Immigration
The conversation — or argument — we’ve been having on immigration has been remarkably skewed. It’s been all about the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, otherwise known as the “undocumented.” Actually, what counts far more are the estimated 31 million immigrants who are here legally and the roughly 1 million who gain legal entry every year.
We need an immigration system that gives priority to skilled over unskilled workers, rather than today’s policy that favors family preferences for green cards. This sort of system would promote assimilation … increase economic growth … and reduce poverty.
Robert Samuelson
The Washington Post
As the mayors of three great global cities — New York, Paris and London — we urge the world leaders assembling at the United Nations to take decisive action to provide relief and safe haven to refugees fleeing conflict and migrants fleeing economic hardship, and to support those who are already doing this work.
Investing in the integration of refugees and immigrants is not only the right thing to do, it is also the smart thing to do. Refugees and other foreign-born residents bring needed skills and enhance the vitality and growth of local economies, and their presence has long benefited our three cities.
Bill de Blasio, Anne Hidalgo, Sadiq Khan
The New York Times
9-to-5 workdays
The 9-to-5 schedule doesn’t conform to most people’s lives or workflows. Sitting in a chair for eight hours straight doesn’t produce results; many studies have established the benefits of taking breaks during work. And the best hours for productivity vary from person to person. Not everyone is a morning person. One study found sleep deprivation costs employers an average of $2,000 a year per worker; other research suggests cognition peaks in the later afternoon.
Indeed, research suggests working fewer hours in a given day or week can improve productivity and health and boost employee-retention rates. … Another study found that people who worked 55 hours a week performed worse on cognitive tests than those who worked 40 hours.
Rebecca Greenfield
The Chicago Tribune
Compared to normal sleepers, so-called “short sleepers” — those who are getting 6 hours or less on weeknights — worked 1.5 more hours on weekdays and nearly 2 hours more on weekends and holidays. Perhaps not surprisingly, “the highest odds of being a short sleeper were found among adults working multiple jobs, who were 61 percent more likely than others to report sleeping 6 hours or less on weekdays,” according to a press release about the study.
To put it another way: to the extent that we’re trading sleep for work, our jobs are literally killing us.
Christopher Ingraham
The Washington Post
Will adding a veggie burger to the In-N-Out menu destroy the country?
Adding a meat-alternative to the menu harms no one, helps many and provides a phenomenal opportunity for In-N-Out to do good while doing even better financially than they already are.
But there is one more, quite insidious harm a veggie burger might wreak upon our nation that I’ll admit we had failed to consider. We have learned that this single menu addition could lead to In-N-Out, and quite possibly the whole country, becoming “a gender-free, multicultural safespace to cuddle in” that’s populated by “the worst types of humans.”
Seriously? C’mon, no one is standing in the way of you and your double-double order. Why so many people would get so worked up over someone wanting to buy a different burger is beyond me. But then again I’m a narcissistic … liberal and soft vegan nerd.
Emily Byrd
Los Angeles Times
Utah homelessness
A semi-permanent encampment of hundreds of people, many incapacitated by drugs and mental illness, creates an environment where crimes are brazenly committed, police officers are attacked and no one is safe. The complicated situation centered near the Road Home shelter on 500 West has evolved into a public safety and health emergency.
This is a community problem and it will take the entire community to solve it. As concerned as I am about the current situation, I am also optimistic. … This sense of commitment is part of the culture of our police department and shapes the behavior of officers across our city. Most of all, Utahns have a sense of decency and good will that guides the best of our efforts. We can get this done, but the time to act is now.
Jason Mathis
The Salt Lake Tribune
