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Radio
Transcript
LIFE ISSUES NO.
2327
A CORNUCOPIA
Today I have a report from Steven
Mosher on the benefits of population growth. America's greatest
resource, he says, is her people. This belief is enshrined
in our founding documents in which human life, in all its
abundance, is affirmed as the first unalienable right. Moreover,
this belief is demonstrated by our history. From a scant three
million colonists scattered along the Eastern seaboard of
North America, we have grown to 270 million today. And with
that great increase in population has come a cornucopia of
prosperity.
Comparing the America of 1900
with the America of 2000, as the U.S. Census Bureau has recently
done, this confirms the link between population and prosperity.
At the turn of the last century, the U.S. had a population
of 76 million; the average life span was 47 years; the Standard
and Poor Composite Index was 6.2.
As our population has boomed
over the past century, so did life spans, scientific innovation
and entrepreneurial activity. Today America numbers, not 76
million, but 270 million people. The average life span has
climbed from 47 to 77, and the Standard and Poor
Index has jumped from 6.2 to 1,430.
He continues: “Entering
the new millennium, the U.S. Census Bureau report makes clear
that America has never been so populous, productive and healthy.
America's farmland, thanks to the ingenuity of tens of thousands
of scientists and the hard work of millions of farmers, continues
to set records in yield per acre and in total yield.
“New scientific discoveries
have paved the way for longer, healthier lives and have helped
cut death rates in half. In 1900, there were 17 people who
died per every 1,000. Today it's only 8.
At the same time, however, the
American family size has shrunk from 4.8 persons at the turn
of the century to a low today of 2.6 persons. Declining birthrates
and increasing life expectancies have combined to propel the
average age of the population older and older. The percentage
of Americans aged 65 and over is rapidly increasing. Currently,
it's 16.5%. In 20 years it'll be 25% of all the people.
And, by mid-century (2050), America
will be much grayer, and fully one-third of the entire population
will be over 60 years of age.
This will happen if our under-replacement
birthrate does not increase, and it will continue to happen
as long as we continue to kill by abortion one baby for every
three that are born.
[06/06/00]
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