Let's consider something more basic

Submitted by Paul (United States), May 9, 2007 at 23:29

Instead of trying to put prospective immigrants through a grilling on their motives -- something that would be easy for many of them to game, helped along by the bureaucrats who regard the newcomers as clients to be served -- why not simply end almost all immigration?

The basic point is that the United States exists to benefits its citizens. So, then, do our immigration laws -- in principle. But there is little benefit and, simultaneously, abundant detriment for most Americans in our current regime of mass immigration. We have no need of further people.

If we limited immigration to, at most, a few hundred superstars per year, the problem Dr. Pipes discusses here would vanish. What do I mean by "superstar"? I'm a physicist. Among physicists, I'd say "superstar" means "comparable to Enrico fermi." [I wouldn't make the cut.] We'd want to set analogous standards in other arenas of human endeavor.

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