Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Attack of the immigrant

From a front-page Monday story:

"The report released Monday by the Fiscal Policy Institute said that immigrants contributed $229 billion last year to New York state's gross domestic product — or 22 percent of total output. While almost three-quarters of the state's 4 million immigrants live in New York City, researchers said their contributions are crucial to the economic success of the entire state." (emphasis mine).

From an unscientific online Freeman poll on today's A3:

Are immigrants important to the economy of upstate New York?
Yes: 31.5 percent
No: 68.5 percent

I hope, then, that none in the 68.5 percent needs a doctor (a third in Upstate New York) or a teacher (one in five upstate) or a roof or a garden or an apple or a Life editor (one).

...

Next poll: Is the sky blue?
I can't wait for the answers.