Amy Taylor

The 300 Millionth American is a Good Sign

The 300 millionth American is about to be born. Some critics opposed to immigration, encouraged by the anti-immigrant fervor surrounding the Congressional midterm elections, are using this milestone to point out that the symbolic 300 millionth baby may be an immigrant baby.

Immigrant or not, our population is growing and we should be glad. Many other industrialized nations are not experiencing continued population growth the way the United States is --and are worried. The reasons for the population growth of the United States include immigration, greater longevity and relatively high fertility rates compared with those of many European countries and Japan. Immigration, and the higher fertility rates of immigrants, helps keep our population hefty. As these other industrialized countries grapple with how their economies will support their aging populations --the United States can thank its high rates of immigration for relieving us of this burden.

We should be celebrating the phenomenon that has strengthened our country since the first waves of immigrants arrived on our shores. We need immigrants because America is aging and we have a low unemployment rate. Furthermore, Americans rely on the economic contributions of immigrants --not only their labor but also on the economic growth that they stimulate as consumers, small business owners, and taxpayers. The National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences has determined that immigrants are net fiscal contributors to the U.S. economy. The average immigrant pays more in taxes than she receives in government benefits --taxes that support public schools, public healthcare programs, and most of all Social Security.

Many analysts predict that as baby-boomers begins to retire, there may be a shortage of workers paying into the Social Security system to support the new retirees. Immigrant workers, who are, on average, younger and have more children than the American population as a whole, will help keep our Social Security program robust. "With the population of the United States expected to continue aging for decades, threatening the impending bankruptcies of Social Security and Medicare among other crises, America needs more people," said Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute. Other experts say that population growth and economic growth go hand in hand.

A smart immigration policy will recognize the important contribution of immigrants to our economy and to the future of working Americans. The 300 millionth American is merely a sign of economic growth and prosperity and we should be relieved.

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Posted at 7:22 PM, Oct 12, 2006 in Immigration
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