Looks like Max isn't the ONLY Socialist in America....

[KevinTheOmnivore]

I realize you're being sarcastic, but your jest is accurate. We haven't moved towards a specialized economy simply because we're so wonderful and we can afford to, we've taken that direction greatly due to the ethnic and racial dichotomy within our work force.

I searched around the DOL's Bureau of Statistcs, but you know the government, they love to make it difficult for the average citizen to find some information.

And on the "burden" of the immigrants, isn't this a rather reactionary view point? Every wave of immigrant has historically been some kind of a "burden" on the existing society here. We are a country of immigrants, and IMO, it's simply the price you pay. I'm sure 50 years ago that blacks represented a larger share of that "burden," now, more blacks are improving (at least statistically speaking), and they are moving more and more into the "middle class."

Also, I have one problem with your chart. Perhaps immigrants comprise a large part of our poor, but they are also more heavily populated in states such as Texas, which offers less on social services and assistance programs anyway. How much of a drain or "burden" can they be...?