Dear Roger

Dear Governor Allin,

I would like to thank you for not banning "those darn Jews from Russia" from entering North Dakota in 1895. I know this isn't comparable to the crisis facing Syrian refugees in 2015, but there were some parallels for Jews living in Russia in the late 19th century. I have a great life. I couldn't ask for anything better. I fully understand that my great-grandparents had a very rough life, my grandparents grew up in the midst of the Great Depression and, frankly, struggled to get by, and my parents were at best on the lower-end spectrum of the middle class, but I have a bright future and an abundance of opportunity awaiting me. I owe a lot of my existence to the struggles of my predecessors. Forgive me if this is too much candor, but I think they would agree with this: they would gladly bear the burden of lifelong struggles if it meant that a future generation would live life comfortably.

I like to think that, in 120 years, the great-grandson of a Syrian refugee will reflect on his upbringing and be grateful for all of the opportunities afforded to him. He might look back to one defining moment - the benevolence demonstrated by a strange group of people - and understand that compassion played a direct role in his livelihood. Per the conservative paradigm of human population growth, it is commonly accepted that more traits and skills in the "human talent pool" lead to better solutions for future (un)anticipated problems. Who is to say that this 120-years-from-now refugee will not grow up to cure cancer? Reduce our dependence on fossil fuels? Become an expert carpenter? Teach the next generation of scientists? Become an exceptional stay-at-home dad? Explore the final frontier? Improve farming efficiency? Give considerably to philanthropic endeavors? Become a world-class pianist? As Julian Simon contended, our greatest resource is humans. As far as I am aware, a Syrian is every bit as human as this little-known blogger.

Sincerely,

The great-grandson of a Jew living in Russia in 1895.