WHAT’S BEING SAID ABOUT THE POPULATION FIX:
A book for every American environmentalist to read … and ponder.
—Yeh Ling-Ling, Executive Director
Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America
A fine book which should have a major impact on the population stabilization debate.
—Virginia Abernethy, Ph.D., Chair Carrying Capacity Network
Environmental health, public health, and population stabilization are all interdependent … and this book makes that three-way connection come alive.
—Bill Van Ry, Hospital CEO (Ret.)
A wealth of information and reference material for those concerned with a sustainable … and a healthy America.
—Alan Kuper, Ph.D., President
Comprehensive U.S. Sustainable Population
A book clearly dedicated to preserving a certain quality of life for future generations of Americans.
—Anne Manetas, Director Environmental Projects
NumbersUSA
Public health is only one of many environmental and societal problems discussed in this book … logically and unemotionally.
—William C. Ross, M.D., Board Certified
American Board of Family Medicine
An excellent book written so readers can understand the reasons for America’s addiction to population growth … a “must-read” for every thinking American.
—Byron Slater
Population Stabilization Activist
Food for thought for every defender of America’s soil, air, woods, water, and wildlife.
—Jack E. Weir, Life Member
Izaak Walton League of America
A financial advisor performs due diligence on America’s population growth rate … and finds our societal and environmental books out of balance.
—Thomas Spear, Ph.D., President
Wealth Management, Inc.
The Population Fix
Breaking America’s Addiction To Population Growth
Edward C. Hartman
Think Population Press
Moraga, California
Cover design by Weston Thomson
Book design by Pete Masterson, Aeonix Publishing Group
Editing by Vicki Weiland
Back cover photograph by Diane Gysin
Copyright © 2006 Edward C. Hartman. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations used in reviews, and Appendix C: “Quick Fix References.”
Definitions: Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reproduced by permission from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Farmingville excerpt used by permission of Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini, producers.
First Edition: 2006
ISBN: 0-9776125-0-3 paperback
ISBN: 0-9776125-1-1 case bound
LCCN: 2005911000
Published by
Think Population Press
Visit our website at: www.ThinkPopulation.org
Electronic (ebook) Edition published by
Aeonix Publishing Group
P.O. Box 20985
El Sobrante, CA 94820-0985
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD: America’s Great Debate, Diana Hull, Ph.D.
“Although altruistic Americans are deeply concerned about world population, they have been reticent—and yes, irresponsible—by failing to do something about the over-population crisis in their own country.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“To a considerable extent, TPF is a collection of ideas and information gathered from a variety of experts from a variety of fields.”
PROLOGUE: A BABY … AND A BOOK ARE BORN
“Waiting outside a birthing room, I wrote the following ‘Letter’ published a few days later in my local newspaper.”
INTRODUCTION
“Now is the time for each of us to help America end its dependence on the population fix and to contribute to breaking America’s addiction to population growth.”
Who I Am; Why This Book?; Every Problem A Nail?; If I Seem Critical …
CHAPTER 1: THE POPULATIONISTS
“The present generation, which is making decisions for the tribe, needs to think of their impacts seven generations down the line.”
Are You An Altruist?; Are You—Or Could You Become—A Populationist?; Why “Populationist?”; How Many Are Enough?; Professor Bartlett’s Challenge!; “Populationist” Does Not Mean Prejudiced; Definitions; America And Americans; California! California! California!; Migration! Migration! Migration!; A Reminder To Disagree; Please Feel Free To Skip Around; Reflection And Discussion Questions; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #1
CHAPTER 2: AN OVERVIEW
“(P)eople from other developed countries will say, ‘America is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there!’”
In The Beginning …; How Large A World Problem?; How Large An Explosion?; What Causes World Population To Increase Or Decrease?; What Causes America’s Population To Increase Or Decrease?; Births And Fertility Rates; Deaths And Life Spans; Net Migration Equals Immigration Minus Emigration; Population Growth Today; Affluence, Consumption, And Technology; Population Growth And America’s Future; Addictions Can Be Broken!; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #2
CHAPTER : THE ADDICTION
“Population growth in America may not be a physiological addiction, but it is has become an economic, political, and psychological addiction, negatively affecting virtually every American!”
Why “Addiction?”; We Just Keep Growing!; “Can We Talk?”; How Large An American Problem?; Wake Up! Wake Up!; What Has Caused America’s Population Growth?; Holding Hands With 3.3 Million People!; Lessons From China And India; The “Sergé Survey”; Do You Still Love L.A.?; You’re The Doctor; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #3
CHAPTER 4: THE ADDICTS
“(T)hey have entered what psychologists would call a state of tolerance. That is, they have reached a state where increasingly larger doses (of population growth) are necessary to produce desired effects.”
Builders And Developers; Farmers; Food Processors; Hospitality Industry Employers; Information Technology (IT) Employers; Media Owners And Executives; Middle-Class Americans; Good And Bad Addicts; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #4
CHAPTER 5: THE VICTIMS—Living, Breathing
“Like some drug addicts, some population growth addicts are also victims.”
American Indians; Drivers; Employees; Energy Users; Homebuyers And Renters; Costly Housing; Shoddy Workmanship; Illegal Aliens; Legal Immigrants; Parolees And Probationers; Students; Taxpayers; Travelers; Water Users; Wildlife; Young People; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #5
CHAPTER 6: THE VICTIMS—Not Living, But Vital
“While some might argue these conceptual and institutional victims are not essential for America’s continued existence, they may well be essential, if we want America to remain America.”
Common Language; Culture; Democracy; Emigration Nations; Environmental Health And Public Health; Farmland And Open Space; Infrastructure; Municipal Transit Districts; Productivity; Public Health; Disease Control; Public Safety; Recycling; Rule Of Law; No-Rules Residents; Solitude; Tax Equity; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #6
CHAPTER 7: REHABILITATION
“Perhaps you are beginning to wonder if America’s addiction to population growth is an ‘insurmountable opportunity?’ The short answer is: No!”
The Gains ; Common Language Expanded; Democracy Strengthened; Education Enhanced; Employee Wages And Working Conditions Improved; Environmental Protection Increased; Highway Conditions Improved; Homeland Security Increased; Migrant Deaths Reduced; Recidivism Reduced; Tax Equity Advanced; Water Supplies Protected; Young People Employed; The Pains; Expensive Strawberries; Feelings Of Guilt; Saving Social Security?; Other Pains Of A Shrinking Population?; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #7
CHAPTER 8: THE PRODUCERS
“Producers will only stop producing when population growth addicts have been cured and stop buying what the producers are selling.”
American Trade Negotiators; Less Developed Nations; Central And South America; East Asia; Mexico; “… A Change Of Heart”; Other Nations; “Refugee” Contractors; Religious And Secular Leaders; Two Kinds Of Producers; Putting Producers In Their Places; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #8
CHAPTER 9: THE PUSHERS
“America’s population growth pushers have a variety of motives. However, many—probably most—have one trait in common: They have never asked themselves the question, ‘How many Americans are enough?’ ”
Armchair Economists; Pseudo-Economists; Fans Of “Fairness”; Politicians; Religious Leaders; “Shortage Shouters”; Tax-And-Spenders; A Local Twist; United Nations And Other International Organizations; What Pushes Pushers?; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #9
CHAPTER 10: THE ENABLERS—Government
“Enablers’ tacit acceptance and implied blessing of population growth provides population growth addicts with some semblance of justification for not seeking a cure.”
As American As Motherhood And Applejack; American Presidents; American Senators And Representatives; American State Department; L-1 Visas; Dual Citizenship; Fannie Mae And Freddy Mac; Police Chiefs And Police Commissioners; Sanctuary Saints And Sinners; State And Local Officials; Welcome To Fantasy Theater; Local Politicians; Policy Perverting Politicians; A Peculiar Precedent; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #10
CHAPTER 11: THE ENABLERS—Non-Government
“Some enablers of America’s destructive population growth may not be able to grasp the connection between population growth and its deleterious effects. Others may be able to grasp the connection—but may not want to see it.”
Psychological Blindfolds; Bleeding Hearts; Diversity Doctrinaires; Economists; Remember “Per Capita!” (There Will Be A Test!); Elite Opinion Makers; Journalists; Environmental Organizations; Foundations And Philanthropists; Immigration Attorneys; Labor Union Leaders; One-World Wonders; Smart Growth Promoters; White Flag Flyers; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #11
CHAPTER 12: TREATMENT AND WITHDRAWAL —Contribute Your Thinking
“If you do no more than read this book and continue to think carefully about what you have read, you will have taken a first step toward breaking America’s addiction to population growth.”
A Population Growth Refresher Course; Three Possibilities, Four Positions; “What Should I Do?” ; Contribute Your Thinking; Decide “How Many Are Enough?”; There Is No Right Answer; “What Is Ed’s Answer?”; What Is Your Answer?; Think Like A Populationist; Let’s Try A Particularly Peculiar Problem; The Test I Warned You About; Watch And Listen For Media Bias Favoring Population Growth; Encourage Friends And Acquaintances To Think Like Populationists; Ask Others: “How Many Are Enough?”; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #12
CHAPTER 13: TREATMENT AND WITHDRAWAL —Contribute Time, Money, And/Or Energy
“(L)et’s consider how you can translate your populationist thinking into action.”
Contribute Your Time; Cancel Subscriptions And Tell Why; Contribute Your Money; Contribute Money To Populationist Organizations; Contribute Money To Populationist Environmental Organizations; Contribute Your Energy; Contribute Your Energy To Populationist Organizations; Hire Legal Workers—and Their Employers; Fire Illegal Workers—and Their Employers; Telephone, Fax, Mail, Or Email Politicians And Editors; Thank Populationist Politicians And Media People; Complain To Population Growth Addicts, Pushers, And Enablers; Don’t Blame God; Looking Back … And Ahead; For Reflection And Discussion; Quick Fix #13
CHAPTER 14: PROGNOSIS AND CURE
“Can one person—me—really have an effect on the outcome of this battle? I have reason to believe the answer is … Yes!”
Reasons For Optimism; Common Sense And Mathematics; Are We Cured Yet?; Clues To Look For; Are You An Altruist? Are You—Or Could You Become—A Populationist?; A Simple Answer For Complex Questions; For Reflection And Discussion:; Quick Fix #14
EPILOGUE: “THE MAVEN”
(With Apologies To Edgar Allen Poe)
HOW TO ORDER THIS BOOK
APPENDIX A: Contact Information
APPENDIX B: Populationist Organizations
Organizations Concerned With Fertility And Net Migration; Organizations Concerned With Fertility; Organizations Concerned With Net Migration; Other Populationist Organizations
APPENDIX C: “Quick Fix References”
Sample letter for editor of your newspaper or newsmagazine; Contact information and “grade” for your U.S. Representative; Contact information and “grade” for one U.S. Senator; Contact information and “grade” for other U.S. Senator; Sample letter for U.S. Senators or Representative asking him or her to keep population growth in mind; Sample letter for U.S. Senators and Representatives with scores of “A” through “B”; Sample letter for U.S. Senators and Representatives with scores of “B-” through “C-” Sample letter for U.S. Senators and Representatives with scores of “D+” through “F”
REFERENCES
DEDICATION
“In this world,
who can do a thing, will not;
and who would do it, cannot …
and thus we half-men struggle.”
From Andrea del Sarto by Robert Browning
This book is respectfully dedicated to
those half-men and half-women
who continue to struggle.
FOREWORD
America’s Great Debate
This book requires the reticent, the fearful, and the intimidated to think about a subject they have previously wiggled their way around—too many people. Overpopulation in the U.S., what causes it, and what must be done about it is a subject that Ed Hartman, author of The Population Fix, approaches head on.
If you are not already a believer in a smaller, more manageable, and environmentally healthy community, state, nation, and planet, The Population Fix will alert you that no other subject is more important to the quality of life. Overpopulation is certain to narrow your choices and diminish the well-being of those who come after you.
Unfortunately, limiting the size of our national family is not the path we are embarked on today. If immigration and births continue at their present rates, the United States is on course to a population that will come close to the one billion people mark at the end of the century. That’s three times our current population, in only a few generations.
So before the forces of demography, politics, and economic policy etch that unfortunate outcome in stone, nothing is more urgent for everyone to grasp than the immediate need for a change in direction. The author makes that case exceptionally well, explaining what can and must be done.
Although altruistic Americans are deeply concerned about world population, they have been reticent—and yes, irresponsible—by failing to do something about the overpopulation crisis in their own country. It often seems that the further away the population problem is and the less control Americans actually have in achieving a solution, the easier it is to be an advocate for a smaller population.
While good American citizens agonize about the problems of environmental degradation, famine, and poverty overseas, opportunists in our own country push us in the same undesirable direction because we have refused to insist on appropriate action to limit our growth here at home.
When an American President says we should “match willing foreign workers with willing American employers”—and when agribusiness and multinational business leaders applaud—the result is that building contractors, farmers, food processors, hotel operators, and the foreign workers they hire determine America’s ultimate population, not you and fellow citizens.
When Congress passes legislation offering amnesty to illegal aliens, and increasing the number of “anchor babies,” “family reunifications,” “temporary workers,” and “refugees”—and when courts expand those rewards—the result is that “coyotes” and human smugglers, criminal groups, along with refugee contractors, midlevel State Department employees, and Non-Governmental Organizations determine America’s ultimate population, not you and fellow voters.
When a major American-based, internationally distributed newspaper like the Wall Street Journal declares “We believe in open borders”—and when other multimedia conglomerates “give the nod” to that idea on their editorial pages—the result is the economic and political goals of foreign governments, multinational corporations, and ethnic advocacy groups determine America’s ultimate population, not you and your neighbors.
When environmental organizations insist that “population growth is a global problem requiring global solutions”—and when wealthy donors and major foundations say “Amen”—what they are demanding is that cheap labor be “king” and that five billion people living outside America and surviving on a few dollars a day decide what America’s ultimate population should be, not you and your family.
For too many years America has let its ultimate population be determined by all the groups mentioned above—most with a clear financial or political interest in continuing our accelerating population growth for their benefit, not ours.
Until recently, this debate was being won by those who believe that Americans do not have the right to determine America’s ultimate population. But the results of such policies, as Ed Hartman makes clear, have been bankrupt hospitals, crowded classrooms, declining water supplies, endangered wildlife, failing highways and bridges, growing land fills, overpriced and poorly constructed housing, polluted air, uncertain energy supplies, resurgent diseases, shrinking farmland, spreading urban sprawl, vanishing forests and wilderness, and … and …. And I apologize if I left out your own favorite affliction brought about by these producers, pushers, enablers, and addicts of America’s population growth.
Too often lost in the rancor and minutia of arguments over biometric identification and tamperproof Social Security cards, over special visas for “temporary” farm, hospitality, and information technology workers, over driver’s licenses, tuition subsidies, and health care for illegal aliens, over border control, interior enforcement, and homeland security, over language and culture and assimilation, and over the dozens of other issues making their way to the front pages of newspapers and newsmagazines and news broadcasts on TV and radio is the fact that the heart of that raging debate remains:
“Do Americans have the right—and the responsibility—to determine America’s ultimate population?”
If you are still sitting on the fence, The Population Fix will help you find your way through difficult intellectual territory. But the author wants your participation in finding needed solutions. He is passionately committed to exposing the central role of population growth in the big scheme of America’s societal and environmental problems and is determined to enlist you in helping with this mission.
The Population Fix is divided into digestible segments and the ingredients are infused with a deep understanding. At regular intervals, the author acknowledges and anticipates readers’ questions and poses important queries of his own. As a result, The Population Fix takes you on an important intellectual safari and the author warns you about the tigers out there ready to eat you alive if you interfere with their real or perceived need for perpetual growth.
As a hopeful sign Ed Hartman points out many political leaders are reconsidering which side of this debate they want to espouse. Will they support individuals and institutions with vested—and often criminal—interests in rampant growth, or will they support the men and women who put them into office—and who can remove them from office?
After reading The Population Fix, I believe you will want to add your voice to this discussion. And once you have made up your mind, resolve to take action, firmly and quickly, knowing that your participation will make all the difference in the world!
Diana Hull, Ph.D., President,
Californians for Population Stabilization
Santa Barbara, California
www.capsweb.org
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
“Abuse is often of service. There is nothing so dangerous to an author as silence.”
—Samuel Johnson
If you have read the acknowledgments of more than one book, undoubtedly you have inferred that writing and publishing a book is a collaborative endeavor. Only if you have written and published at least one book yourself do you fully appreciate just how true that is.
The Population Fix (TPF) would never have been started nor would it have been completed were it not for the enthusiastic encouragement, support, and, yes, criticism, of two close friends: Jack Weir and B. A. “Jug” Javorski. Like me, they share a deep concern for the America we will leave for our descendants, unless Americans awaken to their responsibilities to future generations.
While TPF was only an idea in the back of my head, a friend from Army CIC Inchon days, Brian L. Griffin, meticulously answered all of my questions about what to expect from an expedition into the publishing world. As author and illustrator of Humblebee Bumblebee—The Life Story of the Friendly Bumblebees and Their Use by the Backyard Gardener (available through www.knoxcellars.com), Brian’s answers were prophetic as well as useful. Also, Luis Carrillo, author of A Child Of No Importance, and Betty Iverson, author of A Time To Flee and Tabea’s Story, each provided me with the benefit of their experiences writing and publishing books.
Long before there was an outline—only thoughts on napkins—Peter Goodman, of Stone Bridge Press, publisher of quality books and software about Japan (www.stonebridge.com), gave me encouragement along with sound advice. His advice included, “Join Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA).” That gem alone made all the difference! Throughout this project I received valuable counsel from many BAIPA members such as Sumant Pendharkar, author of Raising Yourself, a book for young people, and Pete Masterson, TPF’s book designer and owner of Aeonix Publishing Group in El Sobrante, California. (Learn more about BAIPA at www.baipa.net.)
Through BAIPA I met Vicki Weiland, without whose conscientious, constructive, and professional editing, TPF might never have become a readable book. A thank you also to Ricky Weisbroth for her thorough proofreading, and to Desta Garrett for bibliographical assistance. Vicki and I both want to thank Chuck Stinson, Duane Stinson, Tom Stinson, and Mary Ann Bostwick at Sinbad’s Restaurant in San Francisco, CA who provided us use of one of their booths as our home office away from home office while serving us fine food. Similarly, Steve and Elizabeth McIntyre, owners of Kaffee Barbara in Lafayette, CA and their exceptional staff kept appetites sated and coffee cups filled during countless hours of discussions with friendly, but candid reviewers.
Several friends—and some friends of friends—who so generously contributed their time to reading and commenting upon TPF are listed here with deep appreciation for their willingness to share their perspectives with me: Bob Crouch, Barbara George, Susanne Guyer, Joyce Hartman, Bob Hinshaw, Phyllis Hinshaw, Bert Hughes, Brian Jones, Matt Larson, David Lucas, Linda Reidt, Bill Ross, Pat Ross, Susan Sharpe, Byron Slater, Craig Smith, Joyce Smith, Rich Snyder, Bill Van Ry, Mauna Wagner, and Lois Webb.
To a considerable extent, TPF is a collection of ideas and information gathered from a variety of experts from a variety of fields. While I have hopefully accredited them properly within the text, I would herewith like to name and thank those who also read and commented upon the final draft: Virginia Abernethy, author of Population Politics, Chair, Carrying Capacity Network, and Board Member, Population-Environment Balance, Jim Baird of Izaak Walton League of America—Sustainability Education Program, Lindsey Grant author of The Collapsing Bubble: Growth and Fossil Energy, Alan Kuper of Comprehensive U.S. Sustainable Population, Caron Whitaker of National Wildlife Federation—Population and Environment Program, and Yeh Ling-Ling of Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America.
Three gentlemen, whose names and comments appear on the back cover of this book, deserve special mention: Joseph L. Daleiden, author of The American Dream: Can It Survive The 21st Century? has not only written about dangers thrust upon our nation, states, cities, and towns by rampant population growth, but has rolled up his sleeves and worked as a grassroots proponent of population stabilization within his own community. Mark Kirkorian, Executive Director of Center for Immigration Studies, has helped create America’s premier migration information think tank, recognized throughout the nation for its talent, knowledge, and fair-mindedness. Richard D. Lamm, former Governor of Colorado and Co-Director of The Center for Public Policy & Contemporary Issues at the University of Denver, has devoted much of his life to public service and continues to manifest his dedication to solving environmental and societal problems through his writings and his speeches.
I want to extend a special and heartfelt “Thank you” to Diana Hull, Jo Wideman, Shawn Flynn, and Gretchen Pfaff of Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS) who so generously shared with me their time, energy, experience, and enthusiasm. Each and all are deeply appreciated!
I wish also to thank our daughters: Leanne Hartman who shared with me her knowledge of and experience in marketing and PR and who, working with talented artist, Weston Thomson, (entoptic@hotmail.com), designed and coordinated TPF’s cover; Paula Hartman who brought her keen eye and legal experience to bear on the finer points of the final draft forcing me to close the circle on matters of logic and persuasion and who introduced me to the incredibly patient, persistent, and professional photographer, Diane Gysin (www.portraitsbydiane.com). Thank you, also, to Ken Steele for introducing me to Weston.
And, like many authors before me, I am most thankful to have a spouse whose cheerful comfort and support continued throughout this project, even in the company of a sometimes reclusive and somewhat distracted husband. Thank you, Marolyn.
In the acknowledgments to Schott’s Original Miscellany, Ben Schott thanked approximately three dozen people for their advice, encouragement, expert opinions, suggestions, and so forth, concluding: “If glaring errors exist … it’s probably their fault.” Not having the surfeit of forgiving friends Mr. Schott apparently had, I must say, if glaring errors exist in The Population Fix, they are undoubtedly my fault!
And if you care to be acknowledged in the next edition of TPF, please visit www.ThinkPopulation.org and let me know what glaring errors—or slightly squinting errors—you have found.
PROLOGUE
A BABY … AND A BOOK ARE BORN
Waiting outside a birthing room, I wrote the following “Letter” published a few days later in my local newspaper:
“On August 6, at 12:51 p.m., our younger daughter gave birth to a boy. Like her parents and her sister, she and her husband will plan to limit their family to two children. Yet, while our families plan sustainable, replacement-size families, our federal government, by failing to plan, makes it likely this boy, if he lives to my present age, will see America’s population grow from approximately 300 million to 600 million and California’s population grow from 36 million to 70 million.
“Year after year, Congress after Congress, administration after administration have chosen to ignore recommendations from their own agencies, commissions, committees, and constituents to consider population growth and its long-term threat to the United States and the world. Instead each administration proposes policies and each Congress enacts legislation designed to encourage more births and more immigrants—in other words, more people!
“While a few independent thinkers in Congress express concern about our de facto population growth policy, the majority in Congress, including our county’s representatives, continue to vote in favor of polluted air and water, overcrowded schools and highways, depleted wilderness, wildlife, and fisheries, and failing infrastructure, all caused or exacerbated by unsustainable population growth. Such a sad legacy to leave our new grandson.”
… Two months later, I began The Population Fix.
INTRODUCTION
“Ignorance and incuriosity are two very soft pillows.”
—French proverb
WHO I AM
I am a businessman, an American citizen with a wife, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and four grandchildren. I am a person who is concerned about the legacy of agricultural debilitation, educational deterioration, environmental degradation, infrastructure disintegration, and other societal problems we are leaving to future generations of Americans. I believe most of these problems are exacerbated by population growth in the world, in America, and in the state, county, and town where I reside.
I am not a professional writer. Who was the literary critic who wrote of one author, “His work will be remembered long after Shakespeare’s has been forgotten … and not before?” Sounds like my work. I’m a businessman who thinks and probably writes in a businesslike way. In The Population Fix, I believe you will find mine a simple, straightforward style with an occasional dash of humor.
I am not a numbers man. Well, actually, I am. I like numbers and statistics and tables and such. But you may not guess that from reading this book. The concept of “Too many people” doesn’t require a multicolored graph. All it requires is a glance out of an auto’s window while traveling on a crowded highway!
Taking it a step further, an understanding of how many current problems could be mitigated by population reduction won’t require much more than a thoughtful mind while reading newspapers and newsmagazines, or while watching or listening to newscasts. Broad numbers and simple statistics should work just fine for our purposes, shouldn’t they?
Because I plan to keep numbers broad and statistics simple, if the U.S. Census Bureau says America’s population is 294,567,890, I’ll probably say it’s 300 million. That isn’t exaggeration; that’s just keeping it simple.
While some friends may disagree, I do not think of myself as a “population expert.” My father used to say, “An ‘expert’ is anyone over 500 miles from his home office.” Since I’m writing this in my home office, his definition alone would disqualify me.
From me you’ll get bits and pieces borrowed from true experts who have helped me understand how America and the world got itself into its current fix and how we can get America, if not the world, out of it. You will learn how you can understand just as much as I do and become just as much of an “expert” as some people suggest I am about population growth simply by keeping your mind alert to connections between (a) societal and environmental problems and (b) population growth.
For this book, I am not “politically correct.” If facts and logic lead me to a conclusion which is currently not favored by those who set today’s standards for what one should not think, say, or write, please forgive me, because I’m liable to write it anyway. And if someone thinks they can read my words and thus read my mind and motives, great! Please contact me and we’ll talk about forming a mind reading act.
I am neither a Republican nor a Democrat. I am neither pro-choice nor anti-choice. I am neither pro-immigration nor anti-immigration. I am neither a nativist xenophobe nor an open-borders one-worlder. I am not concerned about population growth in America only, but I am concerned about population growth in America especially!
I believe rampant population growth in America is neither inevitable nor desirable. A primary purpose of this book is to demonstrate rampant population growth in America is neither inevitable nor desirable and to offer you the means to help America recover from its population growth addiction.
WHY THIS BOOK
In 1997, my wife and I concluded the money we, our families, and our friends had been contributing to various environmental organizations was going to be wasted unless something was done to address human population growth and the damage it was doing to the environment worldwide and in America. We wrote to the environmental organizations we were supporting at that time and requested information about each organization’s policies and activities regarding population growth.
Most, but not all, responded to our request and, based upon our assessment of the material received, we created a population-environment connection matrix and allocated our contributions for the year according to how much or how little connection each organization appeared to make between population growth and environmental degradation.
In 2000, after using our population-environment connection matrix for our own personal purposes, I mentioned it in a conversation with Sharon Stein, who at that time was Executive Director of Negative Population Growth (NPG). Sharon expressed interest, and over the next year or so I worked with Christopher Conner of NPG’s staff to make the matrix more inclusive and professional.
Later, after Christopher moved on to work for an Eastern environmental organization, I asked NumbersUSA (NUSA) if it would be interested in helping me finish what Christopher and I had begun. Anne Manetas, NUSA’s Director-Environmental Projects, and her boss, Roy Beck, a former environmental journalist, helped me further refine our personal matrix into the “Population-Environment Connection Scorecard” which went online on the Internet in 2001.
In 2002, during a “What next?” meeting with Jack Weir, a longtime friend, colleague, outdoorsman, and environmentalist, we concluded there was room for a comprehensive website devoted (a) to educating website visitors about the causes and effects of rampant human population growth and (b) to encouraging website visitors to support organizations actively addressing visitors’ concerns regarding causes or effects of population growth.
With encouragement from Jack and a critical editing eye from B. A. “Jug” Javorski, a friend and mentor, I drafted website pages which eventually went on the Internet in August 2003 as www.ThinkPopulation.org (TP.org). The “Population-Environment Connection Scorecard,” which scores twelve environmental organizations, became a page within TP.org, reached via our “Think Environment” button.
EVERY PROBLEM A NAIL?
Have you heard the expression, “For the man whose only tool is a hammer, every problem seems a nail?” As a personal financial advisor, I can assure you that not every major event or problem my clients encounter can be solved with money. However, I can also assure you that virtually every major event or problem my clients encounter affects and is affected by money.
Similarly, as you read this book you may begin to wonder, “Does Ed think every problem can be solved by population stabilization or population reduction?” The answer is: No! America and the world have many problems which population stabilization or population reduction alone will not solve. But, just like money in the personal finance arena, most of America’s and the world’s problems will be more difficult to solve, if we fail to address population growth.
IF I SEEM CRITICAL …
As you read The Population Fix you will see I am critical of individuals and of industries, of positions of power and of positions of neglect, of organizations and of operations, and … well, critical of many things. For example, in a number of places I will refer to articles or letters published in my local newspaper. Some of my references to my local newspaper may seem uncomplimentary. However, I want to say at the outset, it is a good newspaper managed by and produced by good people. On the other hand, newspapers and I have totally different perspectives on America’s addiction to population growth. That, as you will read later, is because media conglomerates in general and newspapers in particular desire population growth; it is the lifeblood of circulation growth and of advertising revenue growth.
It is not my intent to be a scold nor to denigrate the motives of the many on the receiving end of my criticism. All of us—you, me, all of us—are collectively responsible for America’s addiction to population growth. If we are old enough to vote, we are old enough to have recognized something was wrong and old enough to have recognized contributions we may have made to an unsustainable situation. During my lifetime, America’s population has more than doubled and during their lifetimes, our daughters and their children will likely see America’s population double again and again. Yet I have waited until my “silver” years to try to do something about those disastrous projections.
So, yes, there is plenty of blame to go around and some of my criticism can and should be directed at me for failing to write more, to speak out more, and to seek more action from our elected representatives on a problem I could see with my own eyes.
What is that expression, “If not now, when? If not me, who?”
Well, now is the time, in my opinion, for each of us and for all of us to face the reality of America’s rampant population growth.
Now is the time for us to accept our share of criticism and to accept our share of responsibility.
Now is the time for us, regardless of our past roles or our current roles—whether as addicts, as producers, as pushers, or as enablers—now is the time for us to become reformers.
Now is the time for each of us to help America end its dependence on the population fix and to contribute to breaking America’s addiction to population growth.
Chapter 1
THE POPULATIONISTS
“Every journey has a secret destination of which the traveler is unaware.”
—Martin Buber
altruist n. One with unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selfless.
ARE YOU AN ALTRUIST?
Let’s assume you are driving down an empty highway (yes, a few still exist in America) and you have just finished drinking a can of soda. You are far from home and this is not a route you expect to travel again. Nobody can see what you do. Do you toss the empty can out of the window? No? Why not?
“Well, Ed,” you say—at least I hope you say—“if everybody did that, what a mess America would be. Maybe I won’t have to look at this particular road again, but I don’t want to create a mess for those who will have to look at it later.”
Good for you! You may be an altruist.
The reason that is important is because this book is written for altruists—readers with an unselfish concern for the welfare of others. This book is for readers who can borrow the American Indian philosophy of the seventh-generation: The present generation, which is making decisions for the tribe, needs to think of their impacts seven generations down the line.
So, I may as well tell you up front … this book may do you little good. If you absorb every thought contained herein and if you do everything recommended herein, you personally may gain little, except possibly the good feeling that can come from doing something good for future generations.
You see, it has taken many years for America to develop its addiction to population growth and it will take many years for America to deal with the producers, pushers, and enablers, and to help America’s population growth addicts through withdrawal and recovery. By the time that happens, you may not be around to see many of the benefits of the recovery. If that proves true, you may have to obtain your satisfaction in knowing you have unselfishly—altruistically—done your best for the welfare of future generations.
ARE YOU—OR COULD YOU BECOME—A POPULATIONIST?
• Are you one who relates population growth to international, national, and local problems which cross your personal radar screen?
• When you read about a water shortage do you ask yourself, “Could it possibly be a ‘people overage?’ ”
• When you hear about a bond issue to build another highway bridge or to bore another highway tunnel or to add highway lanes do you think to yourself, “Fewer people would mean fewer drivers and that would mean less need to raise taxes to pay for highway bond issues?”
• When a neighbor says, “Our schools are simply getting too crowded—we need to build more schools” do you reply, “If our population wasn’t growing so rapidly would we need so many more schools?”
If you don’t react to those and similar situations in similar ways today, do you think you could learn to do so tomorrow?
That is one of the purposes of The Population Fix—to help you learn to think like a populationist and to immediately react to every major societal and environmental problem with the question: “Will population growth help or hinder the mitigation of this problem?”
WHY “POPULATIONIST?”
“So, Ed,” you might ask, “exactly what is a populationist?”
Good question!
Because there are so many different views about what should be done relative to population growth it seems to me an umbrella term is called for. Let me show you what I mean by listing just a few varying views regarding population goals:
• Stabilize world population below 6 billion or
• Stabilize world population at 6 billion or
• Stabilize world population above 6 billion.
• Stabilize America’s population below 300 million or
• Stabilize America’s population at 300 million or
• Stabilize America’s population above 300 million.
Now, let’s list some of the varying views regarding methods of achieving population goals:
• Address world population only or
• Address world and America’s population or
• Address America’s population only.
There are additional views I could have listed such as:
• Concentrate on improving education and/or governance in developing countries.
• Concentrate on increasing family planning funding domestically and/or internationally.
• Concentrate on reforming immigration policies.
Each of these views represents a concern about population growth, but no two concerns are quite alike. Therefore, I combine all people with views and concerns about population growth under one term, “populationists.”
HOW MANY ARE ENOUGH?
Financial advisor James Schwartz once wrote a paper titled, “How Much Is Enough?” to remind his wealthy clients that there should be more to life than simply making more money.
Similarly, it may be time to remind America’s leaders that there is more to American life than simply making more Americans.
My primary question to you as you begin this book is: “How many are enough?”
There are approximately 300 million people living in America, approximately 10 million of whom are living here illegally. Ultimately, how many people would you like to have living in America? One-quarter billion? One-half billion? Three-quarter billion? One billion? More?
I don’t expect you to be able to answer that question now—that’s why I’ll ask it again at the end of this book. There is no right answer, so you needn’t turn to the back of the book now to find the answer. All I ask is that you think about that question as you read this book and gradually formulate your own answer.
While reading this book, if you discover you are an addict, a producer, a pusher, an enabler, or a victim of America’s addiction to population growth or have multiple roles, your answer may reflect your role. That’s fine.
Regardless of your role, you may find your personal answer—and possibly your role—evolving and changing between now and when you encounter that question again.
PROFESSOR BARTLETT’S CHALLENGE!
Dr. Albert Bartlett, Professor of Physics at Colorado University, has issued a challenge. As you begin thinking about America’s addiction to population growth, why not accept Professor Bartlett’s challenge:
“Can you think of any problem on any scale, from microscopic to global, whose long-term solution is in any way aided, assisted, or advanced by having larger populations at the local level, state level, nationally, or globally? Can you think of anything that will get better, if we crowd more people into our towns, cities, states, nations, or world?”
Please pause here … Take a moment to think about Professor Bartlett’s challenge: “Can you think of anything that will get better, if we crowd more people into our towns, cities, states, nations, or world?”
I can’t. Can you? Whether used as a verb or as a noun, “crowd” is a word which suggests problems, not solutions. Professor Bartlett challenges you to think like a populationist. As you read this book, I encourage you to accept his challenge.
“POPULATIONIST” DOES NOT MEAN PREJUDICED
You will figure that out on your own, but I think it is worth stating. My reason?
I recently read a paper by Dale Allen Pfeiffer published by Carrying Capacity Network and titled, “Eating Fossil Fuels.” It is filled with all kinds of statistics such as, “1.4 liters diesel equivalent per kilogram of nitrogen equates to energy content of 15.3 billion liters of diesel or 96.2 million barrels,” and is replete with words such as photosynthesis, thermodynamics, endosomatic, and exosomatic.
Yet the paper’s last paragraph contained the phrase, “Though this article may provoke a flood of hate mail …”
Hate mail? How can such an esoteric discussion of the relationship between consumption of food and consumption of energy possibly provoke hate mail?
Here is how. Any time a person thinks about and writes about consumption—food consumption, energy consumption, any kind of consumption—that person will automatically begin to think about and write about population and what size population is sustainable with what level of consumption. Pretty soon that person is thinking about and writing about population stabilization and/or population reduction. And that is—apparently—all it takes to provoke hate mail!
No doubt many things in this book will be controversial to some—more overtly controversial than anything in Pfeiffer’s paper. If you begin to think like a populationist, perhaps you will also have thoughts and express views which some people will consider controversial. The fact that you or I express controversial ideas does not mean that you or I are prejudiced against someone or something or that you or I are biased in favor of someone or something.
Incidentally, did you notice when you read the Introduction, words such as environment and environmental were italicized? I did that to illustrate the point that, of the people I have met who are constantly thinking about the effect of population growth upon America’s problems—people I call populationists—perhaps 90% of them became involved with population issues because of their concern for the environment. Only later, after studying issues further, have they also become concerned about crime or culture or economics or education or one or more of the many other problems exacerbated by rampant population growth. Thus, when I read or hear a populationist described as a racist or a xenophobe or a nativist, I tend to be skeptical. Such has not been my experience.
DEFINITIONS
This might be a good place to indicate what I mean when I write “alien” and when I write “immigrant.” According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, “alien” means: “An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country. Also called noncitizen.” So, any resident of any country who is not a citizen of that country is an alien.
Under “immigrant,” the same dictionary says: “A person who leaves one country to settle permanently in another.” Therefore, a citizen of one country who is in another country is an alien. Whether or not that person is also an immigrant depends on whether or not that person intends “to settle permanently” in that other country. This is how I will be using these two words throughout The Population Fix.
I assume you know what “illegal” means, so I need not define “illegal alien.” Some people prefer to use the term “undocumented workers” to describe illegal aliens. There are two problems with that term: First, many illegal aliens are not “workers.” Some are parents or spouses or companions of workers while others are children of workers and may be students in American schools.
Second, many illegal aliens are not “undocumented.” Some, perhaps a majority, have many documents. The problem is that most of the documents held by illegal aliens are illegal documents. They may be documents created by criminal networks in the business of creating illegal documents for illegal aliens. Those aliens involved in the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center were hardly “undocumented.” They had an abundance of documents! I don’t believe I would describe them as “undocumented workers.”
AMERICA AND AMERICANS
America 1. The United States. 2. also the Americas. The landmasses and islands of North America, Central America, and South America.
American adj. 1. Of or relating to the United States of America or its people, language, or culture.
I decided early in the writing of The Population Fix that I would use the primary definitions from The American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language, Fourth Edition, for America and Americans. Writing “America” uses less time, paper, and ink than writing “United States of America.” Likewise, “Americans” is more efficient than “citizens and other legal residents of the United States.” No inference should be drawn from this choice other than that I prefer to keep things simple.
CALIFORNIA! CALIFORNIA! CALIFORNIA!
As you read The Population Fix you will find many of my examples of problems created by or exacerbated by rampant population growth are “California problems.” Why is that?
First, I was born, raised, and live in California and am more familiar with its problems than those of any other state.
Second, to say I live in California is certainly not a boast—so do more than 36 million others! But does it surprise you to realize that one out of every eight people living in America lives in California? Consequently, California’s problems represent a large chunk of America’s problems.
Third, what first happens in California—good or bad—often ends up moving on to the rest of America. Yesterday’s population growth problems in California are today’s population growth problems in much of America and will probably be tomorrow’s population growth problems throughout America.
Finally, if ever there was a living, breathing counterargument to the “population growth is good” proposition, California is it. Or consider a letter to the editor from my friend, Jack Weir, published in my local newspaper:
“I must conserve power. I’m working by the light of my trusty Coleman.™ I’m appalled by the decline of our state. I feel like I’m back in Korea. Coming home in 1962, I drove on the nation’s best highways and sent my kids to the nation’s finest public schools.
“Now we start the millennium in a Third World context. The population has exploded, but highway capacity has not increased. Roads and bridges are in terrible repair. Our kids can’t read, spell, make change from a purchase, or name our state’s capital. Our energy infrastructure is in collapse. People’s lives and livelihoods are in jeopardy.”
If population growth is so good, where did California go wrong?
MIGRATION! MIGRATION! MIGRATION!
This book is about America’s addiction to population growth. As you read on you will learn that in some decades America’s population growth was the result of increased births and that in other decades population growth was the result of increased immigration. My primary concern is not with the cause of America’s increasing population—though it may be necessary to understand causes to find cures. My primary concern is with the population increase itself and with its deleterious effects upon America. Whether population growth comes by trains or planes, boats or buses, shoe leather or stork-power—too many people are simply too many people!
You will find a significant portion of this book deals with migration. Why? Because today the primary driver of America’s addiction to population growth is net migration—immigration, legal and illegal, into America minus emigration out of America. If net migration was zero and population was still increasing, I would be campaigning for Fish and Game Commissions across America to declare year-round, open season on storks! And the title of this section might be, “Storks! Storks! Storks!”
While it is also true that high fertility rates among some groups in America—including certain alien groups—are contributing to America’s population growth addiction, the greater contributor today is the amount by which immigration exceeds emigration. That is why you will read so much about net migration in this book and why you will find American populationist organizations invariably spend much of their time thinking about, talking about, and writing about unsustainable net migration into America.
A REMINDER TO DISAGREE
Remember, I expect you to disagree with something you read somewhere in The Population Fix. That’s great! It means you are thinking about what I have written. Mark the margins and when you have finished reading, go to www.ThinkPopulation.org and let me know what you disagree with and why you disagree. I assure you, I will welcome your views. They may give me fresh food for thought.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SKIP AROUND
The Table of Contents is relatively descriptive and sections within chapters are generally arranged alphabetically for easy thumbing. Please feel free to jump to chapters and to sections within chapters of particular interest or of particular concern to you. You can return later to chapters and sections you have skipped, if you choose to do so. However, before skipping around, may I suggest you read the next chapter, “An Overview,” which will give you some background regarding the population growth problem worldwide as well as in America.
REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
You will find questions at the end of each chapter related to the chapter you have just read. You may find they help you pause a few minutes and reflect on what you have read. You may want to pose one or more of these questions to others to obtain perspectives different from either yours or mine. If you are part of a reading group or discussion group, perhaps you will find some of these questions encourage useful conversation and fresh thinking. As the expression goes, “Use them in good health!”
FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION:
1.How well do you think the definition of altruist applies to you?
2.How easy or difficult do you think it would be for you to consider the “seventh generation” as you think about population growth in America?
3.How easy or difficult do you think it would be for you to think like a populationist?
4.What situations have previously caused you to think about the size of America’s population?
5.How do the dictionary definitions of immigrant and of alien differ from your previous personal definitions?
QUICK FIX #1
Several readers of early drafts of The Population Fix became so concerned about America’s population growth addiction that they wrote such comments as, “I feel as though I want to do something about it right now!” and “Isn’t there something I can do today?” Consequently, I have added “Quick Fixes” at the end of each chapter. They will enable you to do something right now—today—and they have been designed to do quickly, in 20 minutes or less.
If you turn to Appendix C, “Quick Fix References,” you will find a spot to enter name, address, and telephone number information. I suggest you use pencil as such things sometimes change. You may already know the information required or you may have to make a telephone call or scan pages in your favorite newspaper or newsmagazine. In any event, I believe you can gather the information called for in “Quick Fix” time.
Let’s begin by collecting names, addresses, and telephone numbers of people who can influence America’s addiction to population growth. For Quick Fix #1, enter information about the editor of your favorite newspaper or newsmagazine.
Chapter 2
AN OVERVIEW
fix n. (slang) An intravenous injection of a narcotic.
fix n. A difficult or embarrassing situation; a predicament.
fix v. To restore to proper condition or functioning; set right; repair.
IN THE BEGINNING …
It may be useful to recognize the phenomenon of destructive, exploding growth of human population has no precedent in history. For most of its existence, mankind has struggled to reproduce and maintain itself in the face of infant mortality, early adult diseases, pestilence, natural catastrophes, tribal warfare, starvation, and fluctuating extremes of climatic change. Only when populations became of a sufficient size to support hunting and gathering and to produce surplus food was civilization able to establish footholds.
As civilizations flourished, the need for more people to provide inexpensive or free labor—think slaves—grew unabated. From time to time there were setbacks—epidemics were common. The “Black Death” reduced Europe’s population by one-third and it took several generations to replace those who had died. In America, from the 16th century through the 19th century, there was a constant need for additional population—additional workers—to work in the mills and mines, the factories and farms. It was not until the 1950s that some scientists and political leaders became aware of the changing tempo of the world’s—and of America’s—population growth.
For the first time in the long history of our world, it became possible to say: “We may have too many people; our population may be growing too rapidly.”
“Sex for Pleasure” was the title of a short item in the April 2004 issue of Scientific American. Leave it to those scientists to know how to get our attention! After that title, SA printed a paragraph from their April 1954 issue which began: “Social, political, and public health leaders …” from many countries are “seriously concerned” about population growth and are taking steps to distribute family planning information in order to create “… a better balance between resources and populations.”
Just imagine … leaders were “seriously concerned” in 1954, when world population was less than three billion—less than half of today’s population. How concerned should they be now? Yet, how much evidence of concern do you see today among America’s and the world’s political leaders?
How many world problems are exacerbated by the world’s accelerating population growth? Think about famine and food shortages, depletion of ocean fisheries, destructive logging of rain forests, threatened extinction of endangered wildlife, international conflicts over water or land usage, and so on.
Ask yourself, “Would these problems be more easily addressed if there were fewer people to feed, clothe, house, and employ?”
The answer is obvious—having fewer people would not solve all problems, but it would mitigate and make more solvable almost all problems.
HOW LARGE A WORLD PROBLEM?
Let’s begin by discussing population growth not only in America but around the world:
• In 1800, world population was approximately one billion.
• In 1960—160 years later—it was approximately three billion.
• In 2000—40 years later—it was approximately six billion.
• And it is projected to be approximately nine billion in 2050.
In other words, it took 160 years for world population to increase by two billion, but it took only 40 years for it to increase another three billion!
Now, official projections are world population will increase another three billion in 50 years. My unofficial prediction is, it will take less than 50 years.
You might look at those numbers and dates and say:
“Well, look, Ed, things are getting better. Growth from three billion to six billion is 100% growth while growth from six billion to nine billion is only 50% growth. Things are looking better … aren’t they?”
Unfortunately, population growth “things” are not looking better; in fact, they are looking grim. In the first place, projections are just that—predictions about the future. In general, demographic projections for world population have turned out to be on the low side. Even with famines and wars, world population has tended to grow more rapidly than generally predicted.
More important, measuring population growth as a percentage of some base is, in many cases, not useful; it is the added number of people which adds to our problems. Let’s illustrate how a “percentage argument” can be—and often is—misused by enablers of our population growth addiction.
Imagine a container designed to hold ten gallons of gasoline. Your car is out of gasoline so you take the empty ten-gallon container from your trunk, go to a service station, and ask for five gallons of gasoline.
The attendant puts five gallons of gasoline in your container, then asks, “Wouldn’t you like me to add two gallons more?”
You say, “I think five gallons will be sufficient.”
With a smile the attendant says, “Well, two gallons more will only be 40% more.”
Not wanting to argue, you say, “OK.”
Then the attendant asks, “Why don’t I go ahead and add two more gallons?”
You say, “Well, that will make the container heavier to carry.”
He says, “Yes, but only 28.5714% heavier.” (Just your luck—a math savant pumping gasoline.)
Finally, he says, “Let me add another two gallons—that will only be 22% more.”
Unfortunately, he just tried to pour 11 gallons of gasoline into a 10-gallon container and we all know what that can lead to. Likewise, with world population, if we pour nine billion people into a—let’s say—four or five billion people world, we should not be surprised when there is an explosion.
HOW LARGE AN EXPLOSION?
Some nations have already had their population “explosions.” If you have a strong enough stomach for such things, you have probably seen pictures of tens of thousands of starving people in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere in the world. Let’s consider just one nation, China, the most populous nation in the world, with over one billion people.
China’s economy grows, but it’s food production fails to keep up with its population. Fortunately for China, because its economy provides sufficient resources for it to buy food on the world market, it does so. Unfortunately for poorer nations of the world, China’s demand drives food prices higher, and sometimes makes it unaffordable to those in would-be developing nations.
So, let them eat fish!