By News Desk | 4 Comments | 
Print
The Racial Upside of the Economic Downturn
“White Americans’ Majority To End By Mid-Century”
Projection Pushed Back 8 Years Due To Recession, Immigration Policies
HOPE YEN, December 16, 2009
WASHINGTON — The estimated time when whites will no longer make up the majority of Americans has been pushed back eight years — to 2050 — because the recession and stricter immigration policies have slowed the flow of foreigners into the U.S. Census Bureau projections released Wednesday update last year’s prediction that white children would become a minority in 2023 and the overall white population would follow in 2042. The earlier estimate did not take into account a drop in the number of people moving into the U.S. because of the economic crisis and the immigration policies imposed after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The United States has 308 million people today; two-thirds are non-Hispanic whites. The total population should climb to 399 million by 2050, under the new projections, with whites making up 49.9 percent of the population. Blacks will make up 12.2 percent, virtually unchanged from today. Hispanics, currently 15 percent of the population, will rise to 28 percent in 2050. Asians are expected to increase from 4.4 percent of the population to 6 percent. The projections are based on rates for births and deaths and a scenario in which immigration continues its more recent, slower pace of adding nearly 1 million new foreigners each year. The point when minority children become the majority is expected to have a similar delay of roughly eight years, moving from 2023 to 2031. The population 85 and older is projected to more than triple by 2050, to 18.6 million. The actual shift in demographics will be influenced by a host of factors that can’t be accurately forecast — the pace of the economic recovery, cultural changes, natural or manmade disasters, as well as an overhaul of immigration law, which may be debated in Congress as early as next year. As a result, the Census Bureau said the projections should used mostly as a guide. The agency also released numbers showing projections based on “high” rates of immigration — more likely if more-flexible government policies and a booming U.S. economy attract large numbers of foreigners — as well as “low” immigration, a possible scenario if U.S. policies don’t change much while the economy substantially improves. –With high immigration, the minority “tipping point” is moved up to 2040, two years earlier than the previous estimate. At that time, Asians would have a much larger share, at 8 percent, since their population growth is more dependent on immigration than birth rates. –With low immigration, the “tipping point” arrives by 2045. Under a purely theoretical “zero immigration” scenario in which the U.S. effectively does not take in any immigrants, whites would remain the majority in 2050, making up a solid 58 percent of the U.S. population. In such a case, the share of Hispanics would increase to 21 percent because of high fertility rates and a younger population.
News Desk
Please contact the Editor if you have news items that you think are relevant to TOQ readers.
“58 percent by 2050 under a no-immigration policy.” And even higher if whites can be persuaded to have more children. WN’s will disagree, but the USA is not past salvaging if we adopt sensible attitudes and policies now.
‘Under a purely theoretical “zero immigration” scenario in which the U.S. effectively does not take in any immigrants, whites would remain the majority in 2050, making up a solid 58 percent of the U.S. population. In such a case, the share of Hispanics would increase to 21 percent because of high fertility rates and a younger population.’
It has been noted that Hispanic cultures tend to practice class discrimination on a pigmentation basis, so that children who happen to be lighter-skinned than average will have a better chance of social advancement. Thus light-skinned Hispanics might assimilate to white-skinned status, although the genetic underpinnings of white skin might be distinct from “European whiteness” – such biological questions are beyond me.
At any rate, very light-skinned Hispanics might behave differently from darker Hispanics. If so, the social consequences might be noteworthy. The recent history of Central America and South America might provide insight on assortative mating in Hispanic cultures.
Which industry has been the thin end of the wedge, prying open US borders to Central Americans?
Agribusiness.
You want to slow or reverse the flood from south of the border? Kill agribusiness, first by increasing the number of Americans producing their own food, thus reducing market share of the Corn Syrup Mafia, then attack the billions in subsidies that the Corn Syrup Mafia extorts from the American taxpayer via farm “subsidies.”
The trend of home gardeners and small farmers is already on a tear. I have purchased seeds from a company called “Baker Creek” which is not just a seed company, but a highly politicized, anti-GMO, pro-small farmer company. Baker Creek has an agenda way beyond merely making money.
Anyway, I got their 2010 catalog yesterday, and it was way bigger and fancier than their past catalogs. In a time when most companies are cutting back and scaling down, Baker Creek is growing fast! here’s the letter from the inside cover of their catalog — this is great news for Whites:
http://rareseeds.com/about-2/jeres-letter/
Jere’s Letter
Dear Gardening Friends,
It has been another amazing year for the pure food movement. The economy, concerns about gene-altered food, and the renewed interest in home gardening have kept our small company buzzing with activity. Along with many other seed companies, we struggled to keep up last season, running out of 150,000 catalogs by the middle of January! We had never seen anything like it: the new interest in gardening has just been incredible. Millions of people are gardening for the first time, and possibly more young families are gardening than at any time since the Great Depression.
This year, to help keep up with this exciting trend, we are printing over 250,000 new catalogs. We have really filled these pages with loads of new varieties—some of the best tomatoes from Russia, unique wild melons from Africa and plenty of your favorite flowers from years gone by. We hope you enjoy!
Let’s rock the food supply in 2010! Let’s put the home gardener and local farmer back in control of our food supply, our lives and our freedom. It is time for gardeners to learn to save seed again: yes, save seed! Let’s put the biotech and chemical corporations back on the shelf, letting them know we don’t need their toxins, patents, lobbyists and lawyers.
You are the biggest threat to big, corporate agriculture, and they are starting to get nervous. This is why the corporate agriculture magazines don’t go an issue without bashing the good food movement, and why the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) does not miss a beat in promoting gene-altered seeds. Right now, ASTA has launched a new propaganda website that promotes stronger corporate control, patent laws and of course more gene-altering of our seed supply. The sad fact is many garden seed companies are members of this GMO lobbying group. We ask our customers to be part of a letter writing campaign–let’s ask the garden seed industry to drop all associations with this powerful lobbying group, which is largely funded by a few giant biotech corporations.
Our company has been involved with many projects this past season, promoting heirlooms and good food. Our biggest project of 2009 was opening a new location in Sonoma County, California, in the lovely town of Petaluma. Last June our family, along with several friends, traveled out West to set up our new seed store in a 1920’s historic bank building. The response in Petaluma has been overwhelming and we want to thank the fine folks of this town for being incredibly welcoming and friendly. We hope to meet many of our customers each year as we spend time in the Golden State.
Meanwhile, back in Missouri, at our Seed Company and Pioneer Farm, we have had changes too, including opening our restaurant, building a new warehouse, a couple historic cabins, more gardens and more poultry and animal exhibits.We have also been expanding our web presence with an updated web site, http://www.rareseeds.com; our online forums, http://www.idigmygarden.com now has over 400,000 posts! Also follow us at http://www.twitter.com/rareseeds for the latest news.
In 2010 we will again host twelve monthly festivals, including our big “Spring Planting Festival” May 2 and 3, 2010. Our events have become a place for people from Missouri and across America to learn, network and enjoy time with fellow gardeners, craftsmen, musicians, farmers and all who love the slow life. These events are just like an old-time county fair.
Our family has been doing well and, as you can see, we have been very busy. We had a good time traveling this fall and visited some farmers and friends. In September, we traveled to beautiful North Carolina and enjoyed the mountains and all the local, fresh food. On our way, we attended the Garden Writers Conference in Raleigh, which had near record attendance and loads of interest in heirloom seeds. Then we hurried back to the Farm Aid Concert in Saint Louis, Missouri where all the talk was local, heirloom and non-GMO food. Everywhere local food is selling more briskly, and farmers markets have become quite popular. We love to visit each and every market as we travel, and little Sasha loves to eat the samples. We all do!
We want to thank each and every one of you for making our family business of seed preservation a success, helping us swim against the river of modern agriculture! Best wishes for an abundant harvest!
God Bless,
Jere, Emilee and Sasha Gettle
P.S. Sasha is now 2 years old, and her favorite hobbies are picking flowers and traveling.
Garden writers: We have a large library of photos, historical information & variety descriptions, contact us with your needs.
“WN’s will disagree, but the USA is not past salvaging if we adopt sensible attitudes and policies now.”
Perhaps you haven’t taken a look at who the current President, Supreme Court Justices, and multiple Governors are.