I disagree. This country and it's success was made possible by the genius of the founding fathers, but it owes much of it's success to immigrants. Where would America be without the likes of:
Alexander Graham Bell - born in Edinburgh, Scotland
Andrew Carnegie - born in Dunfermline, Scotland
Jacob W. Davis - born in Riga Latvia
and Jacob's more famous partner...Levi Strauss born in Buttenheim, Germany
Albert Einstein - born in Ulm, Germany
Without these immigrants America would not have been the birthplace (and exploiter of) items such as the telephone, a vital steel industry, blue jeans and I just tossed Einstein in there for good luck. And this is just in the realm of invention. The railroads were built largely by immigrants for example. If you think America would have been nearly as successful without these individuals and others like them then you aren't paying attention to history.
If your theory were true, this nation would not decline every time there is a huge wave of immigration and there would be no need for we ‘natives’ at all. We had the sense to stop it before. We’ll see if we’re that smart again.
You make an unsupported claim. Prove this nation has declined with "every" wave of immigration. And remember, I'm talking legal immigration...I do not support illegal immigration in the least.
I will ask this question again...which I have NEVER gotten an answer to... HOW many legal immigrants would you allow into this country each year?
How many legal immigrants do we let in currently? Do you know?
But to offer my personal opinion...I believe it should be indexed to the nation's population of citizens. I say this because an entirely unrestrained influx would cause issues of assimilation...which is one of the biggest problems with our current influx of illegal immigrants who aren't in the least interested in assimilating and becoming part of this nation. Their first loyalty is not to this nation but to a home nation, a family in a home nation, working and getting paid to send money back to another nation etc.
But back to your question, I'd say under 1% of the total US population of citizen. How far under would be open to debate in my opinion. I believe that if they did the full 1% that'd be significantly above the current rate. But remember, I'd be in favor of deporting all illegal "immigrants" and replacing them with this larger influx. And I'd be in favor of a more diverse spectrum of immigrants, such as more from Africa, Asia etc instead of primarily just one or two central American countries...although they would be welcome as well if they came in legally.
Does that answer your question?
” I disagree. This country and it’s success was made possible by the genius of the founding fathers, but it owes much of it’s success to immigrants. Where would America be without the likes of:
Alexander Graham Bell - born in Edinburgh, Scotland
Andrew Carnegie - born in Dunfermline, Scotland
Jacob W. Davis - born in Riga Latvia
and Jacob’s more famous partner...Levi Strauss born in Buttenheim, Germany
Albert Einstein - born in Ulm, Germany”
Swell....we aren’t currently getting any of those kinds of immigrants, are we??? We’re getting all 3rd world poverty, uneducated socialist leaning migrants. Tell me what any of them have ‘contributed’.
“But back to your question, I’d say under 1% of the total US population of citizen”
Okay...1% of 300,000,000 (current population)is 3 million...which is about what we’re letting in now EVERY YEAR. They are too numerous to assimilate, instead just forming nations within a nation.
Right now the percentage of foreign born in this country is
11.8 percent. Most of them are in California (wonder why we’re broke!) By your 1% figure, we need to get rid of millions.
U.S. Foreign-Born Population Hits 33 Million
Now fastest growing segment of population
[snip]The foreign-born population of the United States exceeded 33 million in 2002, slightly more than the entire population of Canada, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest American Community Survey (ACS).
Of the total U.S. population, 11.8 percent were foreign-born and accounted for 44 percent of the nation’s population growth in 2002. A majority of the foreign-born residents live in four states: California (28 percent), New York (11.8 percent), Texas (9.8 percent) and Florida (8.9 percent).
http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/censusstatistic/a/foreignborn.htm