Akron Beacon Journal...
Growth through immigration
August 16, 2011 

With Rick Perry jumping into the Republican race for president, the dissection of the “Texas miracle” has begun. The economic truth isn’t as rosy as the governor likes to portray. The state hardly avoided the recession, unemployment around 8 percent. What Northeast Ohioans should note from the Texas experience are the benefits of immigration, an influx of new people providing a spur to growth. 

For decades, Texas has far outpaced the country in population growth. Part of the explanation has been a higher birth rate. Telling, too, is that the state has attracted streams of the people from inside and outside the country. 

These new arrivals generate demand. They also bring new energy and ideas. The influx isn’t without problems. In the main, Texas has advanced as a result of immigration. 

Contrast Texas with struggling Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reporting this week that the region saw its population decline by 61,000 between 2005 and 2009. The area did see a small gain in new residents from other countries. It would be smart to chart a strategy for increasing dramatically the number, especially in attracting skilled immigrants. In that way, Northeast Ohio would add to its brainpower and activity, not to mention the diversity so crucial in a global economy. 

Read it at the Akron Beacon Journal