MORE IMMIGRANTS

WHICH U.S. STATE CURRENTLY HAS THE biggest cash surplus?

Answer: Florida.

And which state has led in job creation for each of the past 41 months?

Again, Florida.

And which is the only large state with an unemployment rate more than 1% below the national average?

You guessed

And which state has the largest percentage of recent immigrants in its population?

Actually, it's California. But Florida is second.

I realize there are arguments on both sides of the immigration issue, and I'm not going to take a stand pro or con on the social aspects. But on the economic aspects, the anti-immigration people are dead wrong. Immigrants do not take jobs away from American citizens. Immigrants do not reduce the overall wage rate. And in a state that is sensibly run, immigrants do not increase the budget deficit. The figures are undeniable.

It's true that Florida has a few other things going for it, such as no income tax and a generally sunny climate, except during hurricane season, that attract rich, older folks with lots of disposable income. Nonetheless, the unemployment rate in the southeast part of the state, where most of the new immigrants land, recently touched 3%, compared with a national average rate of 4.7%. With the single exception of Hawaii, no state has a lower unemployment rate. Conversely, the states with the highest unemployment rates-Mississippi, Kentucky, and South Carolina-are among the states that are least friendly to recent immigrants.