The NPG Journal: Vol. 6, No. 6
- NPG
- May 28, 2013
- NPG Journal
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The NPG Journal: Vol. 6, No. 6, 5/28/13
A Monthly Commentary on Population and Immigration Issues
Presented by Negative Population Growth, Inc.
COMMENTARY by NPG President Donald Mann
For all of the debate surrounding the immigration reform bill taking shape on Capitol Hill, there has been little discussion of some critical flaws.
Perhaps this glaring absence of consideration is because, in its current form, the massive piece of legislation stands at over 800 pages. Is Congress missing key provisions because – as NPG has repeatedly noted – the bill is simply too large and complex to fully dissect in such a short period? How can the American public fully understand the bill’s potential consequences and communicate their concerns to their representatives?
In reviewing the legislation, NPG is disappointed to see that, yet again, population growth is of absolutely no concern to our elected officials. Our primary goal as an organization is the enactment of responsible U.S. population and immigration policies, which will preserve America’s quality of life for future generations.
This bill stands in stark contrast with that goal, but special interest groups are placing a full-court press to see this bill become law. Here are just a few of the bill’s numerous provisions and implications which could prove a serious threat to our nation:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would have essentially unchallenged authority to implement and enforce nearly every aspect of the new regulations. This is the very same agency that has consistently failed to live up to its duties related to border security, visa tracking, employment eligibility verification, and existing immigration law enforcement. If DHS had done an effective job in recent years, would there even be a need for such major immigration reform today?
Our nation’s southern border – the main entry point for millions of illegal aliens – will immediately become “secure” if we simply invest a few billion dollars. We’ve heard that same premise for decades and have already invested countless billions to reach that goal – all to little avail. Much more is needed in the form of punitive policy (and discontinuing our repeated amnesties) to make illegal entry less promising and attractive.
The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) will thoroughly conduct background checks for each of the more than 11 million potential applicants. The efficacy of such background checks is already being called into question (see story below). Statistics on applications for the new DACA program (granting temporary residency to young illegal immigrants) show that almost every application – 99.2% as of April – was approved. The potentials for fraud and insufficient review are overwhelming.
Newly-legalized immigrants will be subject to a waiting period before they could receive federal, state, or local benefits. Supposedly, a provision along these lines would be part of any final legislation. Yet, as the renowned Heritage Foundation concluded in a recent report, the end result would be an enormous cost in government assistance – an estimated $6.3 trillion over the next 50 years. With looming national debt and critical shortages in funding, can America truly afford this legislation?
For over 40 years, NPG has called for a sound, responsible U.S. immigration policy that would protect our nation’s future by reversing our population growth. NPG will welcome legislation that reviews each of these critical issues individually, carefully weighing population and environmental consequences, and resolves the crisis of too many peoplewhile upholding our national heritage of diversity and refuge.
However, this bill is NOT the answer. It will only make matters worse.
Our nation cannot afford to give in to the demands of special interest lobbies, pushing for us to “do it now!” There is far too much at stake – for all of us. We must take our time, give each aspect the chance for full debate in Congress, and ensure the American people understand what solutions are being proposed – and why. The backlash of unforeseen consequences to previous bills of this magnitude that were “fast-tracked” (such as ObamaCare and the Patriot Act, among many others) should be sufficient warning.
NPG urges all concerned Americans to call the Capitol Switchboard today at 202-224-3121, where operators will connect you with your Senators and Congressman. Tell them you stand with NPG – say NO to rushing on S. 744 and immigration reform!
NEXT IN LINE, PLEASE…
The Washington Times reported on May 20 that passage of any new immigration reform legislation could raise some serious concerns for national security.
In the article, Kenneth Palinkas warns that the Obama administration would do little more than “rubber stamp” almost any application received for the proposed new immigration status. Palinkas is president of the labor union that represents the employees who would be responsible for reviewing those applications.
Palinkas called the immigration bill “dangerous,” expressing concerns that the focus of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would be to give the green light to as many illegal immigrants as possible. He stated: “The culture at USCIS encourages all applications to be approved, discouraging proper investigation into red flags and discouraging the denial of any applications. USCIS has been turned into an ‘approval machine.’”
The Times story, written by Stephen Dinan, noted: “Mr. Palinkas said the reason so many deferred action applicants are being approved is because the Obama administration has determined that they don’t need in-person interviews, which ‘virtually guarantees widespread fraud and places public safety at risk.’”
CHANGING ATTITUDES ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ENVIRONMENT
The Huffington Post released a poll on Earth Day (April 22) that had some surprising results: “Americans Less Concerned About The Environment Now Than When Earth Day Began.”
In their report on the HuffPost/YouGov poll, the website stated: “Americans place less importance on environmental issues than they did in 1971.” It added: “But the poll also finds that more Americans are taking some steps to protect the environment such as cutting down on electricity use, eating organic foods and recycling.”
To make the comparisons, The Huffington Post went back to two Opinion Research polls conducted 42 years ago – one done for then-President Richard Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972.
To review the comparisons between the two polls go to: Huffington Post
COMMUNITIES SAY “NO” TO FRACKING
The issue of fracking – using sand, water, and chemicals injected at high pressure to blast open shale rock and release the trapped natural gas – has increasingly become a hot-button issue in state capitols, county courthouses, and city halls across America.
While powerful energy industry forces advocate fracking to create much-needed revenue and jobs, environmental groups nationwide have opposed the practice as damaging to surrounding ecosystems. TheCommunity Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) is at the forefront of working to stop fracking, giving voice to residents who want to ban the practice in their area.
CELDF recently put out a press release highlighting that the County Commission of Mora County, New Mexico, is the first county in the U.S. to pass an ordinance banning all oil and gas extraction.
In cheering the actions of the Commission, CELDF executive director Thomas Linzey stated: “Existing state and federal oil and gas laws force fracking and other extraction activities into communities, overriding concerns of residents. Today’s vote in Mora County is a clear rejection of this structure of law, which elevates corporate rights over community rights, which protects industry over people and the natural environment.”
CELDF has assisted other communities in New Mexico – as well as in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and New York – in enacting their own local “Bill of Rights” to prohibit fracking.
NPG commends the CELDF and the Mora County Commission for their strong efforts to ban this environmentally-questionable practice. For more information on fracking, you can review our NPG Forumpaper: Is Fracking An Answer? To What?
PEW MEXICO POLL: STAY OR GO TO U.S.
The Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project released a survey on April 29th rating the feelings of Mexican citizens toward the U.S. on a wide variety of subjects.
The survey revealed that on the issue of immigration: “About 6 in 10 Mexicans (61%) say they would not move to the U.S. even if they had the means and opportunity to do so. However, a sizeable minority (35%) say they would move to the U.S. if they could, including 20% who say they would emigrate without authorization.”
On another question, when Mexicans were asked whether their friends and relatives who moved to the U.S. had achieved their goals or been disappointed, 70% said they had achieved their goals, versus 25% who said they had been disappointed.
NPG feels these survey results underscore that Congress must enact responsible immigration reform legislation, including the security of U.S. borders and enforcement of existing laws. We must halt and eventually reverse our population growth by ending illegal immigration and greatly reducing legal immigration.
EVOLVING WORDS
With such lengthy arguments surrounding immigration reform, Tom Fitton rather succinctly sums up what we are facing if current legislation passes:
“If you’ve been paying attention to how things have unfolded to this point since President Obama took office, we have moved from the term ‘illegal alien’ to ‘undocumented worker’ to now ‘registered provisional immigrants.’
“Guess what term comes next? According to the bill, the name of the chief federal agency responsible for overseeing immigration policy will be changed from the ‘U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ to the ‘Office of Citizenship and New Americans.’ From ‘illegal alien’ to ‘New American.’ ”
Fitton heads Judicial Watch, a group that has been active in opposing a mad dash to so-called immigration reform.
At current Census Bureau estimates, America’s population stands at nearly 316 million people. How many more “New Americans” will we be forced to accommodate before we protect the quality of life of our children and grandchildren?
NPG NOTES
NEW NPG FORUM PAPER
NPG has just released its latest Forum paper, titled Revisiting the Chesapeake Bay: The Effect of Population Growth on America’s Largest Estuary. It is authored by Bay expert Tom Horton.
In this publication, Horton examines the current environmental state of the ever-growing watershed area. The continued deterioration of the Bay ecosystem is a cautionary tale. This kind of environmental devastation – directly linked to population growth – is irrefutable evidence of what we can expect for the rest of America and the world. As U.S. population numbers continue to climb, we inflict the same pollution, overdevelopment, and loss of habitat from coast to coast.
This Forum paper will soon be mailed to thousands of NPG members. If you do not receive a copy, it can be accessed on our website at www.NPG.org.
2013 NPG TEACHER’S PACKETS REACHING AMERICA’S CLASSROOMS
With all of the controversy surrounding what is taught in America’s classrooms, there seems to be a general agreement: today’s students should certainly learn about the world they will live in 10, 30, or 50 years from now.
At NPG, we firmly believe that the issue of population growth should be a part of every teacher’s curriculum. Our nation’s next generation of leaders should learn about the impact that tens of millions of additional people will have on our nation’s infrastructure, water and energy resources, farms, forests, and wildlife habitats. It seems clear that a large number of America’s educators agree.
In recent weeks, NPG has fulfilled requests from hundreds of middle and high school teachers across America. They are eager to use our newest NPG Population Poster, NPG Forum Papers, and our2013 Student Fact Sheets as the centerpieces of their lesson plan.
NPG has invested heavily in getting our message to teachers and students each year, and the number of Teacher’s Packets we send out continues to grow. This Spring we’ve printed and distributed more than 35,000 Student Fact Sheets. When combined with last Fall’s totals, the number adds up to an annual total of more than 65,000.
It is important to note that, while a huge part of the cost of this program is funded by a generous grant, NPG relies heavily on individual donations from our most loyal supporters. We are very grateful for your help, and urge all members to respond positively to invitations to be part of this project in the future.
THANK YOU, DALLAS!
NPG Executive Vice President Craig Lewis and Deputy Director Tracy Canada traveled to Dallas, Texas, in late April to participate in the Earth Day Dallas.
Setting up a booth with the NPG banner and population posters prominently displayed – as well as samples of our
NPG literature – they spent two full days at the Dallas Fair Park expo. Interacting with countless people from all age groups who expressed a strong interest in our organization, policies, and goals, NPG found a warm welcome from the Texas crowds.
The event proved a wonderful opportunity to spread the NPG message one-on-one with very dedicated citizens. Our special thanks goes to the dedicated NPG member who invited us to participate in this popular event, as well as those who stopped by to say hello – and a welcome to new members who joined NPG because of this effort.
QUOTES
“Lawmakers who supported the 1986 [amnesty] bill promised in grand speeches that amnesty would never happen again. Now there are 11 million unlawful immigrants in America because amnesty was immediate but the border wasn’t secured, workplace laws were not enforced, and our legal immigration system was not fixed. The result of amnesty is clear – it encourages more unlawful immigration in hopes of future amnesties.”
Former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint
Heritage Foundation
“It is hard to trust that Washington would enforce a new law, after President Obama has shown a willingness to ignore existing law. He condones sanctuary cities that won’t cooperate with immigration officials.”
Debra J. Saunders
National Columnist
“Some amnesty proponents are trying to convince themselves that the immigration bill won’t cost much. On the surface, they have some good talking points, noting that ‘registered provisional immigrants’ (the name given to aliens who entered or stayed in the U.S. unlawfully but would get amnesty under the bill) are not eligible for government benefits. Of course that would last only until, at the very latest, they would become citizens. (More likely, there will be pressure in future years to speed up both citizenship and eligibility.)”
Heritage Foundation
Morning Bell (4/25/13)
WHY THE NPG JOURNAL?
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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 – or have the potential to 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 theNPG Journal is to expose these items to a wider audience, and to draw attention to the fact that many articles speak to immigration and population issues yet 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 Forum papers and research. 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 levels – focused on taking action to help resolve today’s immigration crisis and work to slow, halt, and eventually reverse America’s population growth.
We welcome your feedback to articles posted on the NPG Journal, and urge you to forward to us the e-mail addresses of friends you think would like to receive a complimentary copy of the NPG Journal on a monthly basis. Contact us at .
ABOUT NPG
Negative Population Growth, Inc. (NPG) is a national nonprofit membership organization with over 30,000 members. It was founded in 1972 to educate the American public and political leaders regarding 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.
