MORE ON IMMIGRATION

Defenders of recent American immigration practices like to defend them in terms of 'multi-culturalism' and 'diversity'. But as Samuel Huntington points out, the diversity argument backfires. "...the new immigration intake is much less diverse than the immigrants in earlier periods. In brief, one half of new legal immigrants come from Latin America-- and 25 percent of them from a single national source, namely Mexico."

The Australian electorate was once somewhat welcoming of immigration, something polls show has hardened up in recent years. Just compare the 1951 results listed here to these 1996 results here. 48% wanted to reduce immigration in 1951 but this had risen to 65% in 1996. Nothing to do with the welfare price-tag now attached to each newcomer courtesy of the multiculturalism industry, of course. Migrants were once left to sink or swim so it was clear to all that they deserved their success and were not leeches on the taxpayer.

Hispanic kids NOT assimilating: "Before immigration optimists issue another rosy prognosis for America's multicultural future, they might visit Belmont High School in Los Angeles's overwhelmingly Hispanic, gang-ridden Rampart district. "Upward and onward" is not a phrase that comes to mind when speaking to the first- and second-generation immigrant teens milling around the school this January. "Most of the people I used to hang out with when I first came to the school have dropped out," observes Jackie, a vivacious illegal alien from Guatemala. "Others got kicked out or got into drugs. Five graduated, and four home girls got pregnant." Certainly, none of the older teens I met outside Belmont was on track to graduate.... Debate has recently heated up over whether Mexican immigration-unique in its scale and in other important ways-will defeat the American tradition of assimilation. The rise of underclass behavior among the progeny of Mexicans and other Central Americans must be part of that debate. There may be assimilation going on, but a significant portion of it is assimilation downward to the worst elements of American life."

Surprise, surprise! "More than nine out of 10 white Britons have no or hardly any ethnic minority friends, according to a poll that reveals the continuing gulf between races and religions more than 40 years after the UK became a multicultural society."

****************************

ELSEWHERE

That pesky IQ again. Yet again a team of researchers have found what Terman & Oden reported over 50 years ago -- that high IQ kids grow up to be healthier adults. The latest findings are by Martin, Fitzmaurice, Kindlon & Buka in The Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health of 2004, vol. 58, pp. 674-679. The full report is here (PDF) and a summary is here. The reason for such findings would be obvious if it were not for politics: High IQ signifies good brain function but the brain is part of the body so good brain function tends to go with good body functioning generally. People who pooh-pooh the importance and centrality of IQ have got a lot of explaining away to do.

And another study tracking down the brain-basis of IQ: "General human intelligence appears to be based on the volume of gray matter tissue in certain regions of the brain, UC Irvine College of Medicine researchers have found in the most comprehensive structural brain-scan study of intelligence to date." Leftists long tried to deny that IQ scores corresponded to real differences between brains -- "all men are equal", of course. But modern neuroscience is constantly proving them wrong -- unsurprisingly. Not that facts interest them. Simplistic theories are their forte.

There is a wonderful story about Ronald Reagan here. Leftists despise ordinary people. Ronald Reagan loved them.

Childish Islamic hatred explained: "The Islamic world is a society dominated by "shame." Pride is an overwhelming value, where an obsession on dishonor means tremendous weakness. This is the underlying reason why America and Israel are hated with such passion. The incredible successes of our religious societies coupled with overwhelming military power gives "envy" a new meaning."

Sowell: "In today's climate, too many teachers think they are doing black students a favor by feeding them grievances from the past and telling them how they are oppressed in the present - and how their future is blocked by white racism. These are the kinds of friends who do more damage than enemies. Why endure all the hard work, self-discipline and self-denial that a first-rate education requires if The Man is going to stop you from getting anywhere anyway? People who have been pushing this line for years are now suddenly surprised and dismayed to discover that many black students across the country regard academic striving as "acting white."

Hope for American education? "Sol Stern argues that President George W. Bush's much-maligned education reforms represent real progress. Stern says the president's No Child Left Behind act, though flawed, is expanding education choices for poor parents and prodding school districts to rely on scientific standards instead of ideology in selecting reading programs-essential to closing the reading gap that underlies the black-white education gap. What's more, a new Bush-promoted voucher program for Washington, D.C. may point the way toward further education reform in a second Bush term.

The usual Leftist stupidity: "As the election looms, Labor's industrial relations policy will attract attention not just as a focus of business alarm but because it is a threat to the growth economy that Mark Latham champions. The recent report by Access Economics on the ALP's industrial platform, commissioned by the Business Council of Australia, finds a conflict between Labor's economic rhetoric and its policies..... Access Economics begins its report by listing Labor's main goals - maximising economic growth, a high wage and high-skilled workforce, an unemployment rate below 5 per cent and equity for all. The issue, of course, is how to achieve these goals - and Access forms the lethal conclusion that Labor's industrial platform actually undermines them. Access says the ALP platform's "emphasis on greater centralisation and regulation of labour markets contrasts with the direction of reforms over the past decade and more [and] it also contrasts with the thrust towards greater decentralisation of regulation in other Australian markets".... Its core argument is that Labor's policies will undermine the productivity gains that are the key to higher wages and sustainable lifts in living standards".

There is a Belgian site here devoted to recording Leftist street violence. The descriptions are all in Flemish but the pictures are good. Strange that there is no collection of conservative street violence! As soon as the Berlin wall came down, there was some anti-immigrant violence from unemployed East German youth but they were all the product of a good Communist education!

For more postings, see GREENIE WATCH and POLITICAL CORRECTNESS WATCH. Mirror sites here and here

********************************

Puzzle 1: Leftists always say that human nature is fundamentally good and that people can be trusted. So why do they say that whilst at the same time wanting to regulate everybody to death and take as many decisions and choices out of the hands of the individual as they possibly can? Easy: They say that about human nature because, if it is true, then THEY are good at heart and can be trusted -- and, given their destructive deeds, they need all the propaganda help they can get in that regard.

Puzzle 2: Why do "postmodern" Leftists make the strange claim that everything ever written has to be interpreted in terms of how it serves power? Easy: Because everything THEY say is directed towards getting themselves power

Comments? Email me here. If there are no recent posts here blame Blogger.com and visit my mirror site here or here. My Home Page is here or here.

********************************