The Importance of Open Borders

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Each of the last 16 years the United States has accepted more immigrants than all other nations combined. If we didn't have a very liberal open immigration policy, median household income would be rising a lot faster than it is. The percentage of the population without medical or health insurance would be far lower than it currently is. School scores would be rising faster than they are instead of flat.

Author Gregg Easterbrook talks about the ideas in his latest book, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse. How has life changed in America over the last century? Is the average person getting ahead or are the rich taking all the gains? Easterbrook argues that life is better for the average American in almost every dimension. The paradox is that despite those gains, we don't seem much happier.