Negative Population Growth - Summer 2006 Newsletter

Robert Kennedy once stated in a speech: “Our future may go beyond our vision, but it is not beyond our control.”

The final immigration legislation that emerges from the Senate-House Conference Committee will affect our country – and our families – for decades to come. And because this issue is still under active consideration it is up to you and other concerned Americans to make sure that Congress doesn’t sell out our future for political expediency.

For those of us who have worked for decades to get our leaders to adopt serious immigration and population policies, the recent Senate debate on immigration reform was downright gut-wrenching. Far too often during discussions of very reasonable amendments, common sense was thrown out the window and political calculations on the part of both parties seemed to be driving the debate. As one columnist noted, “The Senate and the president have made it quite clear that they have no plans to exactly secure the border. Their border security proposals are charades and calculated pretenses.”

By the time the Senate took their final vote on S. 2611, which runs over 600 pages, the whole concept of our immigration process had been destroyed. If the Senate measure prevails, the type of immigration restrictions and rules that have governed our country for decades, imperfect as they are, will in the end be rendered worthless.

Amazingly, the idea of greatly expanding existing immigration limits and permitting tens of millions of new immigrants (and their extended families) to enter our country in the next 20 years never received the widespread media attention it should have during the Senate debate. Thus, the far-reaching consequence of a huge tidal wave of people (nobody could really put their finger on how many) being absorbed into our communities in just a few decades was not sufficiently debated. That only heightens our determination here at NPG to get members of Congress to focus on the disastrous population numbers that will result from this legislation. Hopefully the thousands of NPG member petitions we’ve already delivered to Capitol Hill (and will continue to deliver) along with our “It’s The Numbers Stupid” ad targeted directly to our lawmakers, will help spotlight this critical issue.

I’m sure I share the sentiments of NPG members in saying that I’m rooting for the strict language of the House passed legislation, H.R. 4437, to prevail in the Conference Committee. The House measure is strong on border security, punishes employers who hire illegals, and requires all illegals in the country to return home before being eligible for any guest-worker privileges. There are no immigration increases and no amnesty provisions in the House bill.

I recognize the fact that there are many facets of the immigration issue that must be addressed and resolved soon. Yet passing such radical and destructive legislation as that fashioned by the Senate, simply so Congress can get the immigration issue out of the way, is definitely not the path Congress should take.

The complex, wide-ranging amnesty issue is far too important for any quick-fix solutions. Gaining control of our border is the priority issue here. Let’s address that topic first and start enforcing the laws that are already on the books. It’s time for Congress to tell President Bush he simply can’t have his nation-changing bill.

Our nation’s destiny is at stake in the immigration debate. We still have an opportunity to control this farreaching legislation and the massive numerical impact that will result. Thank you all for being such activists on this issue. Please continue to work with NPG on this critical subject and keep the pressure on your Senators and Congressional Representative to listen to the American people before casting their final vote.

It’s hard to see why the concept of first securing our borders and then dealing with guest workers and amnesty is so unfathomable to so many members of Congress…especially since America went down this road in 1986. The big difference is that President Reagan signed the Simpson-Mazzoli Immigration Act quite reluctantly, while this time around President Bush is the biggest cheerleader for an all-in-one measure. The 1986 measure was a total failure and we should learn from our mistakes.

In a recent conference call with Matt Spaulding of the Heritage Foundation, former Attorney General Edwin Meese who was in office in 1986, clearly indicated that today’s Senate amnesty bill – like the 1986 measure – would actually encourage even more illegal immigration.

Meese stated: “As a matter of fact, it [the’86 legislation] was almost identical…In many ways the two provisions are exactly the same…Illegal immigration did go down for a short time after the bill was passed, but as the years went by…then you had a period of time during which immigration shot up. If we pass the current bill, it’s not at all unlikely that we’ll again have a large crop of illegal aliens in the country.”

Expanding his criticism of this year’s Senate bill, Meese added: There are a lot of dangers in it…There are a lot of loopholes and I think a lot of time-bombs in this bill.”

“It is almost inconceivable that an argument is taken seriously that we don’t have the right to secure our borders and determine who shall enter our country. Not only has such lunacy become respectable, but our mainstream media instantly, instinctively embraces such a position. Every radio headline newscast, almost every newspaper and television report willfully refuses to distinguish between illegal and legal immigrants. Each report stamps the mark of evil on the forehead of all who would guard our borders.”

“The survival of America as a sovereign nation depends on the moral strength of a handful of House members to stand strong against the President and Senate in the upcoming legislative showdown”

“Both the facts of the past and the dangers of the future are ignored in the rush to give immediate benefits to illegal aliens, washed down with much talk about border control but no requirement that the border actually be secured before these benefits go into affect.”

“The Senate and House started miles apart (on the immigration bill), and as a result of some amendments that were offered in the Senate, miles have become moons apart, or oceans apart.”

“If the Senate wants to be successful in passing immigration reform, it should produce a bill that secures the borders and the workplace and establishes a commonsense, carefully thought out, legally enforceable policy for legal immigration in the future. For our immigration system to work, the Senate bill must guarantee that today’s facade of enforcement and illegal immigration flows won’t exist in the future.”

Mexico has an estimated population of 107 million people and a recent story in The San Francisco Chronicle pointed out that according to many estimates “roughly 10 percent of Mexico’s population is now living in the United States…about 15 percent of Mexico’s labor force is working in the United States (and) …one of every seven Mexican workers migrates to the United States.”

Noting that the current wave of immigration has reached“record dimensions” and is not likely to ebb soon, Demetrios Papademitriou, president of the Migration Policy Institute is quoted as saying:“There is no scenario outside of catastrophic attack on the United States that would make immigration stop.”

Citing data from the Pew Hispanic Center, the news article states:“Three-quarters of the estimated 12 million illegal aliens in the United States come from Mexico and Central America. Mexicans make up 56 percent of the unauthorized U.S. migrant population.”

In discussing the impact of the estimated $20 billion that Mexicans in the U.S. – both legal and illegal – send home annually, the author quotes Arturo Valenzuela, the director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University as saying“The money Mexican migrants send home almost equals the U.S. foreign aid budget for the entire world.”

Today’s news reports on T.V., radio and in local newspapers are so condensed that they fail to provide listeners and readers with important information. Here at NPG we consider the final vote on S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration ReformAct of 2006, to be one of the most important Senate votes in decades. Thus, in the interest of keeping NPG members informed of how their Senators voted on this measure, we present the following:

Senators who authorized an elaborate new guest-worker measure and opened the door for tens of millions of new immigrants in the next two decades include: (Total 62)

Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Craig (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)

Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R- TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AK)
Lugar (R-IN)

Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AK)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

Those Senators who supported NPG’s position and rejected S.2611 include: (Total 36)

Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bond (R-MO)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Burr (R-NC)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeMint (R-SC)
Dole (R-NC)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)

Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lott (R-MS)
Nelson (D-NE)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)

NOT VOTING:
Rockefeller(D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)

With numbers being so important in the current immigration debate it is not surprising to see more and more information seekers turning to NPG’s website for facts and information. Traditionally, we get about 70,000 visitors per month on our website from individuals seeking to access the expansive variety of information it contains (as well as links to other population and environment-related groups and“think tanks” that share our goals and philosophy). In March and April we had more than 280,000 visitors – double our traditional two months total. This is surely reflective of the widespread interest in population numbers sparked by the current Congressional debate on immigration. We also expect that a number of those visitors were students competing for our college scholarships, who were tapping into www.npg.org for background information to strengthen their essays. Whatever the reason for the spike in numbers, we welcome the interest. Keeping the public educated and informed about responsible immigration and population policies is our core mission here at NPG. We continue to welcome input from members as to how we can better expand our website.

The above headline was the title of one of our most popular NPG Forum Papers in 2003 authored by Lindsey Grant. It also served as the headline of the latest NPG ad we ran in June in The Hill Newspaper, a D.C. based newspaper that is read by Members of Congress and other Washington policymakers. The ad was the capstone of NPG’s wildly successful effort to get thousands of our members to send signed Congressional Petitions to their Senators and Congressional Representative. The Petitions reminded lawmakers that“America’s population is already stretched to the max” and urged them to say“NO” to our nation accepting tens of millions of new immigrants in the next decade. In an effort to underscore our message, we had our Petitions arrive in Congressional offices in conjunction with the placement of the ad.

Hopefully this “one-two punch” will have a positive impact in getting members of Congress to look at the real numbers associated with the immigration measures – especially S. 2611 – and report a bill out of conference that contains realistic and sustainable numbers.

At times during Senate debate, the free-flying projections on the number of future immigrants that could enter our country in the next two decades ranged from 60 million to more than 200 million people. If Congress eventually ends up establishing a guest-worker program that puts illegals on the road to citizenship, it is absolutely crucial that we hold to a minimum the number of guest-workers and their family members who will come into our country through“chain migration”. Any final legislation that permits too much“wiggle room” when it comes to the number of new immigrants will prove disastrous to our nation.

Our“It’s The Numbers Stupid!” ad stressed to all Members of Congress that their final vote on immigration reform – whenever it comes – will rank as one of the most important votes they’ll ever cast. We asked that they put a livable future for all of us“ahead of political expediency or short-sighted policy-making.”

Better awareness of what’s at stake incites more people to take action. That is why, with the potential for Congress to take months to resolve the immigration issue – or even put it off to the next Congress – we are expanding our Congressional Petition mailings to greatly enhance NPG’s grassroots efforts and make sure that our message on out-of-control immigration stays front and center in this national debate.

Anyone who tunes into talk radio or reads the local letters-to-the-editor knows that the American people have plenty to say on this issue of immigration reform.

Thankfully, NPG can consistently rely on our own Dave Simcox to be right in the middle of the fray in local and national radio discussions. In recent months, Dave has done yeoman’s duty joining talk show hosts across the land and underscoring how much our nation’s population will spiral out of control if Congress makes the wrong decisions in setting future immigration numbers. In just the first six months of this year, Dave has already exceeded the number of radio appearances he made in 2003 and 2004 and he’s fast catching up to his totals for last year. Dave has spoken with Lou Dobbs on CNN and on powerhouse radio stations such as KHOW in Denver, WMAL in Washington, DC, KKGM in Dallas, and KTKZ in Sacramento, CA. In addition, he has appeared on local stations such as WBIG in Aurora, IL, WACV in Montgomery, AL, WGR (TV and AM radio) in Buffalo, NY, and Kentucky Educational TV, as well as dozens of other stations across the land. In these discussions, Dave accurately and effectively delivers our message and those who hear him know they can enter any immigration debate armed with the best weapon possible… the facts!

Here at NPG we’re all about education. We especially find it heartening to see more and more young people focus on the population issue, study it from many sides, and then put their own imprint on it. Thanks to our newly-inaugurated NPG Population Scholarship Essay Contest we got a wonderful insight into young minds at work in recent months as we accepted, read, and evaluated more than 3,300 entries.

The great news about receiving so many essays is that it reaffirmed that there’s a whole new group of concerned young Americans willing to continue to battle for responsible population and immigration policies into the future. In compiling their essays on the topic“Should the United States’ Government Pursue Population Policies to Protect Our Quality of Life for Future Generations?” high school seniors, as well as college freshman, sophomores and juniors from across the country, made forceful arguments for our nation’s leaders to act now to check future population growth.

Indeed, the quality of the essays received was so good that it presented us with a real quandary in selecting only three winners. To solve this dilemma NPG’s Board of Directors gave quick approval to expanding the prize money and awarded three third prizes, rather than just one. Today we are proud to announce that the following students have been selected to receive NPG’s very first scholarships:

$2,000 – Craig Huneke – National University – La Jolla, CA
$1,000 – Ashley Reynolds – Oklahoma State University – Stillwater, OK
$ 500 – Renee Wasser – Goucher College – Baltimore, MD
$ 500 – Vincent Harris – Baylor University – Waco, TX
$ 500 – Sareena Dalla – Harvard University – Cambridge, MA

In the interest of sharing the winning essays with our members we have posted them on our website at www.npg.org and we encourage you to read them. As we prepare to celebrate NPG’s 35th Anniversary next year we are excited about continuing our scholarship program and spreading the word to even more schools about how students can financially benefit from focusing on population and immigration issues that will greatly impact their future.

When the Senate recently debated immigration reform and moved closer and closer to approving some of the most radical and destructive legislation in the nation’s history, tens of millions of Americans had to be shaking their heads and asking“Who’s in charge here?”

As a representative democracy, our elected officials certainly aren’t compelled to vote with the majority. But in recent months it has been absolutely shocking how many of our leaders – from President Bush on down – wantonly ignore the opinions of such an overwhelming number of voters on the immigration issue.

Thanks to the financial support of so many of our members, NPG contracted with Roper Public Affairs in April to conduct our own nationwide poll that reached 1,004 American adults 18 or older. While many immigrationrelated polls were being taken at the time by national news organizations and other groups, we made it a point to focus our questions a bit differently and to also ask population-related questions which most other polls ignored.

The value of financing this poll for NPG is immeasurable in reinforcing our status as a leader in shaping immigration and population policy. Once again, we were able to go to Congress with real scientific polling numbers and make sure every Senator and Congressman knew the mood of the country. In addition, our press release announcing the poll results was picked up by countless news organizations and found its way into being a headline story on Yahoo!

Some of the highlights of NPG’s poll are:

• 68% of Americans agree that the United States should set a goal of completely halting new immigration;

• 64% of these individuals support tough penalties against violators such as fines, mandatory prison terms and deportation;

• 55% support the related goal of reducing the population of 10 to 12 million illegal immigrants now in the U.S. to“near zero;”

• 81% of respondents backed strict criminal penalties on employers who, after repeatedly being cited, persist in hiring illegal aliens;

• 53% support legislation to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born here to parents who are illegal aliens;

• 56% of Americans agree that a practical way to reduce to near zero the number of resident illegal aliens is legislation making penalties for illegal presence so severe that illegal immigrants would leave voluntarily rather than run the risk of being caught and penalized.

Opinions on the size of legal immigration and a desirable population for the U.S. registered these numbers:

• 60% of Americans favor annual immigration (now one million yearly) of less than 600,000, with 45% favoring annual immigration of less than 300,000;

• Informed that U.S. population is currently expected to grow to 420 million by 2050, 57% of respondents believe that the present U.S. population of 300 million or less would be best for the country in the long run. Only 14% favor a future population of 400 million or more.

The entire poll can be found here.

We are pleased to announce that we have finally received shipment of our long-awaited bound volume of NPG Forum Papers. Entitled “The Case For Fewer People”, this 743-page text contains 96 of our papers issued since 1987. Edited by Lindsey Grant who suggested the book as a means of preserving the life of these valuable papers in libraries, we are presently placing copies gratis in as many libraries – especially college libraries – as NPG can afford. In Grant’s words,“Our hope is that present and future students, if they become interested in the immense issues raised by population change, will have available a single source dealing with the change itself and many of the issues it raises.”

We have a very limited number of these books still available to be forwarded to libraries and will make certain the library of your choice receives a copy (perhaps a local library or alma mater) for a contribution of $40. Remember, your contribution is tax-deductible.

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.