Key is to control all immigration

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Regarding the Monday article, “What will the county look like in 2040?”: The fatalism and victim stance in your article on population growth is astounding. So experts estimate that Snohomish County will have over 1 million by 2040 – and Pugetopolis will increase from 3.5 million people to 5 million. Yet demographers will also tell you that had all immigration (legal and illegal) stopped 20 years ago we as a state and nation would now have population stability (zero population growth). So growth is in our power – not a given.

Non-recent immigrant American women have been choosing to have slightly below replacement level number of children since about 1991. But certain politicians and business leaders feel they “know better.” Hence immigration quotas for legals were greatly increased about 20 years ago from the traditional (and generous) level of 250,000 a year to close to a million a year. And amnesties were given, borders left unsecure and workplace enforcement ignored.

Population growth has to end sooner or later. How crowded and sprawled of a Puget Sound do you want for your grandchildren’s world? Let’s go back to the generous 250,000 total a year – after a five-year immigration moratorium.

If you want to be heard on this issue, now is the time.

James Merkner

Snohomish