The following is the text of a letter which I had submitted to the
New York Times for its Invitation to a Dialogue. The text reflects
concerns I have about energy, population sustainability and
immigration which it is all too often politically incorrect to discuss
candidly. If elected to the US Senate from Michigan, I would use
that position to push for a much needed honest discussion of the
issues we face on immigration.
4 West Eden Court
Ann Arbor, MI 48108
Tel. 734/477-9942
April 15, 2013
To the Editor:
In September 2007 the British Royal Statistical Society
published in its journal Significance an article on
sustainable population. The article estimated Britain’s
sustainable population at 17 to 27 million and it estimated
that our current US population of 300 million plus is a little
over twice its sustainable size. The article pointed out
that it is (cheap) oil that has maintained our current population
levels. With the arrival of peak oil, the maximum production
of conventional crude, we are running out of cheap oil.
In light of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) late 2012 report
about shale fracking revitalizing the US energy sector, many
don’t believe that we are running out of cheap oil. But after
the report was issued, the chief economist of the IEA was
quoted as saying that its forecasts to 2017 were based on
data that were “poorly known” and that it was unclear whether
new reserves could be found to sustain output. If this is the
case, and there are compelling reasons to believe it is,
concern about energy, population sustainability and their
impact is warranted.
Concern about the impact of immigration on our own
minorities is likewise warranted. In the Fall 2007 issue
of The Social Contract on “The Future of an Unsustainable
Planet” Faye Anderson pointed out that “data reveal a strong
correlation between immigration and black wages, black
unemployment rates and black incarceration rates.”
Given this, isn’t it time when considering our immigration
policy to discuss the issues of population sustainability
and the impact of immigration on our own minorities
first? Otherwise, don’t we face yet another round of
token and ineffective immigration legislation that does
not fairly and effectively address the issues we face in
this area, especially for our own black and Latino
minorities, and poor?
Sincerely yours,
John Howard Wilhelm, Ph.D.,
Economics