Dear HCN,
Ed Marston, I
want to thank you for your column on immigration and overpopulation
(HCN, 2/3/03: Son of immigrants has a change of heart). I’m
sure you have taken a lot of criticism since then, but you are
right in what you’ve said.
Overall, people refuse
to admit that every problem in the West, and the nation, is made
worse by population growth — and from over the borders, that
growth is both illegal and uncontrolled. As you wrote, the nature
of our society and economy, and the open space and mobility that we
cherish, are vanishing, degraded by uncontrolled growth, from all
cultures, coming from all parts of the globe.
From the
geographic viewpoint of Arizona, it’s a complex combination
of both immigration and drug war issues. Violence has escalated,
with armed intrusions across our border by drug runners, the
Mexican Army and the coyotes. A park ranger at Organ Pipe was
killed with an AK-47 not long ago. Civilian patrols seem to be the
latest and riskiest tactic of those who feel let down by our own
government. Those that make it across the border seem to be
welcomed without reservation by many in our society. And now, we
are opening job centers for day laborers in our cities — most
of whom are illegal aliens.
The larger problem is simply
that we cannot or will not enforce reasonable immigration laws. We
are a rich and strong country, and vast numbers from the other
billions of global citizens would like to come here. Let them try
France, or Germany, or Iran or Pakistan or Vietnam or the Ivory
Coast. Perhaps we should ship those caught crossing our borders to
one of these nations? Is our culture doomed, as you implied, by our
small families and reasonable birthrates? Yes, we are threatened by
the fecundity of other cultures.
We can shelter refugees
from despots, or from famine, drought and plague, but we
can’t take them all. Let them come, as they always have
— but within the law and within the practical limits that our
laws impose.
Steve Owen
Chandler,
Arizona
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline American culture is doomed by growth.
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