Kathryn Anne Edwards

I mean, I could rattle off so many statistics about how much of our economy, innovation, small businesses, entrepreneurs, Fortune 500 companies that are run by or started by immigrants are.

if that makes a difference, go out and find those statistics.

I don't know if it has to.

So I can answer the economics of immigration questions, but I always like to put in this caveat that I don't know if that's the only way we should evaluate these type of humanitarian cases.

The economy, as told by politicians, is such a weird, warped place.

It's really hard.

It's really hard to discern.

I mean, there are a couple of things that I like to hear.

You know, I don't think that you should frame investments in workers as charity.

And the way that we would say, you know, 20 years ago, why should you have federal child care, free federal child care?

You'd hear it as like to help those women, right?

It will grow your economy.

And I think that we have for so long pivoted that social programs that progressives are in favor of are somehow like a gift.

Like they're a bonus.

Once the economy is strong enough, then we can help women and children as opposed to seeing directly as an economic investment.

And I don't think it's radical to say this is an economic investment.

Paid family leave is an economic investment.

Paid sick days is an economic investment.

There was a study of paid sick days that came out.

I think the study itself is a few years old.