Demographic Changes over the World - Essay Example

Mortality rates are lower and life expectancy is higher and vice versa for developing countries. But in any case, the global population is increasing at a high acceleration rate.

The United States, under the burden of providing for a rapidly aging, nonproductive elderly population, also has to deal with high rates of immigrants. The standard life cycle model yields a straightforward prediction that as a large chunk of the population comprises aging people, national savings fall. As a result of this, investment suffers negative blows in the long run. With the overseas population settling in the United States, withdrawals from the economy are promised.
However, with the increase in the number of immigrants settling in the United States, there is also likely to be an increase in investments in the short run and an increased workforce. It also makes the United States a multicultural society, its population comprising people from different races and nations. While the United States stands with certain challenges at hand with the growing, diverse population, it is justified to say that they will be able to cope with the current and projected demographic changes if policymakers accelerate their efforts to address these problems.
Being a country beholding a population made up of so many different races and ethnicities, it is difficult to understand who the 'real' Americans were, since all of them have migrated somewhere along the timeline. Thus, when contemporary media puts forward a culture, it is not the culture of everyone, nor is it of the majority. The uniqueness of the country lies in the many races that have settled here and when we talk about Americans, we talk about all of them. A pop culture icon can be anyone, a black, a white, a Latin, or an Asian, as long as they are 'American' in their ways. Though different in their looks, accents, and postures, all Americans are similar in their ways, similarities that unite them as one big nation. Thus it is not ironic when you see the vast fan following of Michael Jackson, the black, or Ricky Martin, the Latin.

America is a country that has received large bulks of immigrants since the beginning. The wave theory illustrates large waves after waves of people who settled down in the United States around the time of World War I. The wave theory talks about the large "waves" of people that entered, and what reasons lead to this immigration. Between the years 1820 and 1830, approximately 30 million people entered the United States, their origin being Europe. This included the Dutch, French, and mostly the Irish and Germans. The second wave of immigrants recorded is between 1820 and 1920, when the number of Germans migrants was around 5.7 million. In this period, however, well over 4.5 million Irish had also immigrated to the United States. The three Scandinavian nations, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway sent approximately 2 million immigrants, and the Japanese and Chinese made a final contribution.

Many reasons caused such large numbers of immigrants to move to the United States. Firstly, America was seen as a "land of opportunities" by the Europeans, who wanted peaceful rural life after the revolution in their homeland. Secondly, while civil wars and riots broke out in the rest of the world, the United States provided a safe harbor with a stable future.

By the end of the 19th century, America had become a largely populated, multi-cultural country of immense power and potential. However, with the increasing population rate, the government of the United States decided to limit immigrant entries into the country. Thus now, newer laws have been implemented, and strict measures are being taken to keep the system running under the new system.
Also, due to political and social instability worldwide, security checks have become tighter, while more and more information about the applicant is required and thoroughly looked through to not skip any piece of evidence that shows he/she is not legible to enter the United States. In addition to this, with the terrorist activities being illustrated loudly, the immigration center has restricted who enters the United States and who does not to a great deal.

However, there is still a large number of illegal immigrants who enter the United States. Ironically, they do not challenge the economy of the country but jeopardize the security system. With 3 out of every 100 people being illegal immigrants with forged identities and fake documentation, it is easier for criminals and terrorists to take shelter.
Thus, in the present times, a very limited number of people enter the United States legally, as America has two issues at hand: to cater for and create employment opportunities for the workforce available and the little amount that is allowed to leak in, and to try and protect the country's security system further. Read More