so God has decided to change the admittance policy. The new law dictates that in order to get into Heaven, you have to have a really bad day on the day that you die. The policy went into effect at noon on January 1st of this year. So, the next day at 12:01on Jan. 2nd, the first person came to the gates of Heaven. The Angel at the gate, remembering the new policy, promptly asked the man, Before I let you in, I need you to tell me how your day was going when you died. No Problem, the man said. I came home to my 25th-floor apartment on my lunch hour and caught my wife having an affair. But her lover was nowhere in sight. I immediately began searching for him. My wife was half naked and yelling at me as I searched the entire apartment. Just as I was about to give up, I happened to glance out onto the balcony and noticed that there was a man hanging off the edge by his fingertips! The nerve of that guy! I ran out onto the balcony and stomped on his fingers until he fell to the ground. But wouldnt you know it, he landed in some trees and bushes that broke his fall and he didnt die. In a rage, the first thing I thought of was the refrigerator. I pushed it out onto the balcony and tipped it over the side. It plummeted 25 stories and crushed him! The excitement of the moment was so great that I had a heart attack and died almost instantly. The Angel sat back and thought a moment. Technically, the guy did have a bad day. It was a crime of passion. So, the Angel announced, OK, sir. Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven, and let him in. A few seconds later the next guy came up. Hi there. Before I can let you in, I need to hear about what your day was like when you died. The guy sighs and says: No problem. But youre not going to believe this. I was on the balcony of my 26th floor apartment doing my daily exercises. I had been under a lot of pressure so I was really pushing hard to relieve my stress. I guess I got a little carried away, slipped, and accidentally fell over the side! Luckily, I was able to catch myself by the fingertips on the balcony below mine. Then this crazy man comes running out of his apartment, starts cussing, and stomps on my fingers. Well, of course I fell. I hit some trees and bushes at the bottom, which broke my fall, so I didnt die right away. As Im laying there face up on the ground, unable to move and in excruciating pain, I see this guy push his refrigerator of all things off the balcony. It falls the 25 floors and lands on top of me, killing me instantly. The Angel is quietly laughing to himself as the man finishes his story. I could get used to this new policy, he thinks to himself. very well, the Angel announces. Welcome to the Kingdom of Heaven, and he lets him enter. A few seconds later, a third guy comes up to the gate. Finally he says, And what was YOUR day like? The guy says, OK, picture this. Im naked, inside a refrigerator... Although some people like to pretend they came over on the Mayflower, very few of us are far removed from immigrant roots. A half century ago John F. Kennedy could call America a nation of immigrants, and publish a book with that title: We remain a nation of immigrants today. Even if many of us did not have the courage or vision to uproot and move to America, many of our parents, grandparents and great grandparents made that difficult journey. Our diversity is what makes America unique and is a source of our fundamental strength and long term prospects. According to the National Venture Capital Association, over the last 20 years, immigrants have founded, or helped to found, 25% ( 88 out of 356 ) public U.S. companies that were backed by venture capital investors. This list includes Google, eBay, Yahoo!, and Sun Microsystems. In addition, while first generation immigrants are only 12% of the U.S. population, they represent 16.7% of all new business owners in the United States. First generation immigrants own businesses in a variety of industries and make substantial contributions to both low-skilled and high-skilled sectors. For example, first generation immigrants: •Own 28.4% of businesses owned by those with less than a high school education; •Own 12% of businesses owned by those with a college education; •Own 10.8% of all firms with employees, providing job opportunities for thousands of Americans. Immigrants create jobs. The Fiscal Policy Institute found that small businesses owned by immigrants directly employed an estimated 4.7 million people in the United States. According to the latest estimates, these small businesses generated more than $776 billion in revenue annually. Immigrants contribute to American competitiveness. This is especially true in the technology-intensive and service industries. Compared to U.S.-born Americans, immigrants are more likely to hold an advanced degree and are almost twice as likely to hold a Ph.D. Many of our most productive scientists and engineers are foreign-born, keeping the United States at the forefront of global innovation. A recent study found that 40% of Fortune 500 firms were founded by immigrants or their children. The study also found that seven of the ten most valuable brands in the world were founded by such individuals. Now, there is little question that a law violated every day by 11 million people undermines respect for all laws, but there is even less question that deporting 11 million people is an impractical and unjust response to an obviously dysfunctional immigration process. So we find ourselves at one of those political moments in time, when the door to a more reasonable policy has opened up a bit. Opening the door for these 11 million while slamming it shut for everyone else would be the height of folly. We need a reform that is reality-based. We need an immigration policy that recognizes that the very definition of America requires that we continue to welcome people from other places and other cultures. Our distinctive identity and character is built on constant and continuous immigration. If the nativist, xenophobic, anti-immigrant impulse is indulged by immigration reform it will be a clear sign to the whole global community that America is in decline. Even before there was a global economy and the technology to support global communication, shipping and rapid travel, America was the worlds gathering place. America did not collect the worlds wealthy and elite, it attracted those rejected, oppressed, enslaved and even jailed. But those with the courage to come freely or the strength to survive the harsh treatment of slavery (and the equally harsh treatment of Native Americans) are the people who built this nation. The people trying to slam the door closed behind them are nearly all the descendants of relatively recent immigrants. As the world gets smaller and economic competition is based more and more on creativity and technological innovation, the place that attracts the worlds best minds will have a distinct advantage. We are that place. If you walk the streets of Tokyo or Beijing, it is not difficult to distinguish native from tourist. If you walk the streets of New York or the malls of Los Angeles, good luck in trying to figure out who is home and who is not. America may not be a melting pot, since each immigrant group tries to retain an element of their identity, but in its own often imperfect way, it is a place that is built to encourage, accept, tolerate and even absorb diversity. A place with roots everywhere has a tremendous edge in a global economy. We can do business anywhere, and host workers from anyplace. We are also a place that allows individual freedom and creativity. Even if economies are growing faster in other places, freedom and tolerance of diversity will remain a key part of Americas appeal and enormous success. Support an increase in comprehensive-legal immigration; newcomers are the life-blood of the American story.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 03:46:31 +0000
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