How you see a glass

OK, Mr. Crouch of Searcy, I’m going to play your game and imagine 2025 with 20 more million refugees in the U.S. from south of the border (I guess you or your news source used a dartboard to get your number):

A huge infrastructure bill has passed that creates millions of jobs that require physical and construction-related skills. Since our focus on education in the U.S. seems to be only on getting our children ready for college, none of our citizens want those jobs and the refugees get them all.

Wages for these jobs are good thanks to the realization that trickleup economics is a better driver of economic growth than trickle-down; the immigrants can now afford to buy a home in your neighborhood. Very much like St. Paul, the “scales” fell from your eyes and you realized your new neighbors were human. A little “different” of course, but nonetheless human, and they wanted nothing more than to live somewhere where they could safely raise a family.

Some of them get in trouble with the law for any variety of reasons, but so does someone you know at work or at your church, etc. Hey, there are bad apples in every bunch.

By now, you’ve learned to speak a little Spanish because your neighbor’s daughter has fallen in love with your son who belongs to an entire generation that shares more centrist views on everything. They marry and you end up with a wonderful pair of grandchildren who call you Abuelito.

Eventually you start approaching the “threescore years and ten” promised by the Psalmist and begin reflecting on how all this has played out and realize you have accepted the reality that you’re a very small spoke in a very large wheel and it doesn’t serve anyone well to go through life with a negative attitude. Your glass is finally half-full! RUSSELL LEMOND

Little Rock