A Word About My People

May I put in word for my people. This week the news reported that we non-hispanic whites are to be a minority in America by the year 2050. Immigration was cited as one reason. Nothing is static on planet earth. We were not always the majority here. A few hundred years ago as Europeans arrived, claimed the land, and set up homes, the demographics changed. They will keep changing. But another possible implication in our becoming outnumbered is that many of us have been overly responsible. My generation - the war babies and the older baby boomers - could choose when to have have children. Therefore we didn't reproduce in great numbers because most of us didn't want to have more children than we could properly care for. We wanted to rear them ourselves and when they reached the appropriate age be able to offer them college educations. If we had to depend on the government or any outside "helpers" to meet our family responsibilities, we would have felt like failures. We took being parents seriously and believed we were doing the right thing. We didn't want to overpopulate or take over the world. These children of ours now work and pay taxes, much of which goes to take care of the immigrants, the underprivileged, the minorities, and children born to persons who propogated without thought of the future. Out of the goodness of our hearts, we often continue to generously give above that both monetarily and in acts of service. I won't be around in 2050 and can't guess how it will all pan out. I believe we must help others in this global community. "To whom much is given, much is required," Rose Kennedy was reported to have taught her children. Yet there is also a feeling that what we considered to be socially and morally responsible may come back to haunt us in a few generations.