America's Growth Spurt
By Rori Picker, Associate for Interfaith Relations, RFP-USA
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, the population of America is expected to reach 300 million within the coming week. America is the third most populous nation, trailing behind China and India. With an estimated growth rate of one person every 11 seconds, it would seem that America, currently in its 230th year, is still in a growth spurt, and a rapidly increasing one at that.
After the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, it took the country 139 years to reach 100 million in 1915, then only 52 years to reach the 200 million mark in 1967, and now another 39 years to achieve 300 million. According to census projections, the next 100 million will take only 37 years. According to William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institute, a change in immigration law in 1965 unintentionally reignited immigration-led population.
As the population rises, though, so does the quality of life. Longevity has increased to 78 years, the percentage of adults with a high-school diploma has reached 85 percent, homeownership has risen to 69 percent, and the cost of a gallon of milk is half its cost in 1967. Immigration may yield even further benefits. Frey believes that foreign-born residents and their children will surge into the workforce, and their payroll taxes will help reduce funding shortfalls for Social Security and other social programs that benefit older people.
However, this assumes that immigrant children will be educated well enough in American schools to find competitive jobs in the global economy. Poverty rates for children have exceeded poverty rates for the elderly for more than 40 years, and Hispanic and black children are between three and four times as likely to live in poverty as whites.
With elections looming in November, immigration has once again risen to the forefront of debate. Political rhetoric is rife with discussions of securing American borders and protecting American jobs. Yet we must ask: Is immigration failing us, or are we failing our immigrant children? By putting their lives and their futures at risk, are we not simply risking our own?
According to a recent article in the Washington Post, the population of America is expected to reach 300 million within the coming week. America is the third most populous nation, trailing behind China and India. With an estimated growth rate of one person every 11 seconds, it would seem that America, currently in its 230th year, is still in a growth spurt, and a rapidly increasing one at that.
After the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, it took the country 139 years to reach 100 million in 1915, then only 52 years to reach the 200 million mark in 1967, and now another 39 years to achieve 300 million. According to census projections, the next 100 million will take only 37 years. According to William H. Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institute, a change in immigration law in 1965 unintentionally reignited immigration-led population.
As the population rises, though, so does the quality of life. Longevity has increased to 78 years, the percentage of adults with a high-school diploma has reached 85 percent, homeownership has risen to 69 percent, and the cost of a gallon of milk is half its cost in 1967. Immigration may yield even further benefits. Frey believes that foreign-born residents and their children will surge into the workforce, and their payroll taxes will help reduce funding shortfalls for Social Security and other social programs that benefit older people.
However, this assumes that immigrant children will be educated well enough in American schools to find competitive jobs in the global economy. Poverty rates for children have exceeded poverty rates for the elderly for more than 40 years, and Hispanic and black children are between three and four times as likely to live in poverty as whites.
With elections looming in November, immigration has once again risen to the forefront of debate. Political rhetoric is rife with discussions of securing American borders and protecting American jobs. Yet we must ask: Is immigration failing us, or are we failing our immigrant children? By putting their lives and their futures at risk, are we not simply risking our own?
Labels: America, economy, equality, immigrantion, population, poverty, youth
posted by Rori @ 11:50 AM
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