Featured Stories

Standing In the Way of the Border Fence
Business Leaders Confused
Who's In Charge Here?


COMMENTARY: by NPG President Donald Mann

The old story about the elephant in the room that nobody will discuss fits perfectly with the issue of population growth.

For 35 years NPG has worked hard to focus Americans on the dangerous consequences of skyrocketing population and immigration. I feel we've done a superb job in doing the research necessary to keep the spotlight on this critical issue. And we've made tremendous progress educating the American public - especially the up-and-coming younger generations - about the fate we all face in an overpopulated nation.

However, even though the American public has seen the population problem growing worse all around them on a daily basis, it has been very easy to ignore it year after year.

Yet today, as our nation's roads become more congested, energy prices shoot up due to more demand for less oil, water crises develop across the nation and people see invaluable farmlands and wetlands destroyed by ever-encroaching development, it is finally dawning on more and more citizens that there truly is a limit to how many people our nation can sustain.

And with immigration a major hot button issue, it is time to ratchet up the national debate and put more pressure on our elected leaders to take action.

That is why NPG recently launched its brand new "Campaign for a National Population Policy." We will commit a great deal of time, energy and effort in 2008 working to line up legislative sponsors for this issue on Capitol Hill and work to gain widespread support for it among the American people.

The goal of this effort is to get Congress to create a brand new U.S. Commission on Population Growth that can better position our nation for a livable - rather than a disastrous - future.

We have a sound foundation for taking this initiative. Back in 1970, at a time when America's population had just surpassed the 200 million mark (it now stands at 303 million), Congress created the Commission on Population Growth and the American Future and asked John D. Rockefeller, III to chair it. Rockefeller tapped into some of the nation's top experts from all fields. This august group delved into the country's problems and future needs for two solid years. In 1972, it made 47 key recommendations and outlined a number of excellent policies for America to pursue that would bring us to a stable and sustainable population. Unfortunately, President Nixon tabled the recommendations and our nation missed a tremendous opportunity to correct a problem that has now grown even more out-of-control.

If nothing is done soon to advance a responsible population and immigration policy for our country, a child born today could live to see an America of 500 million - or even more - people. What a horrid legacy to leave to our children and grandchildren. A much smarter legacy would be to halt and reverse today's soaring population numbers.

In launching the Campaign for a National Population Policy, I'm excited about our potential to not only energize our tens of thousands of NPG members but also countless thousands of concerned Americans who know that it is finally time to act when it comes to keeping our nation from going down the wrong population path. As the familiar adage goes, "You can't plan for the future in the future - you have to start now."

As we begin to close out 2007 - and bring an end to NPG's 35th Anniversary Year I want to thank all who have worked with us to make this one of our most productive and active years ever. Here at NPG we never stop looking to the future and trying to make it better. That's our goal for 2008 - and beyond. I certainly hope each of you has a wonderful holiday season.


STANDING IN THE WAY OF THE BORDER FENCE

For years, the federal government has resisted the idea of building a border fence along a portion of the U.S.-Mexican border. But now, the order is "full-speed ahead."

A story in the Fort-Worth Star Telegram in Texas states that U.S. Senator John Cornyn expects letters to go out from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff "giving Texas landowners opposed to a border fence one last chance to allow access to their land before he takes court action against them."

A situation appears to have developed where some residents in the Rio Grande Valley won't let federal officials on their land. Even the Mayor of Brownsville, TX refused access to city property.

The article quotes John McClung, president of the Texas Produce Association, as saying, "Nothing makes a landowner more unhappy than the condemnation of land, the idea of being forced to turn land over to the government."

For some, the issue is access to the Rio Grande river, a freshwater source for irrigation and livestock. Others protest that the fence will split their property, leaving some of it behind the fence "in no man's land." Finally, some simply feel it is a "waste of taxpayer's money." The protest involves about 40 landowners. Some 258 landowners have given the government access to their property. Click on the link above for the full story.


BUSINESS LEADERS CONFUSED

Who takes charge when the federal government fails in its responsibility to enforce the law and Congress does nothing? That's a good question.

Across America, states and local governments are working to get a handle on the immigration problem and have left many business owners in a quandary.

An Associated Press story of December 7th, written by Suzanne Gamboa, notes that "Some 1600 state immigration-related bills have been introduced in the absence of federal legislation, leaving businesses confused by conflicting mandates and still without a reliable work force."

Leaders from the National Association of Home Builders, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Associated General Contractors, and others are complaining that a number of state laws, especially those broadly written to root out employers who are hiring undocumented workers, are having a negative effect on their ability to plan. Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, stated that "such laws are spreading like infectious diseases" state to state and locality to locality and "will do a great amount of destruction to the U.S. economy."

The business leaders attended an industry-wide forum also sponsored by the National Council of State Legislators. Click on the link above for the full story.

NPG notes that many of these groups are in the forefront of trying to get Congress to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants already here or create a very loosely structured guest worker program. Their goal is a constant flow of cheap labor. Rather than complaining about a number of state laws, they should put their energies into complying with the current federal laws already on the books and not hire undocumented workers or those with phony Social Security numbers.


WHO'S IN CHARGE HERE?

An Associated Press article that ran nationwide on December 8th relayed that Mexican President Felipe Calderon has "told Mexican consuls to the U.S. and Canada that they must work to 'neutralize' anti-immigrant attitudes north of the border."

He instructed them to "participate in the public debates on immigration by appearing at public events, talking more to the media and working with nonprofit groups to promote Mexican immigrants' role in supporting the U.S. economy."

Many U.S. groups, including NPG, fighting the increased flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico and working to enforce current immigration laws have been very critical of the increasing role Mexican government officials are taking in U.S. politics and this new move will only fan the flames of discord even more.

Calderon's instructions to his Consuls did not help as he complained about "the seeds of animosity, or in some cases even hate and discrimination, that are being planted not only against immigrants, but sometimes against Mexicans in general."

Here at NPG, we ask ourselves, " Why do we allow the President of Mexico to interfere with the U.S. government enforcing our own immigration laws?" NPG believes that the Mexican government should respect our border.


POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION NEWS NOTES

TRACKING FOREIGN STUDENTS

A long overdue and much needed piece of legislation was introduced in Congress last week when Rep. Gus Bilirakis, (R, FL) authored a bill that would permit tracking and thorough background checks on foreign students participating in the U.S. student visa program. The bill calls for colleges and universities to report to the government long absences and when students quit attending classes or transfer to other institutions of higher learning. The Washington Times quoted Mr. Bilirakis as stating, "Through stronger cooperation between the State Department and Homeland Security Department, the government can ensure that foreign students are here doing what they came here to do."

The tragedy of September 11, 2001 proved that gaining entry to the U.S. via student visas is a favored avenue of terrorists as it is for non-terrorists who simply want to get into the U.S. legally, never to go home again. For NPG, the question is, even if this well-intentioned bill makes it into law, will the Department of Homeland Security do anything to track down students and immediately deport students who fail to follow the rules?


DEBUNKING A MYTH

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is seeking to make it clear that they are not the bad guys.

Last month they launched the first of what they intend to be a series of forums across the nation making it clear to immigrants that they are here to help.

According to a story in The Washington Post on 11/10, the goal is to "spread the word that the agency...is distinct from its cousins, the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE."

The article quoted Greg Christian, director of the Vienna, VA office of USCIS as saying, "We don't want people to fear us...We want to debunk the myths of USCIS and help people understand that we're here to provide a service." The effort is aimed at creating a better image for the agency which is often viewed as a slow, overwhelmed bureaucracy that can create personal havoc for those who have to interact with it. The forums are aimed at people applying for permanent residency or citizenship, sponsoring relatives or adopting a child. They also hope to help guide individuals who seek certain applications and information online.

The Post quoted Christian as stating, "there is nothing stopping illegals" from attending and he made it clear that ICE officials will not raid the event. Christian noted, "That's also the reason we are holding it at a church, it connotes sanctuary."


IMMIGRANT POPULATION AT 37.9 MILLION

An analysis of Census Bureau data released by the Center for Immigration Studies on November 29th puts America's immigrant population at its highest number in 80 years. Called the "Current Population Study" (CPS) by Steven Camarota, CIS Director of Research, the data "shows that between 2000 and 2007, the immigrant population rose by 7.3 million or 1.04 million per year, and that one in three immigrants is an illegal."


IT JUST MAKES SENSE...

Congressman Tom Tancredo, who is basing much of his run for the presidency on the immigration issues, was the only Republican candidate to opt out of a Spanish-language debate hosted by Univision and the University of Miami this past weekend. Tancredo explained his absence by stating, "It is the law that to become a naturalized citizen of this country you must have knowledge and understanding of English, including the basic ability to read, write and speak the language...So what may I ask are our presidential candidates doing participating in a Spanish speaking debate? Pandering comes to mind." He continued, "My not being there is the strongest statement I can make on this issue."


NPG NOTES

CHECK THEIR RECORDS...AND CAST AN INFORMED VOTE

As the national media begins the countdown to when the first votes will be cast in the 2008 presidential elections it is important for everyone who considers immigration to be a key issue in this contest to stay on top of where the candidates stand and what they are saying.

Toward this end, we remind you that our colleagues at NumbersUSA are keeping a scorecard on both Republican and Democratic presidential hopefuls and we urge you to check it frequently. In a recent e-mail, NumbersUSA Executive Director Roy Beck noted that some presidential candidates are changing their positions on immigration and many are "moving in the right direction." Beck notes that their scorecard information is culled through visiting candidates' websites, listening to them in the debates, and going through volumes of material from candidates' interviews and speeches. We are very thankful that NumbersUSA staff has taken on this yeoman task. Nothing is more important than for all Americans to cast an informed vote - especially when it comes to choosing a new leader who has to be strong on the immigration issue! To access the candidate information visit www.numbersUSA.com


NPG PETITIONS SENT TO GOVERNORS IN CHESAPEAKE BAY WATERSHED

Hundreds of NPG members took the initiative to sign and return the "Citizens' Petitions" asking their individual Governors to join with other state leaders in creating a Commission on Chesapeake Bay Population Growth. The goal is to slow and eventually halt the rapid rush of people moving into certain parts of Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware that drain into the Chesapeake Bay. This is an area that is already fighting for its ecological future. The positive response from NPG members enabled us to prove to the Governors that getting ahead of the population problem before it causes much more damage has strong grassroots support.

In sending the Citizens' Petitions to the Governors, NPG President Donald Mann noted, "Certainly, the hundreds of millions of dollars of federal, state and local funds being invested today in helping to fight pollution in the Chesapeake Bay and control damaging run-off will only prove to be wasted money if millions more people are welcomed to settle in the area and exacerbate today's environmental problems."

NPG cited a recent federal report showing 170,000 people per year moving into the multi-state area. Much of the growth is in suburban areas of Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. However, many current small towns on the Eastern Shore of the Bay that have seen little or no growth for decades are bracing for a major influx of "boomer" retirees attracted by the pristine nature of the area and its close proximity to large cites. Accommodating such a huge number of people in the next few years means that farmland, forests and wetlands, that are essential to filtering damaging run-off before it gets to the Bay, must give way to new roads, homes, office buildings and strip malls.

NPG asked the Governors to use their executive powers to create the new Commission. Such action would avoid a legislative battle that would pit developers against environmentalists before the Commission even gets off the ground.


DEADLINE FOR NPG STUDENT POSTER CONTEST EXTENDED

"The mail must go through"... But perhaps not always on time.

Despite the fact that NPG initially gave teachers more than seven weeks to register by December 1st to participate in our first Student Poster Contest, a rush of entries right at the last minute and a report of letters still arriving in the teachers mailboxes only days before the deadline means we have extended the deadline for entering the contest until well after the holidays - until February 15, 2008. The new deadline gives many teachers who need authorization from administrators the opportunity to join in the contest which we hope will stimulate thousands of students to put their creative ideas to work on the topic of "Too Many People." Sizeable cash prizes will be divided between both the schools and their talented students at three different grade levels. The contest is open to all - including home-schooled students. Additional information about participating in the contest is available at www.npg.org.


QUOTABLE

Pandering of the worst kind?

" I just realized that yesterday"I voted 'aye' when I meant to vote 'nay' because, as a Democrat, I would never do anything that would inflict harm on my Hispanic brothers and sisters."

U.S. Congressman Gregory Meeks (D, NY)


"Hiring more border patrol agents, and adopting more high-tech gadgetry may impede the flow of immigration over the border, but 40 percent of illegal immigrants enter the country legally."

Washington Times editorial 11/12/07


"...the United States has increased imports of refined gasoline. From 1992 to 2004, the U.S. annual average of weekly gasoline imports more than doubled from 4.7 percent to 9.7 percent of gasoline used".The Energy Information Agency estimates energy use will rise 19.2 percent to 24.8 million barrels per days by 2020 while refinery capacity will rise only 9.4 percent. This means refining capacity will only be 100,000 barrels a day more in 2020 than it was in 1981."

H. Sterling Burnett
D. Sean Shurtleff
National Center for Policy Analysis


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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

We realize not all news stories covering population issues will reflect NPG policies and goals. One of our main purposes in creating the NPG Journal is to expose these items to a wider audience, and to draw attention to the fact that so many articles speak to immigration and population issues but often 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 umber 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 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 growt

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 environmen





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