Although many of us are already familiar with the concept of outsourcing and knowledge jobs, as a new study points out, no one predicted the impact of changing global demographics on our lives.
In the 20th century, immigrants from different parts of the world contributed to the growth of the U.S. By 2020, according to Pew Research Center, America will not only have fewer native-born people, but also more immigrating people.
As a global community, we cannot compromise on our values of openness and economic opportunity. It is up to us as a people to bring stability to a world not willing to do the same.
In 2000, the Pew Research Center population project the U.S. population would double over the next 50 years. Today, the center projects that more than a quarter of us will be immigrants or their children.
The U.S. is already justifiably worried about reducing U.S. wage inequality and maintaining a strong workforce.
The lack of birthrate among some millennial generations will be a major challenge for the economic growth of the future.
It is a dangerous and foolish precedent to make concessions on an issue as serious as this. There are people who use the rhetoric of insecurity as a cover to drown out the issues that really matter. Among the issues that really matter, immigration is a huge part of the global problem.
For the past several years, I have been one of the few Republicans to consistently address immigration reform and its impact on the long-term situation of immigrants.
Although immigration reform will never get through Congress, I am hopeful that the new administration will focus on this important issue instead of other pipe dreams. We can also hope that Congress won’t just ignore these issues, but will instead be held accountable for the well-being of our country and its residents.
Jim Roth, M.D., is an internist at the Cleveland Clinic and a practicing neurologist in private practice in Cleveland. He is chairman of the department of neurology at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Follow him on Twitter @jimrothmd.