Featured Stories

Boosting Mexico's Economy to Lessen Immigration
Poorly Planned New Jersey
No Escape from Population Growth


COMMENTARY: by NPG President Donald Mann


The debate on the war in Iraq that has been dominating the news for the past weeks is very necessary. However, the Democratic leaders' heavy-handed tactics of not allowing votes or amendments on resolutions Republicans wanted to bring to the floor of the House and Senate does not bode well for future upcoming debate on immigration reform. Stifling discussion and blocking alternative proposals is inappropriate in a legislative body that thrives on debate and deliberation.

What's worrisome is that during extensive Congressional debate on the immigration issue in the 109th Congress, the vast majority of Democrats stood with the open-border advocates. They derided those members - mostly Republicans - who were out to "get tough" in dealing with the 10-12 million illegals already in our country. And many Democrats certainly have not been strong proponents of other very necessary legislative solutions that will tighten our borders and get immigration under control.

Here at NPG we've worked hard to make clear to Members of Congress and elected officials at all levels of government that our best solutions for addressing and resolving population and immigration issues is to do so in a bi-partisan manner. There are certainly a myriad number of factors in play -- and plenty of groups on both sides of the immigration reform issue that will put pressure on Congress to get their way. That is why it is critical that as immigration reform moves through Congress, from hearings on the subcommittee and committee levels right through floor debate, we urge Democratic leaders to make sure we have a fair and open legislative process that permits all arguments to get a full airing and all amendments to get a full vote. As I noted in letters to both Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid last month: "Let's not worry about who gets the credit. For America's sake, let's get the job done now!"


BOOSTING MEXICO'S ECONOMY TO LESSEN IMMIGRATION

Some of the best perspectives on the immigration issue come from Victor Davis Hanson, a nationally syndicated columnist, and a classicist and historian at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. His latest commentary focuses on the question, "How will illegal immigration end?" In it, he reminds us that while beefed up borders, deportation, etc. are interim steps we can take to deal with today's illegals, the pressures will always be there for poor Mexicans to come to the U.S. for a better life and a promising future. Hanson's answer to stem the flow is for the U.S. to get actively involved now in helping to change the dynamics of the Mexican economy to build a strong middle class in that country and to stop subsidizing Mexico's failure. He cites other countries' economic turnarounds, and notes that "In each of these cases, once poorer regions bordering far wealthier societies have - either by emulation, absorption or coercion - radically liberalized their economic systems. With jobs and capital almost as plentiful at home as abroad, few wish to leave."

The problem is that to bring Mexico's economy near enough to parity with our own in order to end the present mass migration may take centuries. In the meanwhile, we need to take measures that will halt the flow of illegal immigrants over our southern border and drastically reduce legal immigration not only from Mexico but from all other countries as well. Click on the link above for the full story.


POORLY PLANNED NEW JERSEY

Poor New Jersey, can it ever do anything right? The answer when it comes to planned growth is obviously a resounding "NO."

The New York Times printed a recent op-ed by George Hawkins, the Executive Director of New Jersey Future, a research group that monitors land use, which concluded that the Garden State's property tax system has vastly contributed to sprawl. Indeed, Hawkins notes that policies which encourage local officials to seek new development as a way to hold down property tax rates (already among the highest in the country)" has put New Jersey on track to becoming the first state to be completely ' built out ' " .

The tie-in to taxes is simple, Hawkins says, "Clearly, property taxes fail to pay for schools, so many towns in New Jersey have made the perfectly logical choice to favor the creation of business zones, essentially outlawing family housing. Commercial properties like shopping malls are preferred because they bolster the tax rolls while making fewer demands for services." Such policies have led to New Jersey families paying the highest housing costs in the nation, according to Hawkins.

The solution: Hawkins feels the state can reduce the competition between municipalities for schools and regional services with more state financing. Also, "redirecting growth to New Jersey's aging urban centers" would be a giant step forward.

Unfortunately, New Jersey's "smart growth"wizards are blindly skimming over the central problem. The problem is not a shortage of funds and services - it is an EXCESS OF PEOPLE. No matter how " smart " they intend to develop their land in order to increase the tax base, the number of residents in the state will continue to stress the available resources. New Jersey, and every other state, needs to develop a plan to stabilize its population and eventually return to numbers that are sustainable in the long run. As the most densely populated state in the nation, you would hope they would realize this! Click on the link above for the full story.


NO ESCAPE FROM POPULATION GROWTH

It wasn't much more than a decade ago when a number of people moved into Victor Valley in Southern California's Cajon Pass to escape urban sprawl and take up rural living in the high desert. However, today's uncontrolled population growth has a way of shattering many a dream - especially in the Golden State. And it doesn't help that a recent article in The Los Angeles Times - in highlighting the good life and "dirt cheap" real estate prices - probably only added to the problem.

With population increasing by more than 30% in the Victor Valley area since 2000, there still seems to be no stop to the amount of sprawl where 97,000 new homes have been built in the last seven years. Nearby in Summit Valley, the town of Hesperia will soon see 17,760 houses sprout on 11,000 acres - boosting population by 68%.

Growth may bring new jobs, but it also expands existing problems. As the Times notes: "Crime is up in Victorville"The Mojave aquifer is in severe overdraft because burgeoning communities suck water from the ground faster than nature replenishes it"Schools are bursting at their seams "

The article quotes Herb Morin, who heads up the Oak Hills Property Owners Association as saying: "The forces for development are so strong and growth is happening at such a rapid rate, it's hard to resist. It's so frustrating. The interests of developers shouldn't override the community at large."

NPG applauds those who are trying to protect their quality of life. Once again, the threats to this area stem from TOO MANY PEOPLE. Greedy developers will always follow the money - it is the nature of their business. But the soaring numbers of new residents can be reversed if our nation's leaders implemented policies to vastly reduce immigration levels, and ultimately reduce U.S. population. California is home to more illegal immigrants than any other state. Strict enforcement of immigration laws, and an overall reduction in legal immigration, would benefit the Victor Valley as well as the rest of California, and the entire nation! Click on the link above for the full story.


POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION NEWS NOTES

AMERICA NEEDS MORE CITIZENS LIKE THIS!

We were heartened here at NPG last week to receive the following email from one of our members:

"I read with dismay in The Wall Street Journal that Bank of America is
marketing credit cards to illegal immigrants. Accordingly, I am canceling
my accounts with Bank of America Investment Services. Perhaps you could
ask your members to cancel any accounts they may have with Bank of America."

That's the challenge members. It doesn't take too many citizens - especially customers -- speaking up against a misguided corporate policy to turn things around. Unfortunately, the old saying of "follow the money" applies here. Companies that can make big bucks off of a crisis will often toss their ethics aside. That doesn't mean law-abiding citizens have to condone their harmful actions by silently accepting them.

WHAT EXACTLY DOES "REGULARIZING" MEAN?

America's politicians have been dancing around the immigration issue for years and many fail to address it altogether. However, here at NPG we are very curious about the exact definition of "regularizing" illegal aliens that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has started to use in speaking on the topic. We call on the national press and all NPG members and friends to confront Mr. Giuliani to get a more detailed description of all that this new term means before he gets too far down the road to the Republican nomination for President. We also applaud Joseph Farrell of Alexandria, VA for putting this issue in context in a recent letter to the editor of The Washington Times wherein he states: "Politicians are prone to use euphemisms when they wish to sprinkle perfume on rotten fish." Well said!

WE NEED MORE CONGRESSMEN LIKE CHARLIE NORWOOD

Congressman Charlie Norwood of Georgia passed away last week and all Americans who believe in standing firm against the tide of illegal immigrants lost a good friend and advocate. In saluting his fine accomplishments in Congress during his 12 years of service, The Washington Times praised him as a man of principle and convictions and editorialized :...Mr. Norwood was often in the middle of the immigration debate and vociferously supported the House's security-first bill in 2005." They also noted that he summed up the debate for many when he said, "If you want to become an American, you must recognize that we are a nation of laws and agree to abide by those laws."


QUOTABLE

"Last month, President Bush signed off on a few dog-and-pony illegal immigrant employment raids. Whoop-de-doo. Politically expedient holiday gestures over, the White House is now back to work pushing its long-planned massive amnesty. The state of the borders, green card process and entrance system for visitors and tourists? Porous. Chaotic. Understaffed. And overwhelmed."
Michelle Malkin
Nationally syndicated columnist
January 24, 2007


"The U.S. Forest Service recognizes how dire it has become [loss of hunting grounds], noting that each day 6,000 acres of open space, forests and prize hunting grounds are lost. That's the equivalent of nearly 500 football fields disappearing under development sprawl during my commute to and from work. If these trends continue, we will lose 64 million acres of open space - more than eight times the size of Maryland - by 2020."

Craig W. Culp
Eastern Forests Program
The Wilderness Society


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 -- or have the potential to seriously impact our future. 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. As NPG celebrates its 35th Anniversary we 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.