The last two books I’ve read don’t seem to have much in common at first but upon further thought I think they have everything to do with each other.
Over at the Red County Book Club I came across The Immigration Solution by three authors that write different chapters. Amazon then got me started on Kevin Phillips’ Wealth and Democracy.
First of all, some parts of the The Immigration Solution seem a little sensationalized to me. It has some interesting facts but some that I question. Some of the personal stories that are presented to illustrate a point come up short. It is also not as well sourced as I would like. However, the book does deal with the real problem of illegal immigration.
The best part of the book was the second chapter about the different demographics of the people coming to this country today as opposed to generations ago. It really does present a challenge today as opposed to an opportunity a hundred years ago.
The other lasting impression for me is that we have not been critical enough of the Mexican government. They are doing a disservice to the people of their country and ours by not improving the economic conditions in their country.
I had not read a Kevin Phillips book since The Politics of Rich and Poor came out in 1990. Wealth and Democracy will not scare me away from his latest offering but the first 100 plages dented my enthusiasm. This is where Phillips goes to great lengths to demonstrate that the rich have only gotten richer in our country over the past 100 years and that the gap is growing.
The final part of Phillips’ book is what links with The Immigration Solution. Chapter 10 Great Economic Power Decline and the Politics of Resentment is what we are going to continue to see if this country continues with some current policies.
All of the charts and graphs that Phillips has in the first part of the book should and would be vastly different if Mexico was included. With a border that prevents the United States from determining our own economic and social future we might as well lump Mexico into our economic analysis as a country.
When looking at both written works together you could conclude that the democracy we value here in the United States is actually at risk due to the mix of our economic and immigration policies. The politics of resentment will only further destabilize it.