Partnership for a New American Economy

Silicon Beat
November 3, 2012

Silicon Valley is and will continue to be the world’s epicenter of technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

It’s very small but extremely diverse population of 2.9 million residents enjoy the second highest per capita income (only DC is slightly ahead) and highest educated people in the U.S. It’s 1.3 million workforce is anchored in tech industry and supporting industries of retail, education, healthcare, financial services, construction and government.

She says her family hasn’t had it as easy as native-born Americans in turning Tortilleria Sonora, whose name hints at both the product and her family’s origins, into a successful business.

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Immigrants made America and America made the immigrants. This is where, when you come in, you feel welcome, play your part, make your contribution and share in the rewards of your hard work and good attitude. It’s amazing how sometimes many lose sight of it! My hats-off to Silicon Valley where one-third of us were born in another country, and have assimilated so well here.

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Yahoo! Finance
November 2, 2012

The latest snapshot of the U.S. labor market, as seen in the October employment report, underscores the current jobs crisis in America. The unemployment rate ticked up to 7.9% from 7.8% in the prior month, and 171,000 payrolls were added to the workforce. While these are solid numbers compared to the depths of the last recession, the overall improvement is not nearly enough to put a dent in the real unemployment number that includes millions of uncounted Americans who have given up the search for a job.

While the headlines might make you think there aren't any jobs to be had, quite the opposite is true. According to government data there are more than 3.6 million unfilled jobs across the country right now. This is the highest level of job vacancies in nearly four years, and if just half of those jobs were filled, the unemployment rate would fall to 6.5%.

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The New York Times
November 1, 2012

Some 70 million immigrants have come to America since the first colonists arrived. The role their labor has played in economic development is widely understood. Much less familiar is the extent to which their remarkable innovations have driven American prosperity.

Indeed, while both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have lauded entrepreneurship, innovation and “job creation,” neither candidate has made comprehensive immigration reform an issue, despite immigrants’ crucial role in those fields. Yet understanding how immigrants have fueled innovation through history is critical to making sure they continue to drive prosperity in the future.

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TechCrunch
October 31, 2012

In Washington, D.C., conventional wisdom says nothing gets done during an election year – and thus far Congress and the President have proven that wisdom correct. With more than 23 million Americans unemployed, elected officials have been more concerned with keeping their own jobs than with getting Americans back to work.

But, in the waning days of a campaign season ripe with partisan division, there is a glimmer of hope. During the second Presidential Debate at Hofstra University, Gov. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama found common ground – agreeing that highly skilled, entrepreneurial immigrants create jobs for Americans.

“We should give visas to people… who graduate with skills that we need. People around the world with accredited degrees in science and math, [should] get a green card stapled to their diploma,” Gov. Romney said.

“They provide us innovation, and they start companies like Intel and Google, and we want to encourage that,” President Obama added.

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