Plus One

Well, the United States reached 300,000,000 today, at least in theory. At 7:46AM Eastern Time, the thoretical 300 millionth American was born somewhere in the USA. At least two hospitals in New York City claim the newest American was born in their delivery rooms. Not coincidentally, one of those hospitals also has a habit of claiming the first baby each new year. So, while we might never know for sure where exactly the baby was born, or who he or she is, the Census Bureau tells us with some dgree of scientific certainty that the 300 millionth taxpayer joined us today.

One of the two infants claimed by New York hospitals was born to parents from Mexico who speak only Spanish. Shortly after they appeared on television today, I received an e-mail from a colleague elsewhere in the mega-corporation I work for, suggesting that the "founding fathers would spin in their graves if they knew the father" of one of the two babies being showcased did not speak English.

I replied, as diplomatically as I could, that I did not agree. In fact, I believed they would be proud that this many years later, people from around the world were still coming to America in search of the American dream, since it was indeed a dream of a better life that drew the first settlers to this nation's shores. I said they would probably spin in their graves knowing there were so many in Washington trying so hard to build fences on the borders to keep people out.

Which brings me to this. When exactly did we become so elitist that we decided the American dream had been atained by enough people, and it was time to turn off the dream tap? How do we know we aren't keeping out the next Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, Werner Von Braun, Ingrid Bergman or Dora Press?

Dora Press? Who is Dora Press? She was an immigrant who married Edwark Salk. Together they had a son named Jonas who discovered the polio vaccine.

I can't say I agree with the post 9/11 paranoia over protecting borders and using that as an excuse to try to keep people out of the USA. I understand the attempt, and I also understand it reeks of exactly what it is... paranoid provincial racism. I also know what people are doing when they say they have to protect our borders to protect American jobs. What they're really saying is that Americans are reaching a point where they can't compete with people willing to do better or harder work. It means the whole idea of work ethic is lost on people who view a birthright as a job right.

It isn't.

The United States is still a relatively young nation. At 230 years of age, we're just a teenager compared to some of the other nations of the world. And just like teenagers, we think we know better than everyone and have the answers to everything. Unfortunately, there's nobody around to take away the keys to the car when we screw up. Instead, we just keep screwing up even more and more.

Insert current international debacle of choice here.

So, trying to close the borders or shut down access to the American dream isn't much different than turning your back on the girl with the braces in high school English or the guy with the acne in history. It makes you trendy today and the cool kids invite you to lunch. But a year from now you'll still be a shallow ass. Ten years from now you'll look across the room at them at the reunion and wonder when they got so hot and wonder why they won't give you the time of day. And 25 years from now when you're old, fat and useless and they're rich, powerful and famous, you'll kick yourself for not being and staying their best friend for life. You'll try to cozy up and schmooze. And you might even get a little lip service. But in the end, you'll get kicked to the curb as the loser you are.

That's the risk we run as a nation and a society. Once we start kicking others to the curb, we've landed ourselves in the gutter. And the sewer is just one more step away.