Population Growth

Blogspot has been quiet recently. No one is really keeping a weblog anymore. Anyways, recently I heard from the news that the Sierra Club is now divided on the population growth issue. And here today, there is a news documentary on this very topic -- populaton growth and birth rate. In Japan, there is a major population decline. With its crowded streets and subways, you would never think that they didn't have enough people, but statistics show that there is only 1.3 children per woman. Most women want the independence so they delay child birth. The Japanese age pyramid is elderly-heavy. So, social security for the seniors are down the drain in Japan. The only way to remedy the decline of population growth is to take in immigrants. But of course the Japanese is against that idea as they want to keep their ethnicity pure. On the flipside, India's population growth is out of control. They have actually implemented a 2-children policy (as opposed to China's 1-child policy). With the policy in place, Indian families are also choosing male babies over females. There are many reports of female infanticides in India. India is estimated to be 35 million females-short. Men will have problems finding a bride. It is now illegal for the doctor to do ultrasounds to determine the sex of the fetus. Many interesting facts in this documentary. In the U.S., I think there is so much research and statistics gathered that the government will find a way to keep us in line with population growth. United States is actually the fastest growing modern country in the world. As in all educated countries, Americans are also delaying the child-bearing age and keeping families small. However, government policies have it so that there is enough immigrants to fill in the gap. Immigrants make the country more vibrant and diverse. But in all issues, there are always good and bad. Some will argue how immigrants can take away jobs, etc. Interesting topic -- I almost feel like this is a classic college term paper topic!