In nature, systems operate in dynamic equilibrium. There is a flow and balance, a yin and yang to all parts. We see the same process in the evolution of societies as the wonders of modernity flow throughout the civilization.
What does this have to do with immigration? Everything. With modernity the old immigration thinking based on only more and more bodies is in direct conflict with present physical and technological reality.
But before we explore this let us rid ourselves of that old chestnut where we must welcome immigration since “we are a nation of immigrants.” As a factual matter all nations are nations of immigrants, it is only the timing of this immigration that might be different.
As for U.S. population, it is just over 342 million. Without immigration, U.S. population growth is basically flat, perhaps even decreasing slightly. Some would call this a stable population and it wasn’t that long ago where most thought this was a good thing. In fact, most thought of it as a requirement for the long-term survival of the country and even the world.
But with immigration, this country imports a new person every 23 seconds (most of these being low-skilled) for a net gain of a new person every 14 seconds! And if all illegal immigration were to be recorded, the numbers are most certainly worse than this. Trump has certainly slowed this, but the general trend remains the same.
Why is this a good thing for this country and how can it ultimately end well? Some in the business community believe we need population growth to drive economic growth. This is a fatally flawed design. Any economic system which requires an ever-expanding population is sooner or later destined to fail. These are called Ponzi schemes and they all crash sooner or later, it is a mathematical certainty.
Do we willingly allow the population to grow, all driven by immigration, until it collapses?
We must never forget that whether we like it or not, we humans have become stewards of this planet. Our long-term success is not remotely assured but ignoring reality and building fatally flawed systems upon which 100s of millions rely is certain to lead to our and perhaps the planet’s demise.
Yet the solution is right before our eyes and is happening every day. There is a symmetry and self-balancing nature driven by modernity. Modernity brings freedom and rule of law. Modernity brings the scientific process and widespread knowledge of all aspects of reality. Together these provide the framework for wealth creation. This wealth creation further drives innovations in all areas of life. It creates a virtuous circle where one good thing leads to another good thing and on and on.
One feature of this symmetry is the reduction in the number of people required to generate the same or even more economic output. Almost all predict that in just the next few years we will see an explosion of these innovations even further reducing the number of people required to accomplish the same things -- hitting low-skilled jobs the hardest. It is very likely artificial intelligence (AI) and robots will erase millions of jobs.
This though is in perfect harmony with another feature of modernity, birth rates dropping and populations stabilizing. All these pieces support the others and they all move more or less in harmony. It is clear the world-wide answer to the “population explosion” is freedom and modernity and anything which distorts this harmony by definition will be destructive.
So why does this country want to import a new person every 23 seconds? What jobs will there be for them? How is this in harmony with this modernity symmetry? It is not.
Sadly, our governmental social systems and those in Western Europe are also based on a flawed population-driven design which requires an ever-expanding population for them to “work.” Much like the economic argument for more and more people, this design ensures the system will sooner or later collapse. The only question is when. This fatal flaw is made only worse as life expectancies become longer. It would seem to make the most sense to start addressing this now rather than later.
In addition, it takes a few generations before modernity slows birth rates down to a stable population. Right now, modernity has controlled our population. A stable population is starring us in the face if we just accept it. Where are the environmentalists demanding we accept this?
Instead, as we import more and more people, we ensure we collectively lose control of population growth -- like most of the underdeveloped world -- and the next opportunity for a stable U.S. population might be closer to a billion people! I for one vote a strong no!
Rather than importing people, we should be aggressively spreading freedom and modernity and all the wonders it brings to all parts of the globe. Individuals in these countries may choose to ignore these wonders; that is their choice. But exporting their “surplus” population to the U.S. and other developed countries is not a solution for either country.
The developed world is making a fatal mistake in building flawed social and economic systems which require an ever-expanding population to function. Importing millions of people will only delay the day of reckoning and ensure the crash is that much worse, to say nothing of the probable destruction of this country’s culture.
If we take this path, we are willingly and knowingly failing as stewards of the USA and of the entire planet. We do not have to allow this to occur.
John Conlin is an expert in organizational design and change. He also holds a BS in Earth Sciences and an MBA and is the founder and President of E.I.C. Enterprises, a 501(c)3 non-profit. He has been published in American Greatness, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, American Thinker, Houston Chronicle, Denver Post, and Public Square Magazine among others.
Image: Grok AI