Michigan gov Rick Snyder against Arizona-style immigration law, wants to "celebrate diversity"

Michigan governor Rick Snyder (GOP) has scored a hat trick: he's not fiscally extremist enough for the tea parties [1], the far-left is on the march against him [2], and he's also weak on immigration. From this:

Speaking to the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Gov. Rick Snyder said that an immigration law such as the one passed last year in Arizona [note: something similar is proposed in Michigan] would "encourage a divisive atmosphere."

...Earlier this year, in a talk before a Muslim group, Snyder said Census 2010 data showed a steep decline in Michigan’s population, and therefore the state needed to attract immigrants.

At that talk, Snyder said the state’s diversity – it is home to the nation’s largest Arab and Muslim population and a growing community of Latinos – could attract more businesses to Michigan.

"We need to celebrate diversity; it's one of our strengths,” Snyder said, according to published reports. “One of the things I'm proud to say I'm already encouraging, that was in my state of the state message, is the idea of more immigration, particularly for advanced degree people."

1. Obviously, "celebrating diversity" is a far-left concept that some (perhaps including Snyder) might use without knowing what it actually means. His celebration of diversity would lead to Balkanization, the further rise of racial power groups, campaigns against "hate speech", and so on. Perhaps he learned about "diversity" in the far-left sense when heading up Gateway (the computer company).

2. The "immigrants" who would be affected by the Arizona-style bill in Michigan are actually illegal aliens, most or almost all of whom would be low-skilled and not those who'd create large numbers of jobs. Snyder is presenting a false choice: it would be possible for Michigan to have both an Arizona-style bill and be welcoming to high-skilled immigration. Instead of promoting that possibility, Snyder is trying to undercut it for political reasons (for instance, by pandering to the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce).

3. When at Gateway, Snyder outsourced some production (link), even though he now denies it (link). Rather than seeking "immigrants", Snyder should move to prevent other companies from outsourcing.

4. There are around 300 million people in the U.S., many of whom are very bright and creative. Snyder could encourage some of them to move to Michigan rather than having to deal with all of the issues involved with immigrants from other countries.

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[1] markmaynard.com/?p=9952

[2] "Tea Party Michigan Governor Rick Snyder Adopts Soviet-style Authoritarian Powers Over Michigan Cities"
kochwatch.org/index.php?q=node/1401