Demographics and Replacement

Demographics and Replacement

                        Robert A. Levine

Since the Buffalo shooting by a deranged and paranoid white supremacist, more attention has been focused on the “great replacement” theory promulgated by white supremacists. They claim that the Caucasian population is being purposely replaced by Jews and liberals who are helping immigrants of color enter the United States. These white nationalists affirm that these immigrants are specifically being brought in to replace whites in their jobs by paying them lower wages and to increase the votes for Democratic candidates.

Actually, America needs immigrants to maintain its economy because white women are having fewer children than in the past and not enough to replace the whites who are dying. According to UN population statistics, births per 100,000 in the US in 1950 were about twice what they were in the last five years. The most recent decline could be attributed partially to the Covid 19 epidemic, but the birth rate has been steadily declining since the 1950s. Associated Press has noted the birth rate in the U.S. as 56 per 1000 women of child bearing age last year, the lowest birth rate on record. Though the decline includes all ethnic groups, white women had the greatest decline numerically since they were the largest group. The U.S. might be able to increase the birth rates among educated women with improved and free child care, greater subsidies for children and diminished costs for education.

However, the drop in birth rate has also been present in virtually all European nations, Japan and China. China’s one child per family regulation may have contributed to their low birth rate even though the government is now encouraging families to have more children. The drop in birth rate has been noted by analysts to be correlated with a country’s development, particularly with the rate of education for women. It appears that numerous women find more satisfaction in careers than in raising children and that many educated women have smaller families, some with one or no children.

The legalization of abortion likely does not have a specific relation to decreased white birth rates compared to other racial groups, since abortion is employed to terminate births across the racial spectrum. Legal abortion, however, likely is a factor in the total decrease in birth rates.

At some point, the drop in population in every nation, including the United States, affects the economy and produces a drop in the GDP. If American women are having fewer children, immigrants are necessary to maintain the population base. With the job market currently so tight, immigrants are not taking jobs away from white men and women but are filling positions that are open, many of which are important for the economy.

H1B and educated immigrants are needed particularly for high-tech companies and the health care field. Not enough physicians are being produced to meet the needs of the population of the United States and immigrants are playing a major role in medicine, as nurses and technicians as well as physicians.

Immigrants also head some of the nation’s top technology companies. Forty percent of Fortune 500 companies have been founded by immigrants or their children. Immigrants also have a disproportionate amount of new patents that are issued and are responsible for a disproportionate number of start-up companies. People who want to come to this country appear to be often motivated by an entrepreneurial spirit. In fact, some wealthy immigrants come to America specifically to start and develop new companies. All of the companies that immigrants have founded and the ones that they run provide jobs for white Americans as well as all ethnic groups.

Sergey Brin who founded Google immigrated to America when he was 6 from the Soviet Union. Steve Jobs of Apple was the son of Syrian immigrants. Elon Musk came from South Africa. Satya Nadella from India currently runs Microsoft. Sundar Pichai is CEO of Google. There are literally thousands of other immigrants in this country who have started or run important businesses that employ Americans.

Aside from H1B immigrants, those immigrants who are less educated also are necessary for American agricultural jobs, meat packing and low end menial jobs and physical labor. They are hard working with lower rates of crime than the general population. And some of them go on to found small businesses like bodegas, restaurants, landscaping and so forth.

The ‘great replacement’ theory by white supremacists is racist and wrong. Immigrants are necessary for the American economy, particularly with American birth rates so low.

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Dealing with Our Debt

 Dealing with Our Debt

                    Robert A. Levine  May 23, 2023

America’s entire debt situation is insane. First of all, there should be no debt ceiling. When Congress appropriates money for any government acquisition or activity, that should be deemed as obligating the government to spend the money to pay the bill. There is no reason to have a separate vote to allocate money to pay off debt that Congress already agreed was necessary. This vote to raise the debt ceiling to pay bills that Congress has already authorized allows a minority party to hold the nation hostage. And extremists on both the right and left are only too willing to raise questions and gain publicity by opposing or delaying the increase in the debt ceiling for money that Congress has already spent.

It is time for a separate vote on the debt ceiling to be eliminated. When Congress passes a bill that entails government spending, that bill should ensure that government funds will be used to pay that debt. Almost no other nation in the world has separate votes on spending bills and raising the debt ceiling to pay these bills. The uncertainty associated with approving the debt ceiling roils all the financial markets, damages the sanctity of the dollar and hurts the American economy, even if raising the debt ceiling is passed. Thus far, the United States has never defaulted on its debts and it is hoped that this will never happen.

Having the dollar as the currency used in international trade is beneficial for the United States. There are currencies waiting in the wings, like the Chinese yuan or the European euro that would be glad to take the place of the dollar in international trade.  This is much more likely to happen if the U.S. defaults on its debt. Dollar denominated debt is also considered as a safe haven for the rest of the world. When there is an economic crisis anywhere, people all over the world want to park their money in American government obligated debt. This strengthens the dollar and also America and we should be loath to do anything that would damage the standing of the dollar.

That is why it is crazy for the Republicans in Congress to make demands regarding future spending when the debt ceiling is for money that had been already spent. There should be no question about

payment of this debt and no question about raising the debt ceiling when the payment comes due. As I said, the proper way to handle this is to get rid of the debt ceiling completely, allocating funding whenever Congress and the president pass a bill. No more games involving the dollar and America’s debt.

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