COMMENTARY: by NPG President Donald Mann

            “It’s all about jobs and the economy.”
            That’s the mantra that surrounds any and all discussions about the forthcoming 2012 presidential campaign and it reaffirms something political observers have known for decades – Americans vote with their wallets.
            That being the case, the effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the newly-introduced H.R. 2164, The Legal Workforce Act, has a decent chance of success especially following the U.S. Supreme Court affirming the Arizona E-Verify law last month.
            H.R. 2164 mandates U.S. employer participation in the E-Verify program which electronically verifies whether newly-hired employees are legally authorized to work in our country.  Specifically, the Social Security numbers of new hires are checked against Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security records in order to detect the use of fraudulent numbers. 
            NPG is 100% behind getting this legislation enacted as soon as possible (see related story below regarding our priority legislation for the 112th Congress) because the sooner we can crack down on illegal workers, the sooner we can hopefully reduce the flow of illegal immigrants (intent on getting a job in America’s underground economy) pouring across our borders.
            Our excitement about this legislation becoming a reality is based on the fact that its primary sponsor is Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX), the House Judiciary Committee Chairman who has made it clear that he would like to see H.R. 2164 move through Congress in a timely manner.
            In introducing his bill, Chairman Smith stated:

“With unemployment at 9%, jobs are scarce.  Despite record unemployment, seven million people work in the U.S. illegally.  These jobs should go to legal workers.

E-Verify is a successful program to help ensure that jobs are reserved for citizens and legal workers.  The ‘E’ in E-Verify could just as well stand for ‘easy’ and ‘effective.’  It takes just a few minutes to use and easily confirms 99.5% of work-eligible employees.  There is no other legislation that can be enacted that will create more jobs for American workers.”

            Within days of Congressman Smith introducing this legislation it had already garnered 24 co-sponsors.  That number will surely increase as other Congressmen recognize the benefit of backing a bill which is a win-win when it comes to jobs.
            Perhaps the only drawback in this legislation is that it will not go into full effect immediately upon passage.  H.R. 2164 phases in mandatory E-Verify participation for new hires in six-month increments beginning on the date of enactment.  Businesses with more than 10,000 workers are required to use E-Verify within six months of enactment.  Within 12 months, the rules will cover businesses having 500 to 9,999 employees.  After 2 years from enactment, all U.S. businesses must
use it.
            When you realize that our nation has struggled with the problem of illegal workers using false Social Security numbers for years now – creating personal havoc for those Americans whose numbers were stolen – it is truly unfortunate that it has taken so long for Congress to finally get around to mandating E-Verify.  The program was first created as a pilot program in 1996 – 15 years ago!  It was extended in 2002, 2008 and 2010.  Thankfully, Arizona’s impetus to force mandatory E-verify on that state’s employers (and the blessing by the U.S. Supreme Court) triggered the need to resolve this issue nationally, rather than through a hodge-podge of 50 state laws.
            True to form, it has taken a fiscal crisis, a growing anger among Americans seeing illegal aliens still capturing jobs that should go to our nation’s unemployed workers, and an upcoming election focused on jobs, jobs, jobs – to force Congress to act. 
            However, better late than never!  Let’s work together in the coming months to make this legislation one of our nation’s newest laws.       

 

TAKING EXCEPTION

            As the Arizona E-Verify decision by the U.S. Supreme Court brought the E-Verify program to national attention in recent months, much has been written in support of making this a mandatory national policy.
            One particularly good article was written by Ross Douthat of The New York Times which praised E-Verify as a “model for nationwide reform.”
            Mr. Douthat made a solid case for backing E-Verify and enforcing immigration laws and concluded: “Maybe public policy can make a difference after all.  Maybe we could have an immigration system that looked as if it were designed on purpose, not embraced in a fit of absence of mind.”   That’s an argument NPG has been making for years.
            However, Mr. Douthat goes a bit too far when he states:  “With increased enforcement…the United States could welcome as many immigrants as we do today.”
            That is a concept that must be dismissed before it takes root as it is totally counterproductive to getting America’s population growth under control in the long term.  Concurrent with our war to rein in illegal immigration must be a focused national effort to severely limit our legal immigration.  With an estimated one million legal immigrants per year we are already welcoming too many people to our shores who are going to fuel the skyrocketing population growth that is projected to result in more than 430 million people here in the U.S. by 2050 causing further disastrous social, economic and environmental crises.

 

GLOBAL WARMING AND FOOD

            It is quite often easy to ignore a growing problem until it becomes a full-blown crisis.  We’re not to that point yet when it comes to feeding our global population but various political, economic and climate factors have brought new attention to this always-volatile issue.
            A well-researched tale of all that is at stake when it comes to world food production in the coming decades was recently condensed into a recent New York Times Sunday Magazine story entitled “A Warming Planet Struggles to Feed Itself,” authored by reporter Justin Gillis.
            Gillis launches into his report with the direct statement:  “the great agricultural system that feeds the human race is in trouble.”
            He notes:  “The rapid growth in farm output that defined the late 20th century has slowed to the point that it is failing to keep up with the demand for food, driven by population increases and rising affluence in once-poor countries.”
            Highlighting the fact that rising price jumps for food has fueled the anger that has played a role in recent Arab uprisings, Gillis identifies climate change as a major factor in destabilizing the world’s food system.  He notes that it is a challenge which has “rattled many leading scientists” and he followed through on his research by reaching out to more than 50 agricultural experts worldwide.
            In essence, unpredictable climate is creating much chaos in world food production and there is no perfect system for long-range planning for agriculture in a world where erratic weather can change the dynamics of certain crop yields virtually overnight.  The unpredictable change in food prices only contributes to the problem.  In short, the global food challenges are enormous.
            Gillis concludes his article by noting:  “The United Nations recently projected that global population would hit 10 billion by the end of the century, 3 billion more than today.  Coupled with the demand for diets richer in protein, the projections mean that food production may need to double by later in the century.”
            To read the full article click here

 

MARYLAND PETITION MAY PUT IN-STATE TUITION ON STATE BALLOT

            Ah, the power of the people – and the Internet. 
            Today’s fast-paced networking technology has proven key to efforts by Maryland citizens who are seeking repeal of the recently-passed legislation granting in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants.
            Opponents of the measure had until June 30 to turn in petitions with 56,000 signatures to stall immediate enactment of the law and send it to a statewide ballot in November 2012.  It presently looks as if they will greatly exceed that number by as many as 50,000 additional signatures.  The push to get the voters to have the final say on the measure was not given the best chances for success last April when the legislation passed and was signed into law by Governor Martin O’Malley.  However, perseverance – and frustrated Republican state legislator Delegate Neil C. Parrott, using his knowledge of the Internet – has paid off handsomely.
            According to The Washington Post, earlier this year:  “Parrott paid about $2,500 of his own money to build a tool that has eliminated many clerical errors that routinely doom signature-gathering drives in Maryland.  Because signatures can be rejected if they do not match voter rolls, the online tool prints out a Maryland voter’s name and information exactly as it is listed in registration records.  A voter only needs to sign the petition as printed and mail it to the campaign.”
            The Post noted that:  “more than a third of the 47,288 signatures validated for the referendum [thus far] have come from the online tool, according to the State Board of Elections.”
            Will the voters of Maryland agree with their state legislators and endorse in-state college tuition that could cost the state $40,000 per illegal immigrant student for a four-year degree?  We may have to wait until the people’s vote is counted.  NPG hopes the voters of Maryland will speak out and defeat granting in-state tuition breaks to illegal immigrants.

 

61% OF AMERICANS OPPOSE GRANTING BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP TO ILLEGAL ALIENS

            The latest public opinion poll released on June 25, 2011, by the respected pollster Rasmussen Reports concludes that “61% of Americans oppose the granting of citizenship to the American-born children of illegal aliens.”
            According to a press release issued by Congressman Steve King (R-IA) who is the principle sponsor of H.R. 140, The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, this 61% figure is “the highest figure recorded in the last five years” on this critical question.
            In reacting to the poll numbers, Congressman King stated:  “The current practice of granting birthright citizenship to the children of illegal aliens is not mandated by the U.S. Constitution.  It is based on a misapplication of the 14th Amendment that needs to be addressed by Congress…It is important that Congress close the birthright citizenship loophole, and this high level of support makes it much more likely that Congress will.”
            H.R. 140 currently has 73 House co-sponsors.

 

POPULATION AND FLOODS

            Hardly a week has gone by lately where the headlines did not carry a story about an area of the country hard hit by this year’s record floods.  A June 1 posting in The New York Times titled “A New Flood, Some Old Truths” recognized the tie-in between floods and population growth in stating:
            “The thousands of people forced to abandon their homes in recent weeks to floodwaters are victims not just of nature but of human error as well.  Years of mismanagement of the vast Mississippi River ecosystem – the relentless and often inadvisable construction of levees and navigation channels, the paving over of wetlands, and the commercial development of flood plains – have made the damage worse than it might otherwise have been.”

 

THE SLOW PACE OF DEPORTATION

            Any citizen who reads or hears that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are making mass arrests in rounding up illegal immigrants is probably quite heartened by the news.  But the question remains:  Are we making any progress?
            The answer to that question can perhaps best be addressed by the following verbatim news account from a Fox News story of 6/21/11 by Judson Berger:
            “The Obama administration announced Tuesday that federal agents swept up 2,400 illegal immigrants in a nationwide raid last month, starting what will likely be a months-long process of figuring out what to do with them.
            The sweep, the product of a seven-day enforcement operation called ‘Cross Check,’ was described as the largest of its kind.
            Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, in coordination with other federal agencies and local officials, tracked down illegal immigrant criminals in all 50 states and are now housing them in ICE jails across the country.
            For some detainees, the next step will be a one-way flight to their home country.  For others, the process could take much longer.
            The illegal immigrants arrested in the sweep last month were divided into three basic categories:  fugitives who had outstanding deportation orders against them, those who already had been deported and illegally re-entered the U.S., and at-large convicted criminals.
            Those in the first two categories will once again be slated for deportation, though those in the second category could also face prosecution in the U.S. for the crime of illegal re-entry.  The timing of their deportation would vary, depending on factors like travel documents, the availability of flights and whether their home countries will take them.
            But those in the third category will be placed into removal “proceedings” before a federal immigration judge.  That judge then has the discretion to order them deported or grant some form of relief to remain in the U.S.
            ‘They’re afforded due process,’ a federal immigration official said.
            And that process can take a while.  According to a report last fall by the Transactional Record Access Clearinghouse, it took an average of 280 days for the immigration courts to act on cases in fiscal 2010, the last year for which data was available.
            ICE could not provide a breakdown of what’s happened to the 2,064 convicted criminals and fugitives swept up in prior Cross Check arrests.  However, the agency reported that more than 122,000 criminal aliens have been removed from the country since Oct. 1.”
            In commenting on this story, Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors in Virginia and a harsh critic of ICE, stated that the arrests being made were just a “drop in the bucket.”  Considering that 122,000 criminal aliens represent only 1% of the estimated 11-12 million illegals now in our country, NPG has to agree with that assessment.

 

CIS’ SCATHING REPORT ON AMERICA’S IMMIGRTION COURTS

            A perfect complement to the above story can be found in a newly-released “Backgrounder” by our friends at the Center for Immigration Studies.
            The author is Mark Metcalf, who served as a former judge on the immigration court in Miami, FL and also held several posts in the Justice and Defense Departments in the administration of President George W. Bush.
            Metcalf’s extensive report is titled Built to Fail: Deception and Disorder in America’s Immigration Courts and is a “must read” for citizens who cannot understand how America’s courts seem to feed, rather than solve, our immigration problems.
            Among the 19 bulleted facts that Metcalf uses to launch his indictment of immigration courts are these:

• Very few aliens who file lawsuits to remain in the United States are deported, even though immigration courts – after years of litigation – order them removed.
• Deportation orders are rarely enforced, even against aliens who skip court or ignore orders to leave the U.S.
• From 1996 through 2009, the U.S. allowed 1.9 million aliens to remain free before trial and 770,000 of them – 40 percent of the total – vanished.
• For years, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has grossly understated the number of aliens who evade court.  In 2005 and 2006, DoJ said 39 percent of aliens missed court.  Actually, 59 percent of aliens – aliens remaining free before trial – never showed.
• Immigration judges cannot enforce their own orders.  Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials may order alien offenders arrested and deported.  Immigration judges – the system’s sole judicial officers – have no such authority.  Judges seldom know if their orders are enforced.
• U.S. immigration courts rule in favor of aliens 60 percent of the time.

Metcalf’s full Backgrounder is available to read at www.cis.org

 

50% OF TEXAS IN “EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT”

            It’s not common for Texans to pray for a heavy storm but they sure could use one these days to relieve the worst drought in that state’s history in more than 50 years.
            As of mid-June nearly 50 percent of the state is desperate for water.  Corn, milo and cotton crops – along with hay production for cattle – are taking a severe hit in many counties.
            Last week, the U.S. Drought Monitor Center outlook maps showed some improvement for a major part of the state from now until August 31.  However, according to the Reporter News from Abilene County:  “…meteorologists follow up by saying that while the odds at least nominally favor some degree of improvement, there is nothing pointing toward anything broad-scale and substantial.”  The News also noted that:  “A few weeks ago, rains greened up pastures in East Texas, but hot days of 100-plus degrees have sapped the moisture again to keep the region in a drought.”
            What’s the solution?  The Reporter News quotes R. Tinker, with the Climate Prediction Center as saying:  “What we need is rain from a hurricane coming ashore on the Baja in California.  Those storms have brought relieving moisture to New Mexico and Texas before.”
            NPG has consistently maintained that sustained drought is one of the greatest threats to our nation as we continue to add tens of millions of people to key areas of the country – especially in America’s West and South – who will compete for ever-limited natural resources.

 

A NEW AMNESTY BILL

            Keeping up their determination to cater to the whims of the open-border lobby, the Democrats in the U.S. Senate are once again starting to rally around S. 1268, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011, which is a catch-all bill rich with provisions to provide amnesty to millions of illegal aliens presently in the United States. This multi-faceted legislation includes language from the DREAM Act which failed in Congress last year as well as the AgJobs bill.  It has little chance of passage in its present form.  NPG will continue to work to educate our members and defeat this horrible legislation.

 

OH! TO LIVE IN AMERICA

            A new Gallup worldwide survey was released last week and while many Americans are grumbling about the deficiencies of living in the grand old U.S.A., the statistics show that many people around the world would gladly change places with them.
            According to a report issued by the Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF), the Gallup survey “asked over 400,000 adults in 146 countries representing 93% of the world’s population whether they would like to migrate to another country and, if so, to which nation they would most like to relocate.  Approximately 14% of respondents affirmed that they would like to leave their nation of origin, which translates to some 630 million people worldwide.”
            As CFIF reports, the choice for the top destination “wasn’t even close.”
            The tally showed that “23% of potential migrants – about 145 million adults worldwide – named the U.S. as their desired future residence.”
            Canada and the U.K. came in second and third as the choice for approximately 7% each.

 

NPG NOTES

NPG PUSHES FOR PRIORITY LEGISLATION IN THE 112TH CONGRESS

            After years of Americans being told that the only way to address immigration reform is through a massive comprehensive bill that must decide the issue of amnesty/citizenship for illegals, NPG applauds the efforts by a number of leaders in Congress who are now aggressively pushing individual bills that will correct serious flaws in our present immigration system.
            To help put the national spotlight on these “must pass” bills, NPG is dedicating our media ads in the coming months to educating the American public as to how addressing the critical issues of anchor babies, chain migration, the visa lottery and the E-Verify program will have a huge impact on cutting back future population growth.
            In addition, we are investing heavily in a nationwide grassroots campaign to alert both NPG members and like-minded citizens to the details of the bills we would like to see addressed and passed by the 112th Congress.  We are urging them to sign petitions that will prove to their Members of Congress that, with our nation up against the wall financially, there is a growing groundswell of support for immigration reform measures.
            The four bills pending in the U.S. House of Representative that are at the heart of our efforts include:
            H.R. 140 – Birthright Citizenship Act (Anchor Babies)
            H.R. 692 – Nuclear Family Priority Act (Chain Migration)
            H.R. 704 – SAFE for America Act (Visa Lottery)
            H.R. 2164 – Legal Workforce Act (Mandatory E-Verify)
            Information on these bills can be found on our website at www.npg.org.
            We urge all NPG members and supporters to contact their Congressman and ask them to support – and hopefully co-sponsor – any or all of these bills.  Hopefully, a strong lobbying effort by Americans who are committed to responsible and realistic immigration reform will enable us to finally make progress in this battle.

 

QUOTES

            “The present policy of immigration for the sake of immigration has nothing conservative or popular about it.  It survives on autopilot because the mainstream media cannot take the time to understand it, because the least innovative segments of the business community profit from it, and because liberals cannot resist the opportunity to call someone else a racist.”

                               William W. Chip
                               International Lawyer
                               Washington, D.C.

 

            “There is something fundamentally wrong with a legal system that allows any affluent organization to immediately halt efforts of state governments to deal with their illegal immigration problem; encumbering those laws in years’ worth of frivolous legal proceedings.”

                               Daniel Howowitz
                               Red State Website

 

            “Before now, we’ve had a tacit agreement between big business and big government to leave the immigration issue unresolved.  After all, illegal labor has acted as a subsidy to business and consumers of the cheap labor.  But that arrangement seems to be cracking, and that’s a good thing.  The American people want their borders defended and their rights protected by the Government that they, the citizens, have elected.  This is especially true in a recession when Americans are facing unprecedented unemployment, debt and declining living standards.”

                               Armstrong Williams
                               National Columnist

 

WHY THE NPG JOURNAL?

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            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 number 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 and its negative impacts on our environment, resources and quality of life.

            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 programs.  NPG’s activities 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 to us the e-mail address of friends you think would like to receive a complimentary copy of the NPG Journal on a monthly 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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