Myrtle Beach, SC, Orlando, FL November 19, 2015

Myrtle Beach, SC Correspondent-Yes. First and foremost, this question is far deeper than it seems on the surface.

Part one is simply our natural resources. The earth only has so much land and so many resources that are renewable. Without getting too “tree-hugger” on everyone, we all need to realize the strain humans put on Mother Earth. The strain on nature can be aided with population control.

Second part to this is the strain on our budgets as households and as a country. We all know the strains on a household, but fewer people may consider the strain on our country. In my eyes there are FAR too many government subsidies and programs for people who choose to have families. Many of these programs can be taken advantage of far too easily, which strains us all. This leads right into tax, welfare, food stamps, S.N.A.P, and Medicaid reform.

What do we do? I would call for immediate tax reform. No more tax credits for children. Offer tax credits for NOT having children! If you ask me it’s completely unfair to begin with; having children is a choice and if you choose to do so you know the consequences. Second thing to be done is to reform all programs like food stamps and welfare. Notice I did not mention W.I.C; that program works.

I may have gone off on a tangent here, but having kids should not entitle people to more just because their reproductive system works. If we make it less “cushy” for people (a.k.a. financial help, medical help) maybe we can curb the overpopulation of this little place we call earth. If we don’t we need to speed up the process of populating another planet because we WILL run out of room on this one.

Sheffield, Jamaica Correspondent-Was it not God who told the first man and woman to “fill the earth”? Isn’t that commission alive today as it was thousands of years ago? Why then should we want to instigate policies regarding the country’s population, to control the conception of people? I strongly believe that implementing population control is a waste of time and effort.

Firstly, there’s nothing wrong with the human population to make attempts to control it. Secondly, even though it seems that food is scarce to feed more people, that’s definitely not the case. We have all the food in the world to eat; it’s just that our Government has not found a way to evenly distribute these food supplies so that everyone can eat. As we stand, only those with money and resources are able to eat. Instead of controlling the population, why not control how much money rich persons accumulate or how many supplies of food these hotels throw out daily?

Presumably, the Government would also want to control the country’s population because of lack of housing and land. Wouldn’t you agree that we have enough land that everyone can live on, provided that it was free and no one had to pay for it?

I say, forget about population control. Rather, the Government should focus on equally distributing the resources of the country to its people. That includes land, housing, food, education, and health care. If the Government factor in these things, there would be no need to control the population.

Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent-An ever increasing population does present problems, and polices that are directly aimed at population control need to be carefully weighed to determine exactly what needs to be implemented to contain and curb the complications and ramifications of overpopulation.

The types of policies that need to be put in place to alleviate overpopulation include limited immigration from foreign countries into the United States. In fact, legal immigration from foreign nations needs to be strictly curtailed for a number of years simply to absorb any foreign national groups already within the borders of America. Those who are not legal and are residing in particularly affected cities and towns must be sanctioned, deported or encouraged to self-deport. Self-deportation can only occur when the magnet to population centers and particularly vulnerable areas is cut off, which includes benefits such as access to free housing, vehicles, welfare, food stamps, social security, medical care, illegally obtained work, and any other extraneous advantages.

The inability to sustain huge influxes of foreign nationals, whether illegal or legal, has reached a tipping point. In order to resolve the issue, directives concerning such immigration patterns, as well as a focus on individuals that hold work visas under any program, as well as Green Card recipients and potential guest workers, all need to be part of a serious assessment program concerning current immigration laws. Such prohibitory provisions need to be enforced to the highest degree. Evaluations and policies of this nature would seriously inhibit illegal growth, invasions by uninvited groups, and population expansion problems in general.

Other population policies should also include assessing geographical areas where populations have burgeoned and gone beyond normal sustainability. No new inhabitants should be allowed into a town or city that has reached, or is about to reach, its limit concerning population expansion. Land and water availability, as well as access to utilities, housing, food and other means of existence need to be seriously analyzed, as does the social-economic conditions of the area. No part of a country should be allowed to become overpopulated that has reached a point of no return in terms of feasibility, lack of employment, violation of local and state laws, severe strains on its social and economic system and the general impact on its native population.

Those promoting or aiding and abetting overpopulation through the enticement of sanctuary, employment, and other perks must be taken to task as well, whether at the federal, state or local level. No area of the country should be inundated and over extended because of the greed and false promises of selfish politicians, business owners, self-promoters and other groups seeking serious political or financial gain. Restrictions, fines, penalties and incarceration should be part of any policy to hinder the plans of such groups. Their tactics and avoidance maneuvers must be ended.

Policy making bodies for strong and slow population growth, along with actual black and white strategies at the state, local and federal level, and enforced courses of action, must be implemented in order to curb overpopulation. Those unwilling to recognize what overpopulation has already created within America must be faced with the cold hard facts in order to understand what overcrowding inflicts on a town, city and a country. Without full acknowledgment of the dangers of overpopulation and its destructive influence on a sovereign nation, this volatile issue will continue to be of critical importance to the survival of America.

Gastonia, NC Correspondent-The main pressure when it comes to population overpressure is in the third world and in developing countries, where they still hold to the old agrarian practices of having large families in order to work the land. High infant mortality rates put additional fuel to the fire, as parents hedge their bets to make sure they have enough surviving children to keep family lines intact, property ownership, etc.

But beyond the societal practices, there’s the broader problem of a lack of health care, especially and specifically as it pertains to contraception, in these poorer countries. In a backwater South American town where running water is a luxury and indoor flush toilets are the stuff of dreams, there’s no corner Walgreens selling the latest Durex or Trojan products, and forget finding a health clinic that will prescribe the Pill, much less a pharmacy where you might have the prescription filled.

Part of the problem, and here’s where the shouting starts, is with the Catholic Church. Church missionaries have worked among these populations for decades and longer, and have done tremendous good works. However, the church’s complete proscription of birth control in any way, shape or form has led to women having children they can’t feed, for whom there are no schools and who are thus doomed to the same cycle of poverty and rampant reproduction as their ancestors.

Monty Python hit disturbingly close to home with the famous “Every Sperm is Sacred” skit in “The Meaning of Life,” showing a harried father played by Michael Palin telling his scores of children they’d all been sold off for medical experiments because he could no longer afford to feed them.

If the world wants to avoid watching these nascent countries collapse under the weight of their own populations, measures must be taken to make contraception accessible, and to convince men and women that they won’t suffer eternal damnation for buying a pack of Trojans.