Joseph J. Neff, who wrote about immigration reform on Sept. 22, seems to have lost his way when it comes to advocating a sustainable national population.
The United States population in 1950 was 151 million. By 2000, it was 281 million, and by 2010, having gained 27 million during the past decade, it was 308 million. Similar increases are expected in the future.
Census data reveals that during the last several decades, about 75 percent of that increase has been due to immigrants and their children.
An obvious consequence of the future increase would occur in the state of California. Approximately half of the California residents, some 18 million, live in Southern California. That area receives very little precipitation and consequently the residents have to depend largely on imported water.
Southern California residents now have enough imported water to get by, but with little or none to spare. Add another 4 million or 5 million residents to that area, which is what would likely happen in a few decades at the present rate of national population increase, and things could get very grim.
Contrary to some claims, the one factor in this situation that is largely controllable is population increase. What is urgently needed are political and economic leaders who are demographically literate and who are therefore demographically responsible. The Southern California example is just one of the many examples that exist nationwide and worldwide with regard to unsustainable population increase.
— Paul Smith, Chico