I'm a bit of a conversational contrarian, mostly because it's more fun but also because often the contrary or possibly unpopular view is the correct one. What separates something correct from something incorrect is evidence. I get tired of having to re-dig up all my evidence, so now it will live here.

This is an organic page that will continue to grow as I continue to converse.

Immigration

Immigrants, even undocumented ones, are a good thing for the United States. The U.S. overly restricts them for what seems to be illogical reasons.

Immigrant Crime

Several studies have shown that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are less likely to commit crimes than native-born US citizens[1][2][3][6]. For example, a large-scale study by four universities compared immigration rates with crime rates for 200 metropolitan areas over several decades and found that immigration has the effect of reducing average crime, or that there is simply no relationship between the two[3]. Another study found that crime rates among undocumented immigrants are just a fraction of those of their US-born neighbors[2]. While these studies cannot describe why immigrants commit fewer crimes, it is a common finding that first-generation immigrants tend to be less crime-prone[2]. Overall, the weight of evidence suggests that immigration does not cause crime to increase in US metropolitan areas and may even help reduce it[6].

Citations: [1] https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2014704117 [2] https://news.wisc.edu/undocumented-immigrants-far-less-likely-to-commit-crimes-in-u-s-than-citizens/ [3] https://www.themarshallproject.org/2018/03/30/the-myth-of-the-criminal-immigrant [4] https://siepr.stanford.edu/news/mythical-tie-between-immigration-and-crime [5] https://www.cato.org/blog/new-research-illegal-immigration-crime-0 [6] https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/immigrants-do-not-increase-crime-research-shows/

Immigrant Economics

Many believe U.S. economics is a zero-sum game in which Immigrants "take our jobs" and consume public services tax-free. Evidence shows the opposite is true.

According to multiple sources, including the Center for American Progress[1], the White House[2], the American Civil Liberties Union[4], and Fwd.us[5], immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are a significant economic gain for the United States. Here are some key points from the sources:

Increased economic output: Putting undocumented immigrants on a pathway to citizenship would increase U.S. GDP by up to $1.7 trillion over the next decade[1].

Increased labor force and productivity: Immigrants increase potential economic output by increasing the size of the labor force and contribute to increasing productivity[2].

Efficiency gains: Immigrants are more mobile than natives in response to local economic conditions, helping labor markets to function more efficiently[2].

Job creation: Immigrants create new jobs by forming new businesses, spending their incomes on American goods and services, and raising the productivity of U.S. businesses[4].

Tax contributions: Immigrants pay more than $90 billion in taxes every year and receive only $5 billion in welfare. Without their contributions to the public treasury, the economy would suffer enormous losses[4].

Consumer spending: Immigrants hold significant spending power, which often goes back into local economies as they spend on housing, consumer goods, and services[6].

Overall, the sources suggest that immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are an important and positive force for the U.S. economy.

Citations: [1] https://www.americanprogress.org/article/citizenship-undocumented-immigrants-boost-u-s-economic-growth/ [2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2021/09/17/the-economic-benefits-of-extending-permanent-legal-status-to-unauthorized-immigrants/ [3] https://www.cbpp.org/research/poverty-and-inequality/immigrants-contribute-greatly-to-us-economy-despite-administrations [4] https://www.aclu.org/documents/immigrants-and-economy [5] https://www.fwd.us/news/immigration-facts-the-positive-economic-impact-of-immigration/ [6] https://research.newamericaneconomy.org/report/contributions-of-undocumented-immigrants-by-country/

Work

I make a controversial claim that you are a fantastic and incredibly responsible parent if you spend the majority of your time working to bring financial security into your household (at least within the socio-economic contexts of the United States) and that the negative connotation of the "parent who works too much" is wildly overblown.

https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1596&context=csd_research

That said, it is important to note that this is true within the context of countries like the United States and may apply less to others with a stronger social safety net.