Further down the comments on Tyler’s piece on education, Steve Sailer asks a (seemingly) pointed question:

Tyler,

If you came flat out and told the truth — that IQ matters a lot in terms of overall economic productivity and that importing a lot of 90 IQ average illegal immigrants is the surest way to drive down economic performance per capita — could you keep your job at the New York Times?

I don’t know about Tyler’s tacit terms of employment. But I’m far more pro-immigration than Tyler, and I agree with both of Sailer’s claims!

1. “IQ matters a lot in terms of overall economic productivity.” Duh.

2. “[I]mporting a lot of 90 IQ average illegal immigrants is the surest way to drive down economic performance per capita.” This is a purely arithmetic truth, like “Importing a lot of toddlers into a room is the surest way to drive down height per capita.” For the intelligent tribalist, the interesting question is whether immigration reduces per capita income of natives. Comparative advantage gives a clear answer; and if that doesn’t satisfy you, try Borjas’ empirics.