A Memorial Day Thought About Their Sacrifice
On Memorial Day we celebrate those whose ultimate sacrifice made all THIS possible. However, in the midst of our gratitude, we might want to ask ourselves what "this" means. Is it the incredible material prosperity of our blessed country? Is it the individual and religious freedom - so rare in so many parts of the world - established by our Founding Fathers? What does "this" mean to you?
Whatever it means, though, it seems we don't want to share it with too many others. No, this is not a reference to those who wish to restrict immigration. We're referring to this:
Did those whom we honor today make the ultimate sacrifice to protect a nation of people on the cusp of slowly but steadily disappearing from the face of the earth? So many millions left their homelands to begin a new life here. Many shared that new life by raising families, typically more than that 2.1 per couple rate. So many millions more now desire the same. As for those of us blessed to be born in the U.S.A., it's puzzling: Isn't America still beautiful enough to share? I think it is. Ray Charles thought it was. What about you?
Whatever it means, though, it seems we don't want to share it with too many others. No, this is not a reference to those who wish to restrict immigration. We're referring to this:
The U.S. is experiencing a baby lull that looks set to last for years...It seems our birth rate has taken a dive. For a while, the U.S. birth rate hovered just above the so-called "replacement" rate of 2.1 children per couple. We weren't going down the tubes like the Europeans, whose birthrates guarantee diminished native populations (i.e., fewer Europeans) in so many of their countries.
An ideal birth rate is around 2.1 babies per woman, demographers say, since that’s the rate that’s needed to replace the current levels of population. America remains in far better shape than most of Europe and parts of Asia, where the total fertility rate dips as low as 1.44 in Germany and 1.49 in Italy...But that's now changing. Why?
“We’re just in a new era nationally and even globally where people are having fewer children,” said Jennifer Olson, vice president of strategy and business development at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota. “It’s really reshaping our focus.”Doesn't really answer the question, though, does it?
Did those whom we honor today make the ultimate sacrifice to protect a nation of people on the cusp of slowly but steadily disappearing from the face of the earth? So many millions left their homelands to begin a new life here. Many shared that new life by raising families, typically more than that 2.1 per couple rate. So many millions more now desire the same. As for those of us blessed to be born in the U.S.A., it's puzzling: Isn't America still beautiful enough to share? I think it is. Ray Charles thought it was. What about you?
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