Hacker News Reader

Deport all illegal immigrants across the West, and increase standards for legal immigration. Aim for steady-state population levels, and immigration exchange only with similarly-developed nations.

Right now we are trading housing (and food, water, government services) for cheap labor in many countries.

View on HN

Which policies, if implemented, would aim for steady-state population levels?

This is exactly the wrong approach. The only growth most developed nations can expect is going to come from immigrants.

Why would countries need to keep growing in population?

Because most western economies face an age related economic time bomb. The “locals” are all getting older. The immigrants are usually young, productive and bear more children.

More capital per productive worker isn't really a bad thing for the individual worker, IMO. Most of the 'time bomb' is the liablities time bomb for social security / medicare and other entitlements to the elderly. They expect the young to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and voted for policies to destroy the young, so you could say it would be fair play to vote to cut off social security and medicare to the elderly and let them pick themselves up by their own bootstraps so we can avoid the liabilities time bomb.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com