"Why Immigrants Don't Riot Here"

Joel Kotkin has a thought-provoking piece in Opinion Journal about the economic and class situations in France and the lack of economic mobility or an immigrant "melting pot," which may be contributing to the recent riots.

I'm a bit of a skeptic when someone tries to show a linkage between economic problems and crime. The U.S. answer to crime or riots is often to throw money at the affected areas in the name of "economic development," rather than addressing key grassroots issues such as single-mother families and lack of emphasis on education, good citizenship, and the like. And in the case of the recent events in France, I'm concerned there may be darker forces (i.e., terrorists) fomenting the riots for reasons which have nothing to do with jobs.

However, Kotkin makes an interesting case linking economics with the unrest among immigrants in France and points out how different the economic opportunities are for immigrants to the United States. It's worthwhile to read and mull over.