The population of the United States surpassed the 300 million mark on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world whose population is rising substantially.This news reminds me of a clip excerpted from a video called "Immigration by the Numbers" that I saw some months ago:
The speaker featured in the main part of the video clip is Roy Beck, the Executive Director of NumbersUSA. The population charts presented in the video, along with relevant data and background explanations, may be found on that organization's website. (Another excerpt of this video may be seen here.)
I am an immigrant myself, so some people find it strange that I support tighter restrictions on immigration. But as Roy Beck so powerfully demonstrates in the video, it isn't about the people but the numbers.
Buddhism teaches that compassion must be balanced with wisdom. We welcome immigrants from many places all over the world because we feel compassion for those who come from backgrounds less fortunate than our own. However, it would be foolish to take in so many immigrants that we end up harming ourselves, and in turn, reducing our ability to help those who are in need.
南無阿彌陀佛
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