Fortunately, we’re not far from having reliable scientific tests (fMRI imaging of the relevant white matter and full genetic work-ups) to find out who has “wobbly white matter in the anterior cingulum” (quoted from linked article below) or lacks the pro-social variant of the oxytocin receptor gene.

Brain imaging and personality: http://neurologicalcorrelates.com/wordpress/2011/09/05/does-your-personality-get-on-everyones-nerves-blame-your-white-matter/

When Sociopaths Take Power:
http://wehonews.com/z/wehonews/archive/page.php?articleID=2461

Wall Street’s Advice to Joran van der Sloot: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/janet-tavakoli/wall-streets-advice-to-jo_b_605380.html

A compelling theory about why they gotta be like that: http://neurologicalcorrelates.com/wordpress/2011/08/15/do-sociopaths-see-everyone-as-though-in-the-uncanny-valley/comment-page-1/

More about sociopaths being in positions they shouldn’t in the context of discussing the case of Dr. Bruce E. Ivins (the senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases who was the primary suspect in the deadly anthrax attacks of 2001 and who killed himself in 2008): http://neurologicalcorrelates.com/wordpress/2008/08/05/sociopath-affirmative-action-bruce-edward-ivins-and-clark-rockefeller/

This kind of data will almost certainly be used to show that the stricter immigration laws recently passed in various states are working to reverse the trend even though the graph suggests economic conditions are more likely the primary motivating factor. Political spin being what it is (unapologetically opportunistic) I bet we’ll see state politicians trying to win political points by claiming the immigration reform laws they supported are clearly working as intended when the more likely reason for the growing exodus is that those same politicians and their respective parties wrecked our economy so a lot of the work simply dried up and the people left on their own. I hope people remember this when it’s time to vote and don’t just give the current crop of arrogantly-dense sociopaths in power “credit” for screwing things up by reelecting them.

I hate politics.