Featured Stories

Bad News...U.S. Fertility Rate Hits 35-Year High
2007: A Dramatic Weather Year
New Water Pact for the West Fosters Growth


COMMENTARY: by NPG President Donald Mann

As we begin 2008, I want to thank all of our NPG friends and supporters for making 2007 one of our best year's ever. It is hard to believe we're entering our 36th year. However, when it comes to taking on the enormous challenges of population growth there is always more work to be done, especially when it comes to turning around the present thinking of so many of our elected leaders who are still stuck on the "growth is great" philosophy and who continue to ignore the catastrophic consequences of promoting policies that fuel population growth.

With the dawn of 2008, we are looking forward to a year of increasing activism for NPG in many areas. It is the support of citizen-activists across the nation that makes NPG so effective in keeping population and immigration issues front and center in classrooms, academic and community forums, and legislative chambers throughout the country.

While the 2008 elections will most likely keep the "hot button" issue of immigration from being debated in Congress, the issue will surely remain a torrid topic in state and local government. It is essential for all of us to continue our grassroots efforts to see to it that the pro-immigration forces make no headway in trying to gain new so-called "rights" for illegals. In addition, we must back strong policies that will severely restrict illegal immigrants access to jobs, education, health care and other social services. Our goal at all levels of government must be stronger enforcement of laws currently on the books that will make it harder for illegals to find refuge in our nation and to encourage illegal immigrants to return to their native country. If there is any good news to come out of the slowdown in home sales and new construction, it's that it has dried up many of the jobs that were enticing more border crossers.

It is not just illegal immigration that is contributing to our ever-escalating population. Our elected leaders must start to put realistic caps on legal immigration that must become very selective and very limited. All Americans must realize that we cannot continue to bring in millions of legal immigrants without paying a long term price economically, socially and environmentally. When you realize that as a nation we are getting nowhere when it comes to finding solutions to many of our biggest problems - health care, education and energy - it is truly ridiculous to compound these problems by adding millions of new immigrants to the mix.

And finally, the news that our nation's birthrate has hit a 35-year high point (see related article below) only adds to the dimensions of the population crisis we currently face.

That's what NPG's new "Campaign for a National Population Policy" is all about. In the same way that we plan our nation's future economy and protect our environment, we must also design responsible population policies. The 19th and early 20th century America of unlimited resources that welcomed our forefathers is a far different place in the 21st century. It will truly disappear for our grandchildren who face the potential of living in a nation of 450 to 500 million people competing for very limited resources. That is why we must act now to curb population growth.

Without question, America is at a population crossroads. Here at NPG, we're up to meeting the challenges of 2008 and are excited about taking our efforts up several notches in the next 12 months to help us meet our goals. We will work hard to dramatically increase our number of citizen-activists through our new Volunteer Network that reaches into communities across America and also direct renewed attention to our growing population crisis whenever and wherever we can.

Finally, 2008 is going to be a very interesting election year. Working together, millions of Americans made some terrific strides in 2007 when we raised our voices to stop a bunch of open-border politicians from getting their way. Now, we must all work extra hard to make sure that when the votes are counted in November we have a new President, a new Congress, and many more Governors and state legislators ready to seriously and responsibly address our nation's population and immigration problems.

If you have yet to renew your NPG membership this year, please act today to forward a check or credit card contribution. Remember, the gift you send to NPG today is an important investment in the future of our nation. Thank you.


BAD NEWS...U.S. FERTILITY RATE HITS 35-YEAR HIGH

The National Center for Health Statistics presented America with what NPG considers very disturbing and unwelcome news at year's end.

A Washington Post story by Rob Stein led off with the statement: "For the first time in 35 years, the U.S. fertility rate has climbed high enough to sustain a stable population, solidifying the nation's unique status among industrialized countries."

This is in opposition to NPG's goal to advocate for and bring forth policies that will permit our nation to reach a smaller, truly sustainable, population and not have a jump in the nation's fertility rate.

The Post story relates that "the overall fertility rate increased 2 percent between 2005 and 2006, nudging the average number of babies being born to each woman to 2.1. That marks the first time since 1971 that the rate has reached a crucial benchmark of population growth: the ability of each generation to replace itself."

The story quotes many individuals as to the cause and impact of the new numbers but gives only slight mention to what is the most likely cause - increased immigration, both legal and illegal, by Hispanics who have a fertility rate of 2.9, almost 40% higher than the U.S. average. Toward the end of the informational article, Stein does highlight the population implications in noting, "Whatever the cause, the fertility rate combined with increased immigration is likely to continue to fuel growth of the U.S. population," experts said. He went on to quote Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau as saying, "We have a lot of population momentum in this country because we have so many young people who themselves are going to soon be having 2.1 children. We're going to be growing for quite some time at a fairly fast pace." Click on the link above for the full story.


2007: A DRAMATIC WEATHER YEAR

No matter where you lived in 2007, you're sure to have a story of weather oddities that occurred during the past 12 months. A year-end story on AOL News took note of many of the irregular and strange weather events that occurred and noted that it all began in January.

According to statistics, "January [2007] was the warmest first month on record worldwide - 1.53 degrees above normal. It was the first time since [U.S.] record keeping began in 1880, that the globe's average temperature has been so far above the norm for any month of the year."

AOL noted that "As 2007 drew to a close, it was also shaping up to be the hottest year on record in the northern hemisphere." And it cited the fact that "England had the warmest April in 348 years of record-keeping."

These extremes, along with a host of noted "oddball" weather events are of course quickly tied to man-made global warming, despite the claim of some scientists that they all can't be classified as such. From noting the impact of the quickly melting ice in the Arctic, to the increasing drought in many parts of the U.S., to quirky weather patterns around the world, this article is a very interesting read. The article ends by noting that scientists from the World Meteorological Organization say "Get used to it. As man-made climate change continues, the world will experience more extreme weather."


NEW WATER PACT FOR THE WEST FOSTERS GROWTH

At some point in time - perhaps much sooner than they expect - people in the Western states are going to face a water crisis of unimaginable consequences. However, nobody is saying "whoa" when it comes to reining-in today's unchecked development.

A recent article in The New York Times by Randall Archibold reported on a recent pact among three states, California, Nevada and Arizona, that outlines how they will share the impact of future water shortages in the Colorado River. For NPG Journal readers who took the time to read the lengthy, yet very educational article from the 10/21/07 edition of The New York Times Sunday Magazine, this short article is a timely follow-up. Essentially, it sets forth how the three states, after two-and-a-half-years of negotiation, will divvy up the water if the current record eight-year drought gets worse. Without going into too much detail Archibold notes how "some environmental groups said the pact did not go far enough to encourage conservation and discourage growth." However, he does quote John Weisheit, conservation director for Living Rivers, a Utah-based environmental group as stating that "the agreement sends the message to the states that growth trumps sensible water management" and that "the government computer modeling was overly optimistic about future water supply." Weisheit has the final statement in the article when he asserts, "There is more water on paper than there actually is on the landscape. They are looking at this in a way that will allow more development even though the water is not theoretically there."

NPG has focused on the ever-increasing population growth in the Southwest for a number of years as a perfect example of where we definitely need policies designed to halt, and eventually reverse, our current population numbers. Building blindly and hoping for water that may not be there for people, farmers and industry, is surely irresponsible. Click on the link above for the full story.


POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION NEWS NOTES

NEW YEAR'S POPULATION NUMBERS

The Census Bureau issued a press release at the end of 2007 that projected the January 1, 2008 population to be 303,146,284 - up 2,842,103 or 0.9 percent from New Year's Day 2007.

According to the Bureau, the U.S. is expected to register one birth every eight seconds and one death every eleven seconds. Meanwhile, net migration is expected to add one person every 30 seconds. The result is an increase in U.S. population of one person every 13 seconds.


NEVADA RECLAIMS TITLE AS FASTEST GROWING STATE

Arizona held the title for the greatest population increase by percentage from July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006. But the unfortunate honor (from NPG's perspective) of the "fastest-growing state" from July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2007 reverted back to Nevada which held the ominous title for 19 years in a row. The new numbers put Nevada's estimated population at 2.6 million (its 2000 population was just under 2.0 million) and growing at a rate of 2.9 percent. Arizona came in second this time around round with an estimated population of 6.3 million (its 2000 population was 5.1 million) and growing at a rate of 2.8 percent.

Other notable numbers reflected in the year end report include:

Michigan and Rhode Island were the only states that lost population. Ohio's population numbers were virtually flat. Texas gained more people than any other state last year - a shocking 500,000! California picked up more than 300,000 new people. Louisiana picked up 50,000 residents but is still far from replacing the 250,000 that left the state after Hurricane Katrina. Florida's population growth slowed to 1.1 percent to an estimated 18.3 million people -- down from a growth rate of 1.8 percent the previous year.

EVER GROWING NUMBERS OF NEW CITIZENS...

In the fiscal year that ended in September, some 1.4 million citizenship naturalization applications were filed, compared to 740,000 in 2006. Such numbers should be a wake up call to all who do not understand that our nation simply cannot afford such rapid growth! Once these new citizens are certified they can then begin the process to bring in their extended families -- which multiplies their numbers several fold. This massive number of applications is sure to overwhelm the Department of Homeland Security and lead to many background checks being short-circuited.


THE TRUNCATED BORDER FENCE

The giant spending bill that Congress passed and President Bush signed in the closing days of December permits the Department of Homeland Security to build a single-tier fence rather than the two-tier version that was so highly touted in earlier debates in Congress throughout 2007 and which has worked so well in California. House Republican leader John Boehner blasted the last-minute revision for funding the full scale fence by stating, "The fact that this was buried in a bloated 3,500 page omnibus [bill] speaks volumes about the Democrats' unserious approach on border security and illegal immigration. Gutting the Secure Fence Act will make our borders less secure..."

The 2006 Secure Fence Act which had widespread support when it passed Congress specifically called for "two layers of reinforced fencing" and detailed five locations along the border where it is very needed and should be installed. The new spending bill removes the two-tier requirement and does away with the list of set locations.


NPG NOTES

FINALLY PUTTING THE BLAME WHERE IT BELONGS ...ON GROWTH!

It's always a plus to get more and more people thinking about population growth. Indeed, that was the goal when NPG launched our recent campaign to spotlight population problems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

That is why we were pleased to see the Washington Post start the new year with a major editorial titled "Dirty Water" on 1/2/08, that encouraged more action and cooperation between state governments when it comes to the Bay's future.

The Post hit home by stating, "The explosion of development deserves much of the blame."

They went on to reveal that: "...a report from Patuxent Riverkeeper, [Patuxent 20/20] notes that there has been a 136 percent jump in population in that river's watershed between 1970 and 2000, with an additional 22 percent increase expected by 2020. Meanwhile, environmentalists point out that the population in the Chesapeake Bay's 14,700-square-mile watershed has more than doubled to 16.7 million people, since 1959. In 2020, it's estimated that the number will climb 20 percent further. Sure, agricultural waste from farms and pollutants from industrial facilities play a big part in fouling the waters of the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. But, with all those people come buildings, roads and large amounts of unfiltered pollutants that are damaging to the waterways."

As the Post editorial writers note, efforts to clean up the bay "will take time." NPG will continue to stay on top of this important issue with a hopeful expectation that our quest to create a Commission on Chesapeake Bay Population Growth, combined with those of many other leading organizations, will see some positive results in the near future.


QUOTABLE

"Illegal immigration is the biggest threat to taxpayers in America."

Mayor Jim Hubbard
Claude, TX
--In responding to NPG Elected Leaders Survey


"This is the most volatile issue I have measured since busing in 1972. It's not like abortion or gay rights, which may touch some people or offend the moral values of some. This is something that affects everyone."

Noted Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart
-- Speaking about immigration and the 2008 elections.


"This is another bill that is not what it seemed, purportedly a humanitarian gesture appealing to kind-hearted Americans, who were told that the estimated numbers of eligible beneficiaries were much fewer than their actual number. Neither were they told that every legalization of illegals, young people or adults, brings with it the hidden population escalation when the chain of eligible relatives of the amnestied are counted."

Diana Hull, President
Californians for Population Stabilization
-- Speaking about the "Dream Act" defeated in Congress last year.


"The changing attitudes among illegals prove what rational Americans have been saying for years: enforcement works. Illegal immigrants will self-deport over time if we remove job and social service magnets and enforce existing laws. Our local and state governments are carrying the burden for now but the federal government needs to follow up if we are to prevent another massive invasion when the economy picks up again.

We don't need comprehensive reform, we need to enforce the laws. It is clearly working."

Peter Smith, Falls Church, Virginia
Letter to the Editor Washington Post


"New immigration and the political reaction against it are nearly as old as the United States itself. Yet the immigration surge of the last decade has awakened tensions of unexpected intensity that have pervaded the presidential campaigns of both parties and stirred voter anger."

Julia Preston
New York Times 12/30/07
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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 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





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