by Daniel Griswold
The Dallas Morning News, April 27, 2008

Among its many virtues, America is a nation where laws are generally reasonable, respected and impartially enforced. A glaring exception is immigration.

Today an estimated 12 million people live in the U.S. without authorization, 1.6 million in Texas alone, and that number grows every year. Many Americans understandably want the rule of law restored to a system where law-breaking has become the norm.

The fundamental choice before us is whether we redouble our efforts to enforce existing immigration law, whatever the cost, or whether we change the law to match the reality of a dynamic society and labor market. [more]

April 15, 2008
Race to the Bottom? The Presidential Candidates’ Positions on Trade
by Sallie James

In a new Trade Briefing Paper, the Cato Institute's Sallie James examines the voting records and campaign pledges of the presidential candidates and finds that John McCain’s policies on free trade would be most beneficial to the U.S. economy. Based on campaign rhetoric and trade voting records, “voters could expect a President McCain who promotes freer trade and cuts in market-distorting subsides, and a president Clinton or a President Obama who views free trade between voluntary actors as something to be restrained,” writes James. [more]

March 31, 2008
Worried about a Recession? Don’t Blame Free Trade
by Daniel Griswold

Contrary to political rhetoric, free trade does not cause economic downturns, but in fact it has helped ensure that recessions are “mercifully shorter, shallower, and less frequent” than in past decades, according to a Free Trade Bulletin released by the Cato Institute. [more]

March 14, 2008
No Need to Panic about Foreign Sovereign Investment
by Daniel Ikenson

"Sovereign Wealth Fund" investment, like all foreign investment, benefits the U.S. economy in myriad ways. Accordingly, it should be treated like all foreign investment: welcomed, but also subject to laws and regulations that could block proposed deals that are found to pose risks to U.S. national security, finds a new Cato Institute report. [more]