The latest Gallup Poll shows that 60 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with immigration levels in this country. That figure is up six percentage points from 2014, but lower than the high-water mark of 72 percent, which was set in 2008.

The timing of the record dissatisfaction level is telling. In 2008, the nation sank into its worst recession since the Great Depression, with unemployment swelling, businesses failing and a swooning stock market battering retirement savings. As a result, advocates for reduced immigration frequently repeat that immigrants (supposedly) flood a weak labor market and thus make it harder for Americans to find work. They also claim that immigration booms depress wages, and that immigrants lean heavily on social services such as welfare.

There may be a limited truth to effects on the labor market and social services, but the impact is decidedly short-term. The longer-term impact of cutting immigration levels would be much greater — and overwhelmingly negative. According to the White House, the U.S. economy would lose $80 billion in economic output, the nation’s deficits would grow by $40 billion over the next 10 years, and the Social Security Trust Fund would be shortchanged $50 billion if the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants are not granted a path to citizenship.

By contrast, a 2013 Center for American Progress study concluded that providing legal status to undocumented immigrants living in the United States would increase the gross domestic product by $832 billion over 10 years. In addition, researchers predicted that the total personal income of all Americans would increase by $470 billion during the same period.

Especially now that the U.S. economy has revived, with unemployment levels dropping to pre-recession levels, the increasing demand for labor has not always been satisfied. The agricultural sector, with its heavy reliance on immigrant farm workers, and the technology sector, with its demand for highly skilled foreign-born workers, are two notably hard-hit industries.

But perhaps the biggest argument for immigration concerns the long-term need to keep the nation’s entitlement programs financially sound. A shrinking labor pool is bad enough, but one that is aging at the same time is even worse. The U.S. population itself is aging, but the nation has been very good at attracting young immigrants to help balance the labor market, to increase payments to entitlement programs such as Social Security and to keep retirement ages from being raised even more than they already have been.

A. Banerjee is a Houston immigration lawyer in Texas. Before selecting an attorney, contact the Law Offices of Annie Banerjee by visiting their information filled web site at http://www.visatous.com.

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Municipal bankruptcies are fairly rare. They have happened at the rate of about one per year since the Great Depression. But in the wake of the U.S. and global recession of recent years, the filing and/or consideration of municipal bankruptcies have become an ever-present part of the news.

Last year, the controversy in Detroit, Michigan dominated headlines for weeks. The city filed for bankruptcy, but the legality of the filing was in question for almost a year. Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy on July 18, 2013. The next day, judge Rosemarie Aquilina ruled the filing violated the Michigan Constitution by interfering with pension payments. She ordered Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to withdraw the filing. Snyder appealed the ruling, and the Bankruptcy Court declared a federal stay of state laws to make the bankruptcy legal. After a trial for objections and several deadlines, the Bankruptcy Court ruled the filing legal in December 2013, and the bankruptcy procedure moved forward.

On June 3, the state legislature of Michigan passed a number of bills designed to prevent Detriot from falling into the same state of emergency again.

It was by far the largest bankruptcy filing of any municipality in U.S. history, both in terms of debt and in terms of the population. Detroit’s debt was estimated at $18-$20 billion, towering over the previous record-holder, Jefferson County, Alabama, which declared bankruptcy in 2011 with some $4 billion in debt. And Detroit’s population is about 700,000, or more than twice that of Stockton, California, which went bankrupt in 2012.

One of the main reasons for Detroit’s financial troubles is a steadily declining population and, therefore, tax base. Its peak population was 1.8 million in 1950. Other causes the city named in its bankruptcy filing were pension and health care costs for retired workers, a dismal rate of property tax collection – with nearly half not having paid for 2011 – budget deficits, government corruption and poor record keeping.

Many consider pensions for current retirees to be untouchable in bankruptcies. The question of whether the modification of debt obligations in bankruptcy proceedings trumps state constitutional protections of pensioners’ rights is being tested for the first time in a Chapter 9 case.

President Obama commented that the federal government is “committed to continuing our strong partnership” with Detroit, but he did not indicate any intention to attempt a bailout of the city, even when the bankruptcy was uncertain. Gov. Snyder has said he does not support the idea of a bailout, saying “accountable government” is the answer.

The ability of bankruptcy to allow individuals, businesses, and governments to move on from untenable financial situations is key to keeping our economy flowing smoothly, but when the livelihood of many thousands of pensioners is on the line, the issue becomes much more complicated.

O. Reginald (“Reggie”) Osenton is the Owner and President of Osenton Law Offices, P.A. If you need a Bankruptcy attorney in Brandon, Tampa lawyer, call 813.654.5777 or visit http://www.brandonlawoffice.com.

The next year, he went into his local pharmacy and ran into Matt Lockard, the California health insurance agent, teaming up with the store to promote their flu vaccination program.

“Hello, sir,” Matt greeted Mr. Fluey, “Have you gotten your flu shot yet?”

“Flew, flu, fluey!” Mr. Fluey replied, in the manner of, “Bah humbug!”

“I beg your pardon?” Matt asked.

“The flu shot are for sissies,” Mr. Fluey said. “I survived the Great Depression, Normandy, and Reagan; so certainly, the flu is nothing to me!”

“So you’re a veteran?” Matt asked with interest.

“Yeah, but I don’t go to the VA hospital, either. Don’t want to hang around vets in wheel chairs, talking about war wounds, and I don’t believe in the flu shot neither. I feel if you get something, you get it. That’s it. End of story!” Mr. Fluey said.

Matt Lockard, the California health insurance agent, looked perplexed. “So, what do you do if you get sick?”

“I just weather out the storm.”

“If you don’t believe that the flu shot can prevent you from getting the horrid flu, preventing you from seriously getting ill, and die, what is it that you do believe in, sir?”

“I believe in getting a beer,” Mr. Fluey said, shrugging his shoulders.

Later, Matt Lockard, the California health insurance agent, found himself at the local pub with Mr. Fluey.

“You know,” Matt said turning to Mr. Fluey with his beer mug. “I still get my shot every year, but here’s to your tenacity, fortitude and belief in beer!”

Matt Lockard – California Health Insurance agency offers health insurance plans for individuals, families, and children. Also available are California Medicare Supplement policies. Go to http://mattsinsurance4ca.com to get an instant health insurance quote.