FEATURED STORIES

California: Is the Train Coming?
700 Billion Reasons
Sure Signs of Overpopulation


COMMENTARY: by NPG President Donald Mann

The votes have been counted and America has a new President who advocates "change."

That should be great news for all of us who have watched the Bush Administration do little or nothing to seal our nation's southern borders and has permitted illegal immigration to spin totally out of control. The big concern is that the change President-elect Barack Obama delivers may make America's immigration problems - both legal and illegal - far worse than they are today.

Sadly, the entire immigration issue received little or no debate during this year's presidential election though it is inexorably linked to our economic well-being and national security. For an issue that created seismic waves on Capitol Hill in both 2006 and 2007 as millions of Americans made clear to Congress that they would not accept an expanded guest-worker or amnesty program, there wasn't even a question about illegals posed to the candidates during the three presidential debates. The press obviously didn't want to roil the waters on this issue and both McCain and Obama weren't about to bring up illegal immigration on their own, knowing full-well that it could cost them votes.

So where do we go from here?

In short, NPG is ready to once again lead the fight against the open border advocates and stand in the forefront of those fighting to halt and reverse today's wrongheaded and destructive immigration policies. It is absolutely vital that we greatly expand our efforts to educate our national leaders and the American public as to the catastrophic impact any amnesty legislation will have on our nation in the long term.

One of the first actions NPG will take in this regard will be to contact the newly- elected members of both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in the coming weeks - even before they take office. We will spell out the importance of the immigration issue, make clear the critical need to enact serious immigration reforms that will responsibly address both legal and illegal immigration, and remind them that today's soaring population numbers will complicate finding solutions to almost every major issue they will face in Congress - from job creation, energy needs, health care, global warming, education, Social Security reform, etc... Population projections already show that the great majority of our nation's future population growth in the next few decades will be tied directly to new immigration. Passing any legislation that makes the 12-20 million illegal immigrants now in our country full-fledged citizens will totally exacerbate our nation's problems and send our future population numbers skyrocketing. That is simply not acceptable!

President-elect Barack Obama gained a great amount of his electoral support from the Hispanic community where many activists are promoting an open border agenda. However, he should be very cautious in how he rewards them for that support. We know he endorses drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants (which still remains a state issue) and that he has not been a strong advocate of construction of a border fence. Beyond that, he has some very hard choices to make on the issue of illegal immigration and it would be very wise of him to test the sentiment of all of the American people on this issue before he jumps feet first into taking a wrong position or leading our nation down the wrong path. NPG encourages members to contact their Senators and Congressional Representative and the new administration to voice concerns.


CALIFORNIA: IS THE TRAIN COMING...?

California isn't the only state that has sent out signals that it may soon get in line with the banks and other failing institutions to seek a multi-billion dollar bailout from the federal government...but it could be the first. If it suffers that fate, any number of hopeful projects designed to deal with future growth will have to be put aside or killed outright.

In a recent op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal titled "California Is Headed for a Fiscal Train Wreck," Shikha Dalmia laid out why, with the Golden State's finances "a real mess", state leaders are between a rock and a hard place in building a projected high-speed rail line from San Francisco to San Diego. The "bullet train" is designed to alleviate traffic and reduce pollution. According to Dalmia, "the Rail Authority admitted recently that the new [cost] estimate of $45 billion is 50% above the original 1999 estimate of $30 billion... ." Many skeptics expect this mega-project to turn into a financial boondoggle. However, it does serve to highlight the key decisions that must be made today to deal with out-of-control population growth. It also underscores the phenomenal costs that will burden taxpayers in the future if elected leaders do not act now to break the chain of massive population growth and work on responsible efforts that will halt it, rather than accommodate it. In short, Dalmia does not see the new rail line proving to be a success. He sums up the article by noting: "It seems that California is promising to build a train that is faster, cheaper, more efficient and serves more riders than any high-speed train in the world. And all it has to do to pull it off is defy the laws of economics and physics."


700 BILLION REASONS...

Here at NPG we congratulate Ira Mehlman, the media director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, for his recent op-ed piece that appeared in the San Angelo Standard-Times in Texas wherein he noted how our nation's failed immigration policy is tied into today's financial crisis. He also laid out why, "Given the mess we're in, continued massive immigration policy and massive amnesty for current illegal aliens' are special interest perks that this nation can no longer afford."

Mehlman also makes a succinct persuasive case for each of the following topics:

• An illegal alien amnesty must be taken off the table;
• Amnesty would further devastate workers;
• The federal bureaucracy could not manage an amnesty;
• State and local governments are even less able to manage the costs of amnesty;
• Government-mandated immigration must also be reduced.
  

In summing up his arguments, Mehlman is definitely on target when he writes:

"The common denominator among all the factors that have led to this national (and probably global) crisis is the complete abandonment by financial institutions and the government of any sense of responsibility beyond the next quarter's profit sheet or the next election. Immigration is a prime example of the sort of self-interested policies that helped create the current situation, and which must be changed if we are ever going to find our way out of this morass."

SURE SIGNS OF OVERPOPULATION

A website called www.lucidpages.com carries an essay titled "Doom of Humanity" which offers an interesting insight into two basic questions: What are the signs of human overpopulation? and What would happen if the earth became overpopulated? The list of warning signs that is offered is recognizable to many of us concerned with population growth but it is worthwhile to look at them together. Here are the consequences they offer:

• Prices of gasoline are high because the demand has exceeded the natural resources;
• Prices of fish are high because 90% of the big fish are gone;
• The environment is polluted with plastics, in part because of a shortage of natural materials;
• Rivers and bays are polluted because of high levels of population and industrialization;
• Electric energy is insufficient because traditional sources of energy are limited;
• Wild animals are disappearing because of over-hunting and environmental destruction;
• Natural flora is being wiped out to make way for cash crops to feed the hungry humans;
• Governments are regulating hunting, fishing, and recreation because of too many people;
• Cost of living has increased enormously because of short supply of food, energy and shelter;
• Noise pollution and light pollution are so high they disrupt normal biorhythms;
• Even the most pristine parts of the world have man-polluted air, soil and water;
• Automobile traffic is slow and causes air pollution because of too many cars and people; and
• Countries go to war for natural resources because of too many people.
  

POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION NEWS NOTES

HISPANIC POPULATON GROWTH - 50.5% AND GROWING!

A new report from the Pew Hispanic Center shows that since 2000 Hispanics have accounted for more than half (50.5%) of the overall population growth in the U.S. - a significant new demographic milestone for the nation?s largest minority group. During the 1990's, the Hispanic population also expanded rapidly, but in that decade its growth accounted for less than 40% of the nation's total population increase. The Pew Center also found that in a reversal of past trends, Latino population growth in the new century has been more a product of the natural increase (births minus deaths) of the existing population than it has been of new international migration. As of mid-2007, Hispanics accounted for 15.1% of the population with the dispersion of Latinos in the new century tilted more to counties in the West and the Northeast. Despite the new tilt, however, the South accounted for a greater share of the overall Latino population growth than any other region.

The Pew findings were supplemented by 1990 and 2000 county population counts from the Decennial Censuses.


BUILDING UP, NOT OUT

The talk of "change" that's coming to Washington soon may also involve the city's skyline. According to a recent article in the Washington Times, there is a new move afoot to allow taller office towers. The article notes that "within 15 years, according to one analysis, no more space will be available in a 3.5 mile stretch from Georgetown to Capitol Hill." The city is already enjoying a mini building boom even in the midst of the recession as "older" buildings (some only built in the 1970's) are being torn down to get maximum capacity out of the real estate. The problem stems from D.C.'s Height Act of 1910 which limits building heights to the width of the adjacent street plus 20 feet. For many residents, the idea of removing the limits would destroy the city's quality of life. With few buildings higher than 14 stories, there are no skyscrapers and most areas have picturesque views and sunlit streets.

Will the tall-building advocates win out? Critics note that both Los Angeles and Philadelphia once had height limits but they fell to economic pressures. Advocates for taller buildings throw in the environmental argument that building higher helps control urban sprawl. Voice your concerns -- Call your local planning commission.

WATER POLICY

It's not an issue we hear very much about on the national level but water policy is sure to be on the docket soon as the prospects of finding water for a population that's growing by more than 35 million people per decade become more and more troublesome. The Washington Times compiled a recent insert titled "Hear Our Voice" which permitted key Congressional leaders to speak out on important topics.

In writing about the environment, Congressman Bart Gordon (D-TN) selected water policy to be the focus of his article. Among the points Congressman Gordon made were:

"The next President and next Congress can look to environmental protection as an engine of job creation and the path to reinvigorating our economy.

One key issue will be water policy. Dwindling water supplies loom as a major threat to our nation's economy, at a time when we could not stomach another hit. In an effort to head off a water scarcity crisis, the Committee on Science and Technology has begun to search out ways for the federal government to spur new technological innovations in water conservation and efficiency.

The U.S. uses approximately 40 billion gallons of water per day to supply water for domestic consumption, industry and other uses. Population growth, increased per capita water use, water quality degradation, and increased withdrawals to support agricultural, industrial and energy production activities combined with climate variability have increased water shortages across the country.

By conservative estimates, 39 states are expected to experience droughts in the next five years. When severe water shortages occur, the economic effect can be substantial. Eight water shortages from drought or heat waves each resulted in $1 billion or more in monetary losses over the past 20 years."

As Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Gordon is in a key position to play a pivotal role in helping to shape responsible water policies for our nation's future. NPG will definitely seek him out in working to gain support in the 111th Congress to create a U.S. Commission on Population Growth.


THE PLUS SIDE OF CHINA'S POPULATION PLANNING

According to a recent article posted on the website www.huanet.com, China is reaping positive results from its family planning policy which began about 30 years ago. The story quotes Li Bin, director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission, saying the plan that limits one child to one family (especially in cities) "has helped control the country's population growth and reduce its fertility rate to 1.8 children per woman in 2008 from 5.8 children three decades ago."

Also noted is the fact that "if not for population control, the country's resources and environment would face even heavier pressure, as its per capita arable land, grain, forest, water and energy would decrease by 20 percent."

Bin pointed to the fact that "China's average life expectancy has risen from 68 three decades ago to 73 today. That's the same level in moderately developed countries."

China's population stood at 1.32 billion at the end of last year compared to an estimated U.S. population of 305 million. If the U.S. continues to grow at current rates, we could see a population of 1 billion by 2100. We simply can't allow that to happen.


DO WE REALLY HAVE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO ENTER THE U.S.?

The Bush administration recently took action to remove visa requirements for citizens of seven allied countries. The new program affects citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and South Korea. The move was met by resistance by only a few lawmakers who say the visa waiver program only makes it easier for terrorists to slip into our country. Prior to adding the new nations, there were 27 countries, including most of Western Europe, that fall in the visa-free category. By permitting more people to enter our country without a visa, we are greatly expanding the possibility that they will overstay their welcome and slip into society, never to return home.


A FINANCIAL BOOM AS WELL AS A POPULATION BOOM

The Buffalo News recently carried a story in their financial section noting that the surge in births can have a significant effect on the economy when it comes to products related to children - and especially babies. The article ran before the recent stock market collapse but it highlighted the fact that it is smart to keep one's eye on certain stocks - especially for companies that make medical equipment, diapers, children's clothing, etc. - to see if they benefit from the new trend toward more births. In making this assessment the article noted:

"It took 50 years for the U.S. birth rate to top the baby boom peak of 4.3 million set in 1957 but it did so last year, based on preliminary figures released from the National Center for Health Statistics. Demographers say that increase stems from such factors as improving fertility treatments, immigration and more teen pregnancies."

The story also pointed out, "To be sure, it would be a stretch to assign the term 'new baby boom' to the recent trend. Stephanie Ventura, a demographer at NCHS, points out that all those babies in the 1950's were born to far fewer women: the number of women of child-bearing age was about half of what it is today. The baby boom lasted from 1946 to 1964."


NPG NOTES

CHESAPEAKE BAY STUDENT POSTERS

"The Chesapeake Bay is dying, and the Environmental Protection Agency is not doing anything about it. The most basic pollution reduction strategies are being ignored, and an eight-year-old state and federal commitment to reduce pollution gathers dust."

The above words by William C. Baker, president of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, appeared in a recent Washington Post op-ed article and highlight one of our nation's greatest challenges - protecting its largest estuary which is in dire danger due to soaring population growth throughout its watershed that reaches into six states.

Mr. Baker's group has led the battle for a cleaner future for the Bay and its surroundings for more than three decades and in recent years NPG has joined the fight to advance their cause.

This month, NPG is putting the finishing touches on a brand new 18" x 28" student poster that we will distribute to thousands of schools within the Chesapeake Bay area. The colorful, educational poster has been created for teachers to use as a study guide and post in their classrooms to remind the students that the area already has "Too Many People" and that "the future of the Bay in the next few decades will depend on the decisions we make today." The poster is complete with a color map, educational material on key issues such as wetlands and animal habitat, farms and forests, harmful nutrients, development, population and clean water. It also includes a box of facts about the Bay and a Population Growth graph that shows future population of the Bay watershed area growing to almost 20 million people by 2030. A "Speak Up! Take Action!" section reminds students that they need to be part of the ongoing debate on the future of the Bay, especially if they intend to live, work and raise a family in the area in the coming years and enjoy the same quality of life. We will begin mailing our student poster in early December and will post it on our website www.npg.org at that time. Anyone who wishes to obtain a copy to pass on to a home-schooled student, local school or library can contact us at 703-370-9510.

In Mr. Baker's words, "Saving the Chesapeake Bay is not an option. It is an imperative. If we can't do it, what real hope do we have for the planet as a whole?" That is a very valid question.


QUOTABLES

"Overshadowed by the economic crisis and the presidential race is the United States' recent, widespread crackdown on illegal immigrants, the most aggressive effort to arrest, detain and deport since the dragnet-style sweeps of the 1950's called "Operation Wetback."... This year there have been more than 5,000 arrests, 10 times the level of just five years ago. While this remains a tiny fraction of the roughly 12 million unauthorized immigrants in the U.S., the raids are conducted in headline-grabbing fashion designed to incite fear among other undocumented workers... It's a staggering turnaround for President George Bush, who only little more than a year ago was fighting for extensive immigration reform, pushing for a new guest worker program, and urging that unauthorized migrants already here be given some path (albeit long and difficult) to citizenship."

Edward Alden
New York Post


"Just like Washington waited too late to "fix" the financial markets, so, too, is Washington playing footsies with illegal aliens."

Deborah Simmons
Washington Times
Editorial Page Editor


"The most frequent argument for illegal immigration is that our economy would collapse without illegal immigrants. The current recession shows we're collapsing even with record numbers of illegal immigrants in the U.S. So there goes that idea."

Bonnie Erbe
Scripps Howard News Service


"If everyone on the planet enjoyed the lifestyle of an average U.S. citizen the Earth could support only one to two billion people."

Lisa Naughton
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Professor of Geography and
Environmental Studies

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WHY THE NPG JOURNAL?

The NPG Journal (offered free to all recipients) exists to give more widespread distribution to timely news stories and articles related to population, immigration, environmental and political issues that currently affect our daily life and will seriously impact our future.

We realize not all news stories covering population issues will reflect NPG policies and goals. One of our main purposes in creating the NPG Journal is to expose these items to a wider audience, and to draw attention to the fact that so many articles speak to immigration and population issues but often fail to address the central cause of many problems - TOO MANY PEOPLE.

Ultimately, NPG would like to see writers at all levels make the obvious (to us, at least) connection between environmental and resource problems and the growing number of people in both the United States and the world. Unfortunately, most do not. To that end, we comment as necessary to help our readers see those links in hopes they will continue to speak out on what we deem to be the most pressing issue of our time - population size and growth.

NPG President Donald Mann offers his personal insight and commentary on individual stories, especially those that challenge, confirm and/or complement our NPG Research and Forum Papers. The goal of the NPG Journal is to greatly expand NPG's educational mission. NPG's activities continue to emphasize the need for Americans to speak up on population issues and keep our nation - especially our elected leaders on the national, state and local level - focused on taking action to help resolve today's immigration crisis and work to halt, and eventually reverse America's out-of-control population growth.

We welcome your feedback to articles posted on the NPG Journal and urge you to forward us the e-mail address of friends you think would like to receive a complimentary copy of the NPG Journal on a bi-weekly basis. Contact us at www.npg.org.


ABOUT NPG:

Negative Population Growth, Inc. (NPG) is a national nonprofit membership organization with over 30,000 members nationwide. It was founded in 1972 to educate the American public and political leaders about the devastating effects of overpopulation on our environment, resources, and standard of living. We believe that our nation is already vastly overpopulated in terms of the long-range carrying capacity of its resources and environment.