Rapid population growth keeps poor countries poor.
For all its ethical problems, China’s one-child policy boosts its economy.
If your population declines, your economy does, too.
The world will have 10 billion people by 2100.
Number 2 is the one I liked best:
In 1960, South Korea and Taiwan were poor countries with fast-growing populations. Over the two decades that followed, South Korea’s population surged by about 50 percent, and Taiwan’s by about 65 percent. Yet, income increased in both places, too: Between 1960 and 1980, per capita economic growth averaged 6.2 percent in South Korea and 7 percent in Taiwan.
Clearly, rapid population growth did not preclude an economic boom in those two Asian “tigers” — and their experience underscores that of the world as a whole. Between 1900 and 2000, as the planet’s population was exploding, per capita income grew faster than ever before, rising nearly fivefold, by the reckoning of economic historian Angus Maddison . And for much of the last century, the countries with faster economic growth tended to be the ones where population was growing most rapidly, too.
Today, the fastest population growth is found in so-called failed states, where poverty is worst. But it’s not clear that population growth is their central problem: With physical security, better policies and greater investments in health and education, there is no reason that fragile states could not enjoy sustained improvements in income.
This is a good post to read and store away, because what I’ve found is that fears of overpopulation is underneath many of policies pushed by the left, from abortion, to government regulation of production, to government regulation of consumption. I’m not entirely sure why this fear exists, but I know it’s there for many secular leftists. It’s not rational, it’s not supported by evidence, but it’s there and it animates much of their political agenda.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) today released a list of 132 American economists who believe the job creation strategy used in the House GOP Plan for America’s Job Creators will do more to boost private-sector job growth in America in both the near-term and long-term than the “stimulus” spending approach favored by President Obama.
“This list underscores the need for immediate action on the now-22 bipartisan jobs bills passed by the Republican-led House that are awaiting a vote in the Democratic-controlled Senate,” Boehner said. “All 22 of these bills passed the House with bipartisan support, but to date have not been brought to a vote by Senate Democrats. To help support job creation in both the short-term and long-term, we need bipartisan action to halt unnecessary government regulations and fix the tax code to help private-sector job creators. Our plan does that. The Senate needs to pass these 22 bills and send them to the president’s desk.”
Last month, Boehner asked a group of economists across the nation: which do you believe is more likely to provide a boost for private-sector job growth in America in both the near- and long-term: a plan focused on billions of dollars in additional “stimulus” spending by government – or a plan focused on halting excessive government regulations and fixing the tax code to help private-sector job creators? A total of 132 economists indicated they clearly favor the latter strategy. The list of 132 economists includes experts from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Carnegie Mellon University, and Harvard University; economists from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the Manhattan Institute, and the American Action Forum; and many others.
On Friday, in response to the U.S. Department of Labor’s announcement that October 2011 marked the 33rd consecutive month in which the national unemployment rate exceeded eight percent, Boehner asked President Obama to prod the Democratic-controlled Senate for action on the stalled jobs bills. Boehner and other Republicans have called for President Obama to be more engaged in the legislative process this fall and less focused on his re-election campaign.
“I urge the president to call on Senate Democrats to bring these common-sense jobs bills to a vote,” Boehner said. “As long as these bipartisan jobs bills are stalled in the Senate, it is unacceptable for the White House to be anything less than 100 percent engaged in the legislative process.”
Here’s the plan:
Empower Small Business Owners and Reduce Regulatory Burdens:
Require congressional review and approval of any government regulations that have a significant impact on the economy or burden small businesses.
Audit existing and pending regulations to identify and address those that hinder economic growth.
Fix the Tax Code to Help Job Creators:
Increase American competitiveness to spur investment and create more American jobs by streamlining the tax code and lowering the tax rate for businesses and individuals including small business owners to no more than 25%.
Reform the tax code to allow American businesses to bring back their overseas profits without having to pay a tax penalty so they can invest in our economy and create American jobs.
Increase Competitiveness for American Manufacturers:
Pass the three pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea to create up to 250,000 jobs.
Continue to open new markets to American made products. Encourage Entrepreneurship and Growth:
Modernize our patent system to protect our nation’s innovators, discourage frivolous lawsuits, and expedite patent reviews.
Re-Authorize and improve federal programs and approval processes to streamline development of new products.
Remove barriers to building a first class workforce so that the United States can compete in the global marketplace and lead the way in technological development and growth.
Maximize Domestic Energy Production to Ensure an Energy Policy for the 21st Century:
Promote lower energy prices through increased domestic production.
Encourage all forms of energy production.
Pay Down America’s Unsustainable Debt Burden and Start Living Within our Means:
Build upon the House Republicans’ Budget by enacting significant spending cuts.
And they already passed about 20 bills through the House with bipartisan support.
In a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republicans questioned Attorney General Eric Holder about the smuggling of weapons to Mexican gun cartels through Operation Fast and Furious, when he knew about its existence and what he did about it when he learned of it.
Republicans pushed Holder on why it took him nine months to respond to memos sent to the Department of Justice.
“I am eager to hear whether the Attorney General thinks that is acceptable and what he intends to do about it,” said Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R.-Iowa).
While the Fast and Furious gun smuggling scandal was at the top of everyone’s mind, and what conservatives specifically wanted to hear about, only a few Republican senators grilled him on it. Democrats on the committee tried to talk about nearly everything else, including treatment of Muslims by the Department of Justice, bath salt regulations, and anti-bullying measures.
The Republicans that did come out swinging on Fast and Furious got Holder to give stammering and often inconsistent testimony.
[…]Cornyn also had the most intense exchanges with Holder during the entire hearing, asking about the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and whether or not Holder would like to apologize to the family.
“It pains me whenever there is the death of a law enforcement official, especially under the circumstances. It is not fair, however, to assume that the mistakes that happened in Fast and Furious directly led to the death of Agent Terry,” Holder said.
Cornyn also asked whether or not anyone in the Department of Justice has been made accountable for the errors that have been made.
“Can you name me one person who’s been held accountable for this Fast and Furious Operation? Just one in the Department of Justice?” Cornyn said.
Holder responded: “Well we have made a number of changes with regard to personnel both in the Phoenix U.S. Attorney’s Office, also at the ATF Headquarters here. I will certainly await the report that comes out of the Inspector General. And I will assure you and the American people that people will be held accountable for any mistakes that were made in connection with Fast and Furious.”
Wow… I think the Republicans might be a bit angry about how that Border Patrol agent got murdered because of this gun-smuggling operation, which was administered by the Department of Justice. I think Eric Holder knows more than he is admitting to, based on his evasive, politicized answers.
WINTERY KNIGHT 