Readers write: Finding balance, from migration to personal lives

Covering New York’s migrants

The article “Are jobs the solution to New York’s migrant crisis?” in the Jan. 22 Weekly was both informative and troubling. 

It does a good job of summarizing the hurdles that asylum-seekers and immigrants face to pay the bills. (Though I do wish that journalists would emphasize that the two populations are distinct and different from those crossing the United States-Mexico border for work or those overstaying a tourist visa.) 

The story summarizes nicely that allowing nonresidents to work is a win-win solution, reducing the burden on the public budget while also filling a need for workers due to the record-low unemployment. I would have appreciated a line or two about how these newly authorized workers also contribute to Social Security and pay other taxes on earnings.

Misinformation that immigrants are receiving “$2,200 a month” is making rounds on social media. It is revealing that the anti-
immigrant message has adapted from “They’re taking our jobs” to “They’re living off the public dime.” Make no mistake, it seems like the objective is the same: to turn our fellow humans into “less than” and perpetually inflame the “us versus them” sentiment that weakens our society.

This article was also troubling because of one of the organizations that it relied on for a quote (as have many other reputable publications, unfortunately). The Center for Immigration Studies may sound objective, but its message is entirely anti-immigration. In fact, the Southern Poverty Law Center considers it a hate group.

Rusty Wyrick
Ghivizzano, Italy

Can shrimpers make a living?

Thank you for writing about the shrimp industry in “From Bubba Gump to bust? American shrimpers face extinction.” from the March 4 Weekly! Shrimp from overseas farming has long been on the “avoid” list because of the industry’s damage to the environment, the forced labor, and use of antibiotics and herbicide. If people were more informed about this, shrimpers like Brian Jordan and Tommy Faulkner would be able to make a living without these negatives.

Christine Matthews
Washington

The value of visibility

Thank you for your articles and references to Native people. It gives them value in contrast to their invisibility in society. I particularly appreciate the story “Preserving Mohawk at Akwesasne Freedom School” in the Jan. 22 Weekly about the Mohawk school in New York and Canada. My husband is Mohawk, and our three children’s ancestral land and heritage is in that area.

Lizabeth Mckibben
Venice, Florida

Worth more than money

How ironic that the Feb. 5 cover story “Lagom” was in the same issue as the Numbers in the News feature stating that the five richest people in the world doubled their wealth between 2020 and 2023! I now see that I have been practicing my own version of lagom for most of my adult life. 

After college, I worked for 18 years in business before realizing it was not making me happy. I quit my corporate job and spent the rest of my career only working at things that I enjoyed. The money was less, especially at the beginning, but I was able to move up in these more enjoyable jobs and provide a nice living for my family. My yardstick through the years was always, “Only work at jobs that I would do for free.” 

I discovered that earning less money and being happy was better than earning lots of money and being miserable.

To me, that’s what lagom is all about.

Rick Soule
Surprise, Arizona