The argumentative opinion article I
chose to critique was from the New York Times. It was called, “What Does Immigration Actually Cost Us?” by Thomas B.
Edsall. The audience he chose to write to includes most American voters. I feel
like it was more of a liberal argument because the quotes from Trump were
negative in connotation. Although, the perception of hostility may just be
attributed to Trump’s personality and not a left wing enticement. Hillary had
great things to say that alluding to a positive impression. The author of this
piece is very credible. Thomas B. Edsall has been writing opinion pieces for 25
years. According to Wikipedia he has been an editor, written for many national
newspapers, teaches at Columbia University, and has other political and
educational accomplishments.
The claim of Edsall’s argument is
about immigration hurting American citizens and their wages while having an
affect on our economy. He is good at presenting the liberal and conservative
perspective. There are two quotes that
supported the author’s argument on a strong contrast between the two parties.
The quote from Hillary that made an impact was “because they know it
strengthens families, strengthens our economy, and strengthens our country. The
quote that contrasted Hillary’s argument the most was when Trump used another
negative statement saying, “They should – and need to – go home and get in line.”
Evidence Edsall uses includes statistics and opinions from Harvard and Dallas
Federal Reserve economists. They state how immigration is good for the economy
and promotes skilled workers while filling voids for laborers. The other side
concludes immigration hurts lower income Americans. In the logic of this
article the author presents the strong contradiction between two sides and
states that all republicans agree with Trump and all democratics agree with
Hillary.
I agree that there are two strong
stances and that as American citizens we must evaluate the best compromise for
our country. As a liberal I am like this author predicted and swayed towards Hillary’s
arguments. I do believe the evidence that proves making illegals a part of our
society helps not hurts our economy. The one critique I must mention is I am
not sure I agree because I am liberal or because of my ethics and close family
values.