Comments on: Helping Shrinking Cities through Immigration

By: John Morris

John Morris — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 02:01:00 +0000

I don’t think the “all about jobs” argument carries much weight. If high skilled immigrants are in the kind of short supply that a lot of experts and companies claim then increasing the number of Visas only for targeted areas would likely cause a lot of people to open up offices to take advantage of the labor pool.

The whole situation calls into question the whole mythology of the industrial age– that rich, smart skilled people “exploited” the unskilled and poor. If there was any truth in the myth it has nothing to do with the world of today in which brains and skills are priceless.

By: John Morris

John Morris — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:48:04 +0000

If Buffalo is anything like Pittsburgh the major problem will be getting any significant local support for the idea. It’s pretty strange and ironic but many of the most extreme anti immigrant laws and policies have been put out in places that have almost no foreign immigration. Altoona, PA is a good example. In depressed cities convincing people that the pie could actually grow is pretty hard and most people just see the downside.

Maybe since you are closer to Canada there could be more awarness of pro growth immigration policies.

By: Mike C

Mike C — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 03:29:47 +0000

What use are more H1B visa holders to Buffalo? It’s all about jobs! How many former Buffalonians with IT skills now live in the Carolinas, along the front range, in Phoenix, California, Seattle, etc. How many would move back right now given a favorable employment situation?

By: NathanK

NathanK — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:57:06 +0000

Bringing H1-B immigrants could help. If they choose to live in Amherst, that’s their prerogative. At least they would still be contributing to the local economy. However, I don’t think our efforts should be restricted to just H1-B immigrants. Other immigrants and refugees, and our local economy, could benefit from the creation of new partnerships between government, higher ed institutions, and human service agencies that would help immigrants get a college degree and start their own business. I don’t know what a program like this would look like, but maybe it could include a business incubator located in an area with a high concentration of immigrant residents.

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 17:57:26 +0000

sure, did you deliver it? i heard you were working part time. i hoped i tipped you better than your buddy the judge tips, he’s well known for stiffing delivery people and mooching bus rides to dame games.

By: mike hudson

mike hudson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:27:58 +0000

you order any pizza lately, mike?

By: Mike

Mike — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:36:08 +0000

Hudsons blogs are like paid advertisements for anyone who ever bought him a drink or mentions his paper in print. You sound like your part of that 10 percent, no college degree (sorry mike university of phoenix doent count), cheap housing, and soon to be on welfare because you cant afford the meds.

By: Ben Fleming

Ben Fleming — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:00:41 +0000

First all of, the City Journal is highly respected by whom? It’s an afterthought rag published by the libertarian crackpots at the Manhattan Institute. Urban planning, budgeting, education … if you can predict their policy prescription literally 100 percent of the time, then maybe it’s not that valuable. Also, I love how you call him “the professor,” as if that has shit to do with shit. A hack is a hack whether he has tenure or not.

In any case, the article reads as if it were written by someone who had zero interest in whether Buffalo survives. Surprise. The guy wants smaller government whether that would help or not (which, in our case, it certainly wouldn’t). Turning a deaf ear to such “advice” isn’t just advisible — it’s all but necessary.

By: Mike Miller

Mike Miller — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:50:03 +0000

I believe Masiello started recruiting immigrants several years ago.

By: mike hudson

mike hudson — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:20:26 +0000

aside from the fact that i have a team of great doctors, all of whom are from the punjab, keeping me alive, i would refer everyone to the major piece on buffalo in the current edition of of the highly respected quarterly “city journal.”

entitled “can buffalo ever come back? probably not and the government should quit bribing people to stay there,” its author, harvard economics professor edward l. glaeser, points out a number of things civic boosters of the nickel city or the queen city of the great lakes or whatever the hell they’re calling it this week tend to overlook.

like that the only reason for buffalo’s existence in the first place was its location at the terminus of the erie canal, which doesn’t exist anymore. or that an astonishing 10 percent of buffalo’s residents in the 2000 census had just moved there since 1995, nearly all of them low income people attracted by dirt cheap housing and new york-style welfare benefits. or that just 19 percent of the people here have a college degree as opposed to more than 55 percent in new york city.

of course, the professor’s assessment and advice will fall on deaf ears here, as members of the brain trust are far too busy thinking happy thoughts and being “positive.”

yeah! maybe people from darfur won’t think it’s so bad here! things are looking up already!