SecondAlamo said on 27 Apr 2008 at 1:37 pm:
Eric, What the hell does diversity have to do with economic growth? That makes no sense at all. Basically you're saying that any country without diversity is doomed to economic failure. How did the US become an economic power house when the majority of business people were 'white' rather than 'diverse' as the minorities are always quick to point out? Many countries are extremely less diverse than the US. As a matter of fact, as they endure huge influxes of immigrants they are beginning to suffer the consequences. England and France are two examples of countries with recent problems dealing with immigration.
In looking back to see what I said on AntiBVBL to upset Second Alamo, I've decided it was my use of the word "must." I should have said "diversity is an advantage." But I will say that Prince William County must look for advantages, and try not to lose them, if we are to compete with other counties in this region and avoid becoming the ugly duckling of the DC Metro economy (as we are currently in the DC Metro housing market).
One of the many new things I learned from Dr. Fuller is that this region has the healthiest economy in the U.S., and as a result, Virginia is consistently ranked the best to state to do business. While the rest of the nation slips into recession, Virginia will not - we will see a slow down, but not a recession, he predicts.
In this region where so many new businesses and new capital investment are flowing in from around the globe, it would be to our advantage as a county to maintain the level of diversity we have, because companies look for diversity as one of the criteria in deciding where to break ground. In fact, the international diversity of the DC area population is one of the reasons why businesses hoping to succeed in the global economy are drawn here.
In addition, we have a job shortage in this area. We are competing with the other counties for workers. And, once again, immigrants and migrants from other parts of this country look for diversity when they decide where to settle in this area. I'm not sure if I included this in the video, but Dr. Fuller pointed out something that has long been obvious to me - that the most creative people, and those who tend to be in the highest income bracket, prefer to live in diverse, stimulating dynamic communities. One example he gave was they like to eat at different kinds of restaurants. But I have noticed that people from rural, once exposed to a diverse college campus or urban environment, are "hooked" on diversity, and are hard pressed to return to the homogeneous areas from whence they came.
If Prince William County is known, fairly or unfairly, as a place that is not tolerant of diverse populations, we will not only lose out on the economic benefit of those immigrants who provide the working-class engine, added tax base, and added jobs (a net benefit, Dr. Fuller argues, contrary to what FAIR or Greg Letiecq might tell you). We also lose out on more skilled, more educated immigrants who are looking for diversity when they decide where in this region to settle. And, we lose out on highly-skilled American workers who come here from other parts of the country.
The short term effect on the housing market is already obvious. But also, this stigma effects our long term prospects for attracting new businesses and investment. Our economy depends on "idea" people. We need the types of people who are drawn to the diversity associated with metro areas, and usually turned off by the kind of intolerance that is currently our reputation. If we are a county with less "idea" people, we have yet another disadvantage when companies decide where to locate themselves.
So, with that said, HERE IS THE NEW VIDEO, which turned out to be a contrast in world views between Dr. Fuller, and Michael Hethmon of FAIR, one of the principle authors of the Immigration (Rule of Law) Resolution.