Two of the issues that have received a large amount of attention relating to the vote in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union have resonance on this side of the Atlantic as well.
At its core, the European Union is about the unfettered movement of people, goods and services among nations, much like we in the United States enjoy between the individually sovereign states.
At issue here today is whether trade deals between the U.S. and other nations can deliver (or have delivered) similar growth as has been seen in Europe through the decades, as well as just how equally those benefits are being distributed.
There is no question that trade is in general a good thing, so any rethinking of trade regimes must not throw out the benefits to satisfy narrow populist agendas.
The other issue, and the more incendiary one, is immigration. It is rich to hear media reports of "nativist" sentiment rising in opposition to continued immigration to the U.S. That term should be reserved for the native tribes scattered across the continent, some corralled into hostile environments, others driven from existence.
The U.S. is a nation of immigrants, and while there should be more order to the process and a recognition that resources are not unlimited, the bias should always be on welcoming those who want to make this country their new home.
To turn our backs on them is to turn our backs on our own future progress. •