GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER TACKLES "DUMB GROWTH"
In late May, California's Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attempted to tackle what NPG views as his state's most pressing problem – population growth. With a population of 36 million, California is already vastly overpopulated in terms of its resources and environment. Yet, driven by massive immigration, both legal and illegal, its population growth shows no signs of stopping, or even slowing.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that California's population will exceed 49 million by 2025. Population growth has resulted in a great number of serious and intractable problems including traffic congestion, housing shortages, smog, water shortages, and overcrowded schools and hospitals. Perhaps most serious of all is the ongoing loss of prime agricultural land. In May 2001, the Agricultural Issues Center of the University of California reported the state lost approximately 500,000 acres of farmland to urban development between 1988-1998, an area equivalent to the size of Orange County.
Faced with this alarming situation the nation's newest Governor has created an interagency task force to address what one of his top aides calls "dumb growth." The idea is to use state grants for transportation, water plants, sewage facilities and schools as a "big carrot" to push local governments to cluster housing, jobs, and shopping areas more closely together.
The basic idea behind this scheme is to try and manage the effects of population growth, rather than to take the necessary measures to halt, and eventually reverse it. Since California's population growth is driven by massive immigration, the key to halting it is to halt illegal immigration completely and to drastically reduce legal immigration. Since only the federal government has the power to control immigration,Governor Schwarzenegger should make a determined and continued effort to have our federal government change our national immigration policies. We have written Governor Schwarzenegger and urged him to do just that.
IMMIGRATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT —WE NEED AN IMPACT STUDY!
NPG applauds Congressman Tom Tancredo (CO-06) for recently introducing legislation in Congress that would require the preparation of a comprehensive study pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to determine the ecological impact of legal and illegal immigration.
In taking his action, Tancredo noted how current high levels of legal and illegal immigration contribute to rising demands for energy and water, the loss of open spaces and urban sprawl. The completion of an environmental impact statement, as called for in the bill, will both help to better quantify the scope of these impacts, and assist policymakers in making a determination about what level of immigration is appropriate.
"We require exhaustive environmental reviews when the federal government makes even the most minor decisions like where to build a road or how many acres of brush to clear in a forest," said Tancredo, "So why shouldn't we require that same level of analysis to help Congress determine how many immigrants to let in?"
In introducing the legislation the Congressman called on powerful environmental groups like the Sierra Club to stand behind their principles and support his bill. NPG wholeheartedly endorses this effort and encourages our fellow environmentalists to back this measure.
THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER
A Message from NPG President Donald Mann
Whenever I hear news about a government official taking positive action on the issues of immigration control and population stabilization, I am thrilled. Because without a major commitment from our top elected leaders our nation will continue down the path of destructive population growth.
A recent positive development is the fact that the nation's major press outlets are finally starting to shine the national spotlight on the dramatic need for a major overhaul of America's immigration policies. For instance, Lou Dobbs on CNN has to be praised for his extensive coverage of this critical issue. Business Week recently ran a very enlightening article related to the myriad social issues of immigration (see story Page 3) and Forbes Magazine deserves to be applauded for a recent cover story exposing those who get rich trafficking in illegal aliens. Here a few determined reporters have accessed and delivered comprehensive and hard-hitting facts to further expose the critical need for immigration reform.
Finally, the New York Times has editorially weighed-in with a demand that the Bush administration and Congress stop their yammering and actually do something to address the amnesty issue. The Times has even called for a study commission to look into a national identity card. While we here at NPG certainly don't agree with the New York Times endorsement of giving legal status to millions of illegal immigrants we wholeheartedly agree with the fact that we cannot go on indefinitely leaving the question of "what's next?" following President Bush's immigration proposals in January.
Indeed, an April report in the Washington Times revealed that the number of illegal aliens being apprehended on the nation's southwestern border jumped 25% in the months (and over 50% in Tucson and Yuma, AZ) following the President's immigration speech and much of that spike was attributed to a rush of illegals trying to get into our country before any decision on their status is formalized. That flood of law-breakers continues every day the immigration issue goes unresolved. Unfortunately, law enforcement officials say they assume that for every one person caught trying to illegally cross the border, three make it across safely.
It all comes down to the fact that too many people are playing politics with the immigration issue while the tidal wave of illegals continues to flow across our borders. The consensus seems to be that the politicians at all levels have finally recognized the electorates' anger for any pro-immigrant policies and want to keep the issue on the back burner until after the election.
In the coming months it is up to all of us to publicly confront our elected officials directly on any and all immigration issues and get them on the record as to where they stand. The voters need to know before November.
NPG LAUNCHES NEW "PRESIDENT'S CIRCLE"
For more than three decades NPG has been able to grow and succeed thanks to many loyal members who are always willing to "go the extra mile" when it comes to financial support. Over the years, the generosity of these devoted members to consistently open their wallets in support of our shared goals has enabled us to carry out many special projects. It is in recognition of the fact that many long-term members share this commitment to NPG's mission that we have launched our new "President's Circle" to acknowledge the special status of our most dedicated members.
The "President's Circle" is a monthly giving program whereby you authorize NPG to charge a set dollar amount to your credit card at the beginning of each month. Its success is invaluable to NPG as the more members who sign up, the more we are able to count on a consistent monthly revenue stream to fund our ongoing projects and plan future endeavors. Today we invite you to register for "President's Circle" membership by returning the enclosed "Special Contribution" reply and completing the authorization information.
Thank you in advance for your support of this exciting new initiative.
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ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION: STATE POLICIES ARE "ALL OVER THE MAP"
A recent issue of Business Week focused on the "muddle" presented by the failure of the federal government and the states to tackle the problem of illegal immigration in a unified manner. On topics as diverse as mortgages, driver's licenses, in-state college tuition, acceptance of Mexican-issued Matricula cards, and other social issues, local and state governments have created a hodge-podge of diverse laws and "accepted practices" that are more and more accommodating to illegal aliens rather than punitive. It is exactly this mess that fuels the demands of NPG and other national groups for Congress to demonstrate real leadership on the immigration issue. Failure to do so not only seriously threatens our national security but sends a clear message to illegals looking to come to our country that they face fewer and fewer impediments once they make it across the border.
Business Week noted the latest up-to-date summary of how some states and agencies are cracking down on illegals while others are making life easier for them.
Driver's Licenses — 11 states now give illegal aliens driver's licenses.
Valid I.D. — More than 900 cities and 940 police departments accept the Matricula card issued by the Mexican government as valid indentification as do 150 financial institutions and the U.S. Treasury Department.
Mortgages — A number of small banks now issue mortgages to illegal aliens and others, including J.P. Morgan Chase, are exploring the idea.
College Tuition — 7 states currently grant in-state tuition to illegals and 17 others are considering doing so.
WHAT WILL WE GIVE THEM NEXT...?
The Milwaukee Business Journal reports that despite protests from a state legislator, the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority has agreed to continue its pilot program providing affordable home mortgages to illegal aliens. State Rep. Glen Grothman opposed the loan program by stating... "How can we expect employers not to hire illegal aliens, or border patrol workers or INS workers to enthusiastically do their jobs when a state agency is initiating a program almost specifically designed to break the laws."
"The issue that has the potential to be the most volatile politically in the 2004 elections is not Iraq, the economy or same-sex marriages. At this writing, it would appear to be the wildly unpopular idea of granting illegal aliens what amounts to amnesty — the opportunity to stay in this country, work, secure social services, become citizens and, in some jurisdictions, perhaps vote even prior to becoming citizens."
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
President of the Center for Security Policy and columnist for The Washington Times.
AN UNFORTUNATE DEFEAT...
A key vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in mid-May clearly demonstrated how much of an uphill battle we face in fighting the war on illegal immigration. By a vote of 331 to 88, members of Congress defeated a proposal to make hospitals fingerprint or photograph illegal immigrants to qualify for federal payments for the immigrants' emergency care. The identity information would then be forwarded to the Department of Homeland Security and the records could then be used for deportation hearings. Information on patients' employers also would be gathered so the hospital bill could be sent to businesses rather than the federal government. Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) who supported the legislation noted: "We cannot afford to ignore the growing costs associated with illegal immigration. If we are serious about reducing illegal immigration, we need to support this legislation." Opponents of the bill argued that hospitals are caregivers, not cops and don't need additional paperwork. Failure to pass this legislation means that American taxpayers will spend $1 billion for the next four years to reimburse hospitals for the treatment of illegal immigrants.
OUR NEWEST BOOKS...
Key to NPG's mission to educate Americans on the vital need to look at today's immigration and population crises in the long term, we constantly seek publications that answer the crucial questions as to how we can best balance population and our environment. This month we are proud to welcome two additional volumes to our recommended reading list. Members are invited to choose a complimentary copy of one book in exchange for a contribution of at least $20 or both books for a donation of $30 or more. If you are interested in taking advantage of this special offer, please return the enclosed "Special Contribution" reply.
Food, Energy and Society by David Pimentel and Marcia Pimentel, Editors: This instructive 360-page volume forecasts how pressure on our limited food and fuel supplies will significantly intensify as the world's population grows at a rate of a quarter of a million people per day. Our future quality of life is discussed in relation to the interdependencies among food, land, water and energy.
Beyond Growth by Herman E. Daly: In this 240-page book, Daly makes clear that while "sustainable development" is a term that everyone uses, nobody is quite sure what it means. He challenges the conventional notion that growth is always good and raises basic questions about the carrying capacity of earth.
NEW MEMBERS FLOCK TO NPG
Here at NPG we take great pride in the success of our grassroots outreach efforts and are pleased to welcome thousands of new members each year who share our determination to rein-in today's population explosion and bring a halt to unrestricted, out-ofcontrol immigration.
Because we send a survey on population and immigration matters to hundreds of thousands of prospective new members each year, we are constantly able to monitor public opinion on these issues through our ongoing "National U.S. Voter Public Opinion Survey on America's Population Growth" that accompanies our mailings to attract new members. Recent survey results show that along with answers to other key questions, 81% of our recent survey responders endorse NPG's call for Congress adopting a national population policy to rein in America's uncontrolled growth, 68% favor a much-needed "time out" on immigration to help solve our overpopulation problems, and 93% think Congress should take immediate action to enforce stricter laws to identify and deport the roughly 8 to 12 million illegal aliens now living in America permanently.
Twice a year, NPG sends its compiled survey results to Congress, along with our latest newsletters, Special Reports, Position Papers and Forum Papers to ensure that our U.S. Senators and House members are made aware of current public sentiment and have the most up-to-date expert research about overpopulation issues.
A LASTING LEGACY...
In March of last year, Strathmore Press, Inc., a national fundraising firm, sponsored a telephone poll of 500 U.S. donors to find out how receptive they were to upgrading their charitable giving. A striking finding was that "more than one out of every two donors participating in the study asserted that they either (a) have a will and have already named a charity or (b) they haven't yet named a charity but were likely to do so."
Here at NPG, we urge all members to consider us in their estate planning and are pleased to make available a complimentary copy of "Making Your Will: What You Should Know Before You See Your Lawyer." If you would like a copy, please check the box on the enclosed "Special Contribution" reply or call 703-370-9510. Thank you.
LAST CALL FOR LIBRARY PROJECT
If you have yet to do so, there is still time for you to register a favorite college, school or community library to receive complimentary NPG books and publications as part of NPG's 2004 Library Project. In recent months we have been able to add hundreds of new member selected libraries to our list in our efforts to spread the word about the perils of unrestricted population growth to America's younger generation. If you would like us to include your favorite library in this project please call NPG at 703-370-9510.
Population and Resource Outlook is a quarterly publication by Negative Population Growth, a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to educating Americans about the devastating effects of overpopulation on our environment and quality of life.
Board of Directors
Donald Mann, President
Diane Saco, Secretary/Treasurer
Frances Dorner
Josephine Lobretto
Negative Population Growth
2861 Duke Street, Suite 36
Alexandria, VA 22314
voice: 703-370-9510 - fax 703-370-9514
email: npg@npg.org - www.npg.org