(if you are working on anger management, skip this article)

("The Devil's greatest achievement was convincing the world that he didn't exist")

The making of America

Aug. 22, 2007 12:00 AM
There is no monster under the bed.

There is nothing to fear from shifting demographics. So why has it become so common to hear people denigrate immigrants?

We think a few xenophobes have used their access to some rather big microphones to feed off this nation's fear of the future - a fear that is quite remarkable, given the success the United States has built with the help of past and present immigrants.

There has been such a long run of slurs that we figure a little balance is in order.

We're not the only ones.

On a campaign swing through New Hampshire, Sen. John McCain said: "I'd also like to tell you that in my state of Arizona, we like the Hispanic heritage. We like the food. We like the music. We like to have Hispanic influence on our state, and we are enriched by it."

What's more, Mexican culture is extremely family-centered, has a remarkable work ethic and demonstrates a reverence for religion and the elderly that seems downright old-fashioned by American standards.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg also spoke up for immigrants: "Immigration is what's kept us alive and thriving. It keeps adding to our language and our culture and our cuisines and our religion. I can't think of any laboratory that shows better why you need a stream of immigrants than New York City."

We need more public figures to tell Americans that there is no monster under the bed.

Latinos are the nation's largest minority group with a population of about 44.3 million. They made up nearly half the growth in the period from July 1, 2005, to July 1, 2006. They are largely the reason that Anglos have become a minority in nearly one out of 10 counties.

In Maricopa County, Latinos accounted for about 55 percent of population growth between July 1, 2005, and July 1, 2006, according to a recent analysis by the Census Bureau.

Demographers estimate that about one-quarter to one-third of Latinos are undocumented. That's a problem that needs to be addressed in an orderly and humane way. But legitimate discussions about the need to legalize this population, create a guest-worker program and regain control of the border too often disintegrate into nasty rhetoric that insults all Latinos and encourages racial profiling.

It's important to counter that kind of talk, both for the sake of Latino-Americans and for the sake of our shared interest in furthering comity among the many groups in this country.

It is also important to remember that immigration isn't the only factor in the nation's shifting demographics.

Latinos, who are primarily of Mexican heritage in Arizona, are also becoming a larger segment of the U.S. population because of high birth rates. Nationwide, the school-age population of the non-Latino Whites has dropped by 4 percent since 2000, but the Latino school-age population has increased 21 percent.

These numbers alarm some restrictionists who think the culture and language are at stake. The fear of change gets exploited. The result is divisiveness, bigotry and resentment.

But demographers understand that these young people will keep our economy dynamic in years to come.

For our own sake, we need to do our best to educate all children and help them become productive adults. Doing that effectively means letting them know their community values them, their culture and their contributions.

It also means believing in the power of our "American Dream" machine to transform immigrants into Americans.

The nature of this nation's population is changing. But the change will make us better and stronger. It always has.

There is no monster under the bed.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepubli ... d1-22.html