-I found Putnam’s article to be interesting and informative. The main point of this article was that in diverse communities, people trust each other less whether or not they look alike or speak the same language. “In other words, in more diverse settings, Americans distrust not merely people who do not look like them, but even people who do.” He proved this with extensive research, taking into account all variables that could distort the data. Why do people trust their own race less in diverse communities? Does it have to do with social distance and how each people might identify themselves differently?

-Putnam also rejects the idea that immigrants hurt the economy and that they are taking away the jobs of native-born Americans, thus hurting their income.  He states that immigration is actually associated with “more rapid economic growth.” He also includes the results from a recent study which found that native-born Americans’ incomes increase rapidly when they live in communities with more immigrants. I’m not sure how accurate this study is and it should be further looked into with more research.

-Putnam opened my eyes to the fact that “throughout history, immigrants have accounted for three to four times as many of America’s Nobel Laureates, National Academy of Science members, Academy Award film directors and winners of Kennedy Center awards in the performing arts as native-born Americans.” I knew that immigrants would contribute to society, but I never realized the true impact of their work. I was surprised that they contributed more than native-born Americans.

-Putnam mentions in the article: “In advanced countries with aging populations, immigration is important to help offset the impending fiscal effects of the retirement of the baby-boom generation.” This statement reminded me of what Joe Salvo mentioned about immigration and migration and how it is a good thing. Salvo gave an anecdote where people in Chicago are all old because people are migrating out of the city, but no one is migrating in. This can hinder the growth of the city. Thus, immigrants are essential to a city’s growth and prosperity.