POPULAR NEWS FIGURE MAKES DANGEROUS AND MISLEADING COMMENTS – SPEAK UP TODAY!
- NPG
- July 17, 2023
- NPG Commentary
- 5 Comments
CNN host, author, and political commentator Fareed Zakaria often shares valuable insights into a range of current events and international developments. His weekly CNN show, Fareed Zakaria GPS, is usually balanced and reasonable, leaving the viewer with valuable information and a fair assessment of the events. Unfortunately, however, Mr. Zakaria was very wrong in his evaluation of U.S. population size and growth on Sunday, July 16, 2023.
Zakaria stated: “Populist conservatives are right. America is facing an immigration crisis. But they’re hung up on the wrong crisis. The real disaster isn’t that too many immigrants have made it to the U.S. It’s that we aren’t letting in nearly enough.”
The conversation moved along with John Berman, an anchor at CNN, noting: “The fertility rate in the United States fell to yet an all-time low.”
In the background, we hear: “More and more American women are deciding not to have kids at all.”
Zakaria continues with: “America is in the middle of a baby bust.”
Followed by Robert Guest, Deputy Editor of The Economist saying: “The birthrate has fallen dramatically. It’s below replacement level.”
And Zakaria returned with: “Not enough Americans are being born to replace those who have died.”
NPG ADAMANTLY DISAGREES AND WE NEED YOU TO SPEAK OUT NOW!
Yes, it is true that the U.S. fertility rate has fallen in the last several years. We must understand, however, that this is by design: women and couples are making conscious decisions about family size. (NPG has advocated for this philosophy since our inception in 1972!) Many realize the range of benefits to having only one or two children and they simply choose to limit the size of their family to better provide for everyone. We should embrace this trend.
A decline in the U.S. fertility rate is not a problem. In fact, it creates an opportunity for our nation to begin to slowly shrink to a smaller, truly sustainable size. Understanding that our nation is already vastly overpopulated in terms of our long-range carrying capacity, ending population growth and starting down a path toward population decline – with a goal to achieve economic and environmental sustainability – should be welcome news.
Believing that immigration into the U.S. should be increased to counter our declining fertility rate is dangerous and simply wrong. The current, somewhat lawless, situation along our nation’s southern border should outrage every American. Legal immigration pathways already afford many people opportunities to be welcomed into the U.S. Those who choose to enter the country illegally should not be rewarded with a chance to stay. Breaking the law by crossing the border illegally, then demanding amnesty and special arrangements makes a mockery of our nation’s immigration system. Every nation has the right to secure its border and to set limits on immigration. The United States is one of the most generous nations in the world in terms of immigration policy, but we will not be able to maintain that position if we do not gain control of the border and return to formal policies that provide opportunities and realistic pathways to legal entry.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Please drop an email to Mr. Zakaria and tell him smaller is better. Explain that the U.S. has added tens of millions of people each decade and that we need a break. Remind him that since 2000 (only 23 years) the U.S. has grown by more than 50 million people! For the sake of our shared future, let us celebrate the possibility that we may soon begin to see a slight decline in our total population – and recognize that such a decline is only possible if we secure our border and return to an immigration system that works for all Americans, not the special interest groups.
Mr. Zakaria can be reached here.
