Letter to the Editor

Our population problem

A growing population with a growing workforce is a positive good for a country. An increasing workforce increases an economy's potential to grow while a stagnant or decreasing workforce reduces that potential. Population and workforce growth is a function of fertility, longevity, and immigration.

From 2001 through 2010 our country averaged a population growth of 0.92% per year. But over the most recent five years this average fell to only 0.42% per year. A look at the raw numbers is rather startling. From 2001 through 2010 our country averaged 1.7 million more births than deaths each year along with a net annual immigration of nine hundred thousand people. But in the last five years we have only averaged eight hundred thousand more births than deaths each year plus an average annual net immigration of six hundred thousand people.

To reverse these trends, I suggest the Federal Government provide the following to encourage younger couples to have children:

* Government assistance for paid parental leave

* Government assistance for child care

* Government policies which will reduce what a family will have to pay for health care, education, and housing.

It has been more than 35 years since the US immigration system was fully reformed. It is past time to update it. I would suggest that we:

* Ensure a secure and humanely managed border

* Provide the resources required to have a speedy and fair determination of asylum claims

* Provide the resources to expeditiously render determinations as to which immigrants should be admitted.

John Piepho, Cape Girardeau