Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America

摘要

How can Americans best understand the current demographic situation in which they find themselves? Like European nations that preceded them in experiencing the transition to low birth and death rates, the U.S. population is aging. The eldest of the baby boomers is on the verge of becoming senior citizens. At the same time, immigrants and their children have grown tremendously as a share of the total population over the past three decades. Myers argues that their futures, indeed the nation's future, rest on the ability of baby boomers to take the long view. In this view, the boomers and the current wave of immigrants will change roles over the course of their lifetimes. As boomers stop working and start drawing on social security, immigrants, and particularly their children, will be supporting that generation through their work and tax payments. Thus, this is a book about interconnectedness. Myers presents a compelling case for optimism that is demographically rooted but socially and economically based for what lies ahead for the United States. He describes a mutually beneficial exchange between two demographically distinct populations with a converging future. And he directs his arguments squarely at the largely White cohort of adults who make up the baby boom generation.