COMMENTARY: by NPG President Donald Mann

            It’s not a happy time in America.
            Following weeks of debate where it was impossible for the average citizen to ignore the arguments about our nation’s looming financial crisis, Standard & Poor’s decided to deliver a blow to our nation’s credit worthiness by downgrading our AAA credit rating for the first time in history.
            S&P’s actions are going to be costly to all Americans across the board.
            Yet, it can be strongly argued that S&P may have done America a favor by finally confronting the harsh reality of America’s looming fiscal crisis.  In essence, S&P took a giant club to the head of our nation’s policymakers to get them to act now to make the tough economic decisions about debt and overspending that America desperately needs to prevent our nation from suffering huge consequences in the future.
            As this entire scenario played out in recent weeks, I could not help but see the parallels of the debate on our nation’s ever-expanding debt with those we have seen for decades about America’s out-of-control population growth. 
            As Members of Congress and the talking heads on TV described today’s financial plight they used words and phrases that echo those often used in the population and immigration debate:  “reckless policymaking,” “ignoring the numbers,” “an ever-deteriorating situation,” “a dire crisis in the making,” “tough times ahead” and of course, “this problem has been clear to our nation’s leaders for some time.”
            Throughout the financial debate we’ve heard plenty about the spiraling costs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and the demographics of a very demanding “boomer” population, all of which will play havoc with America’s finances for decades to come.  However, we didn’t hear much about how our nation – faced with today’s slower growth – is going to pay for the tens of millions of additional people it will be forced to absorb in the coming years.  We saw a lot of cost estimates about projected Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and future debt stretched out to the year 2025, but I didn’t hear much talk about the additional 45-50 million people that will be competing for those ever-scarce dollars.
            In his recent NPG Forum Paper, The Apocalypse Is On Schedule, (March 2011), Lindsey Grant reminds us that:  “…capitalism has been the most effective system in history for generating growth” but warns against putting too much faith in its “invincibility.”  He notes that:  “The irony is that John Maynard Keynes, the economist who nearly a century ago described the fiscal mechanism to promote an unending cycle of growth, himself recognized that it could not go on forever.”
            Through the years, NPG has consistently focused on the social, economic and environmental impact of population growth and out-of-control immigration.  It is not difficult to get people to understand how limited energy resources, scarce water, paved-over farmland, destroyed wetlands and other deteriorating factors will radically change the quality of life for future generations.  Concerned citizens can also grasp how America is going to see huge social changes brought forth by the uncontrolled influx of new immigrants.  
            Now, as our nation’s future fiscal instability comes to the forefront of national debate, it gives new ammunition to those of us who argue for our elected leaders to confront the critical need to slow, halt, and eventually reverse immigration-driven population growth.  More and more people will only exacerbate our nation’s fiscal problems.
            As noted above, the debt problem has been clear to our nation’s leaders for some time but they have consistently opted to look the other way and “feed the deficit beast.”  It finally took intense pressure from the American people to get Congress and the White House to address this crisis.  Our nation’s leaders are similarly ignoring our skyrocketing, unsustainable population numbers.  When Congress finally turns its attention to other issues, we must make sure they forcefully confront and put an end to the Obama Administration’s free-wheeling immigration decisions which are sure to have huge consequences for both America’s future population growth and fiscal stability.
            As NPG prepares to celebrate our 40th Anniversary next year we must all recommit to directing the attention of our nation’s leaders to find responsible solutions to the crisis of “too many people.”  It’s becoming more and more clear that we simply won’t be able to afford them!

 

AMERICA’S DISAPPEARING RURAL AREAS

            As more information is gleaned from the 2010 U.S. Census, one bit of data stands out for those of us concerned with America’s population growth – our nation is abandoning its rural areas at an alarming pace.
            According to a late July article by Hope Yen for the Associated Press, only 16 percent of the nation’s population can be classified as living in “rural America.”
            Yen writes:  “The latest 2010 census numbers hint at an emerging America where, by midcentury, city boundaries become indistinct and rural areas grow ever less relevant.  Many communities could shrink to virtual ghost towns as they shutter businesses and close down schools, demographers say.”
            The AP article highlights the fact that as many metro areas grow into “megalopolises,” there are large areas of the country – especially in the Great Plains, Appalachia, and in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and North Texas, that are positioned to continue to lose population.
            Yen quotes Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau in Washington, D.C. as saying:  “Some of the most isolated rural areas face a major uphill battle, with a broad area of the country emptying out.  Many rural areas can’t attract workers because there aren’t any jobs, and businesses won’t relocate there because there aren’t enough qualified workers.  So they are caught in a downward spiral.”
            In addition to the lack of jobs, Yen notes that young people leaving certain areas, combined with airlines cancelling service to smaller airports, and rural towns desperate for funds from state and federal governments that are cutting back, are all contributing factors to the decline of rural areas.
            Our nation’s move away from rural areas began after World War I and accelerated rapidly.  Yen cites statistics that state:  “In 1910, the population share of rural America was 72 percent.  Such areas remained home to a majority of Americans until 1950, amid post-World War II economic expansion and the baby boom.”  To read the entire story go to Associated Press

 

THE POLITICS OF WATER BANKS

            Water – and the right to it – rarely becomes a hot topic in any area until it starts to run short or is threatened by greed, environmental factors or political decision-making.  For many citizens in the U.S., water issues only pop up following a long drought.  However, in many areas of the western U.S. where population growth is placing ever-increasing demands on the water supply, the debate about access to this precious resource has created ongoing turmoil as cities, businesses, ranches, and citizens vie for unpredictable supplies of water.
            A recent article in The New York Times by Felicity Barringer reviews the current fracas about “water banking” which is presently playing out in Bakersfield, California and the surrounding area of Kern County which, according to Barringer, “is located in a natural desert where rainfall averages 5.7 inches annually.”
            With a population that has increased by 26 percent in the last decade and water necessary to sustain key agricultural crops of carrots, citrus, pomengranates and pistachios, the viability of water banks is being challenged in the state courts.
            The Times article describes water banks as “a system in which water-rights holders – mostly in the rural West – store water in underground reservoirs either for their own future use or for leasing to fast-growing urban areas.”
            The story goes on to outline how some citizens have joined with a local water utility and “have gone to court to challenge the wealthy farming interests that dominate two of the country’s largest water banks.”  It also focuses on additional lawsuits tied to future access to water.
            To many individuals, water is a God-given right that should not be “owned” or totally controlled by one faction.  Felicity Barringer’s short article is an informative read for all who want a glimpse of the future. 
            NPG has long held that population growth in semi-arid areas is one of the greatest dangers our nation faces in future decades as it is sure to cause major social, environmental and economic disruptions.  Responsible population planning must begin now to stave-off future crises and if need be, population limitations must be imposed on these areas.   To read the full article, click here

 

TAX DOLLARS FOR LaRAZA

            Former Congressman Tom Tancredo took up the issue of illegal immigration when he represented Colorado in Washington, D.C. from 1999 to 2009.  He won national recognition for highlighting the serious problems of America’s open borders and he has continued to serve as a strong advocate for reforming our nation’s broken immigration laws.
            Today, in his position as co-chairman of Team America PAC and president of the Rocky Mountain Foundation, Tancredo continues to reveal major problems with present government policies related to immigration.  A column he recently authored focused on the National Council of LaRaza, a major Hispanic group that is being courted heavily by the Obama re-election campaign.  Tancredo cited figures from a recent Judicial Watch study which exposed how America’s taxpayers are supporting one of the largest national groups driving the pro-amnesty debate.
            He wrote:  “While our nation is going broke, the National Council of LaRaza is doing just fine.  Since Obama and Munoz [former LaRaza vice President who now serves as White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and his public liaison to Hispanics] took up the White House, they have seen their [taxpayer] funding skyrocket, nearly tripling from 4.5 to 11 million dollars in 2010.  Judicial Watch also found out that the LaRaza affiliate, Chicanos por la Causa, received over 18 million tax dollars.  That group was the primary plaintiff against Arizona’s law against illegal employers.
            And it is not as if LaRaza is lacking funds.  Between their various sister organizations, they have over 200 million dollars in assets, much of it paid for by corporate America, and Chicanos por la Causa have nearly 100 million dollars.
            Although some of LaRaza’s government funding was earmarked by Congress, virtually all of it was doled out by the Obama Administration.  Sixty percent of LaRaza’s take came from the Department of Labor run by Hilda Solis.  They lobbied hard for her appointment and honored her with an award.  She paid them back with millions of our tax dollars.” 
            Tancredo concluded:  “While 11 million dollars is a tiny fraction of our trillion dollar a year deficit, funding this pro-amnesty propaganda outfit is not truly important.”

 

WHO’S GOING TO SHOW UP AT SCHOOL?

            The new school year is getting ready to start in many of the southern states and in Georgia a major question looms in school districts all across the state:  How many kids are going to show up?
            The uncertainty is triggered by Georgia’s new illegal immigration laws which have led to many illegal immigrants making the decision to move to different states – or for some, to simply return to their home countries.  
            Georgia’s “get-tough” immigration laws, similar to those enacted in Arizona, were approved by the legislature earlier this year and were driven by the fact that illegal immigrants were putting a huge financial burden on the state.  A new report by the non-partisan Pew Hispanic Center estimated that 425,000 illegals currently live in the Peach State – that’s up from only 35,000 in 1990.
            While some of the controversial parts of the law have been blocked by a federal judge, other provisions not affected by that ruling are now in effect.  These include a new criminal offense for applying for a job with a false I.D. – punishable by up to $250,000 in fines and 15 years in jail.  That strong measure is prompting many illegal immigrants to flee the state rather than suffer the consequences.
            The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that there are more than 133,000 illegal immigrants in Georgia’s school system.  In a number of school districts, illegal immigrants account for as many as half or more of the student population.  As children flee with their parents, that number is expected to go down.
            It should be noted that Georgia’s new laws related to illegal immigrants do not go as far as Alabama’s when it comes to students.  That state recently passed a law that has many similar provisions to those passed in Arizona, Georgia, South Carolina, Utah and Indiana, but also includes a section that requires public schools to determine, by reviewing birth certificates or sworn affidavits, the legal residency status of students upon enrollment.  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced on August 1st that it will sue to block the Alabama law from being enforced.

 

FOREIGN DIPLOMATS AND AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP – WHAT’S WRONG HERE?

            The issue of “anchor babies” and birthright citizenship has certainly attracted its share of attention in recent months as more and more information related to how the current reading of the 14th Amendment is being terribly abused comes to the fore.
            The latest revelation which surely underscores the critical need to address and limit how children born to illegal immigrants in the U.S. gain automatic citizenship is the focus of a new Backgrounder from the Center for Immigration Studies.  The report, “Birthright Citizenship for Children of Foreign Diplomats” exposes how easy it is for foreign diplomats to gain U.S. birth certificates and Social Security numbers and in essence become “super citizens” as “they can enjoy all of the benefits of U.S. citizenship, but also evoke diplomatic immunity if they break the law.”
            The 5-page CIS report is authored by Jon Feere and provides an in-depth look at the bureaucratic tangles and dysfunctional government decision-making which permits such a ridiculous policy to exist.  The full report is available on the CIS website, www.cis.org.
            Forcing Congress to reform the scope of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause is one of NPG’s top priorities in the 112th Congress and we urge all NPG members and concerned Americans to contact their Congressman to get them to co-sponsor or support H.R. 140, “The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011.”

 

GET A DEGREE – WIN A JOB AND U.S. CITIZENSHIP!

            The nation’s H-1B visa system that permits companies to bring foreigners into the country to fill certain jobs has always been subject to criticism and abuse.  These days, there’s a major move afoot to make it a new conduit for foreign students to earn American citizenship.
            Just a few weeks ago, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) paired up to advance a new piece of legislation that is being crafted in the Senate Judiciary Committee that would open the H-1B visa system and grant green card work permits to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges with science, math and  technology degrees.
            The logic behind the new legislation is that many foreign students who study in the U.S. are presently forced to return to their home countries upon graduation and take their new knowledge and high-skills with them.  They then have to get in line to secure one of the 85,000 H-1B visas issued annually and hope they make it so they can return to this country to put their education to work and create new companies and jobs.
            Senator Schumer contends that this deprives America of access to some of the world’s best minds who are needed to keep America’s businesses competitive in today’s world.  He notes that other countries are presently offering top scientists and engineers huge bonuses to move there.
            A number of Senators are already pushing back against the Schumer/Cornyn plan. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) holds that the current H-1B and L-1 intracompany visa programs are full of abuse – with some tech companies switching out U.S. workers with cheaper foreign workers.
            Grassley’s big fear – and rightly so – is that if green cards are automatically issued to foreign graduates, foreign students could soon start to crowd out U.S. students in many colleges.  He noted:  “While it is important to keep the best and the brightest, getting a degree from U.S. institutions and universities should not equate to a fast track to citizenship for all.  Universities would, in essence, become visa mills.
            As noted, there is no specific bill in the hopper right now to advance this idea.  NPG, which firmly believes that the current 85,000 cap on H-1B visas is already too high, will monitor any potential effort to greatly expand this program.

 

ILLINOIS’ “DREAM FUND” TO HELP PAY FOR COLLEGE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

            The debate over in-state tuition for illegal immigrants took a new twist in Illinois recently where, after giving the green light to permit undocumented students the right to attend state universities, a new law – referred to as the Illinois DREAM Act – signed by Governor Pat Quinn, makes it easier for those same students to pay their tuition.
            According to a report in the Chicago Sun-Times, the state has now created a “DREAM Fund” which will serve as a privately funded account to hold donations for grants and scholarships for the children of immigrants – legal or illegal.  The fund will not use any tax dollars.
            A concurrent story in the Chicago Tribune noted that impetus for the DREAM Fund came from Arianna Salgado, an undocumented immigrant, who was reportedly “told by a counselor she would not be able to go to college because she would not qualify for financial aid.”  The new law requires high school administrators “to take training on ways to help undocumented students find ways to pay for college.”

 

NPG NOTES

NPG CONDEMNS NEW ICE DEPORTATION GUIDELINES

            In early July, NPG strongly denounced a new policy being adopted by the Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which seriously dilutes our nation’s immigration laws and dictates a “hands off” policy for potentially millions of illegal aliens when it comes to deportation.
            The condemnation was sparked by a recent memo by ICE Director John Morton which mandates liberal use of the “prosecutorial discretion” of immigration enforcers to deter or cancel individual deportations.  Using the justification that scarce fiscal resources require setting deportation “priorities,” Morton’s memo has raised the ire of Americans opposed to selective enforcement. 
            NPG issued a national press release where President Don Mann decried the new policy by stating:  “Those hoping to slow and eventually halt U.S. population growth expect that this extensive smorgasbord of ameliorating circumstances will give hard-pressed immigration agents ready justification for shelving an almost unlimited number of deportation cases – thus leaving these illegal aliens free to bask in all of the benefits afforded hard-working U.S. citizens and taxpayers.”
            In addition, he noted that:  “The Obama Administration has displayed a total indifference to the immigration crisis.  As it now backs off from seriously enforcing the laws against illegal immigrants it is single-handedly transforming our nation’s immigration policy – all in the name of politics.” 
            In addressing this issue Don Mann affirmed that:  “Americans favoring population sanity are concerned that this new directive gives a green light to millions of prospective illegal entrants who can’t wait to sneak into our country and to millions now here illegally who might otherwise be induced by enforcement risks to go home.”
            The NPG press release concluded by stating:  “It has been very frustrating that our nation’s leaders have failed to move forward and enact responsible immigration reform.  However, that stalemate should not permit the President to do an end-run around Congress and issue a politically-driven directive that sets a policy whereby ICE agents get to grant ‘de facto amnesty’ to those illegals they opt not to pursue for deportation.” 
            NPG’s press release was issued on July 11, 2011 and received national attention, being quoted in such important publications as ABC News, Bloomberg News, US News & World Report, and Yahoo News.
            Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives, has pledged to introduce new legislation in Congress that would temporarily freeze the Obama Administration’s power to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants.  NPG will put its full weight behind Smith’s bill by continually reaching out to its members asking them to contact their elected leaders to state their support for this measure.

 

NPG 2011 SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

            Our NPG Scholarship Program is an eight-month process that starts in January and ends in August.  And there is nothing more rewarding than being able to contact six up-and-coming students across the nation to inform them that a check from NPG is coming their way to help with their tuition burdens for the coming school year.
            This year, students were asked to submit an essay of 500 to 750 words to help educate the new members of the 112th Congress about the critical issues of population growth and illegal immigration.  Students were requested to provide NPG with a three- to five-point plan to educate these freshmen legislators about what can be done to slow, halt and reverse today’s population growth.
            We received more than 2,500 entries prior to the April 22nd deadline and after evaluating them we are pleased to announce that the following students will share in $5,500 worth of scholarships.

            $2,000 – Tyler Vunk – The University of New England
            $1,000 – Anne Montalban – The University of New Orleans
            $1,000 – Aeisha Reese – Wayne State University
            $   500 – Erin Hanrahan – Loyola University Maryland
            $   500 – Hannah Manning – Western Washington University
            $   500 – Parker Powell – Boston University

            Within just a few days of the announcement we received a very appreciative letter from top prize winner, Tyler Vunk, who noted:
            “Placing first in your contest has made such an impact on my life.  Although I have a long way to go before I am in medical school, I want you to know that I truly appreciate the role that your organization has played in helping me achieve my goal of becoming a doctor.”
            NPG is especially grateful to all of our wonderfully loyal friends and supporters who help fund our scholarships and other important educational projects through your generous gifts.  Thank you!

 

FEEDBACK FROM NPG PETITIONS

            Hardly a month goes by when NPG is not forwarding personal petitions, survey results and other information gathered from our members and supporters to both Capitol Hill and various statehouses across the nation.  It is a vital part of our mission to keep our elected leaders apprised of how population and immigration issues stand as major concerns of a large segment of their constituencies.  We traditionally receive acknowledgments from a number of Senators, Congressmen and Governors, and we share below segments of a few of the letters which have arrived in our office in recent weeks.

Florida Governor Rick Scott (letter signed by Kira Frye, Director of Citizen Services)
            “On his first day in office, Governor Scott signed Executive Order 2011-02 requiring state agencies to use the federal E-Verify system to verify employment eligibility of all current and prospective state employees and contractors who do business with the state…
            …Governor Scott also supports verification of citizenship for all persons in the custody of a county or state facility for criminal law violations.  He also supports deportation of state prisoners after they have served the statutorily required minimum portion of their sentence.  The Governor does not support a law that can lead to racial profiling in the administration of the law, and would only support legislation that specifically prohibits racial and ethnic profiling.”
           
Congressman Andy Harris (R-MD)
            “Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about immigration.  I am committed to strengthening our borders and cracking down on illegal immigration.  During my time in the Maryland State Senate, I sponsored legislation to better enforce federal immigration laws in Maryland and to deny in-state tuition to illegal immigrants.  I am committed to continuing these efforts as your Congressman.  As the son of immigrants who came from Hungary and the Ukraine in order to flee Communism, I believe those who come to this country legally are a great asset to make our nation stronger.  However, allowing illegal immigrants the privileges associated with citizenship is not fair to those who abide by the law.”

QUOTES

            “Ultimately, our immigration policy is simply a question of how many people we let into our country and how to choose them.  Personally, I believe that we should choose those who are most likely to contribute to American society and assimilate into our common culture.  Some argue that we should base it more on humanitarian concerns or those who have family members here.  Regardless of your view, simply awarding residency and eventually citizenship by the luck of the draw is absurd.”

                 Virgil Goode (R-VA)
                 Former Congressman commenting on the SAFE Act
                 designed to abolish the Diversity Visa Lottery

 

          “The separatist movements gaining traction in California and Arizona are among the most visible symptoms of the balkanization of America into ethnic and ideological enclaves caused by the lethal combination of illegal immigration, multiculturalism and political correctness.”

                 Anonymous blog commenting on movements
                 to create two new states of “Southern California
                 and Baja Arizona”

 

            “When political strategy trumps immigration enforcement, Americans and legal immigrants lose.  They lose not only because entire categories of illegal aliens are given amnesty.  They lose because the methods used to achieve it are not transparent and run in direct contrast to the will of the American people.  Perhaps, most importantly, they lose because any time an administration in power asserts for itself the right to simply ignore laws it does not like or finds inconvenient, it is a threat to the very foundation of our constitutional democracy.”

                 Kristen Williamson
                 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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