We received a newsletter today from our mortgage broker in which was featured a recap of a new book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050 by Joel Kotkin.  Would that we could share Mr. Kotkin’s optimism.  Kotkin’s thesis is that

 

Unprecedented (population) growth will allow America to emerge by middle of the century as the most affluent, culturally rich, and successful nation in history.

 

From his online bio –

 

An internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social trends, Joel Kotkin is the author of a new book, THE NEXT HUNDRED MILLION: America in 2050, just published by The Penguin Press. The book explores how the nation will evolve in the next four decades.

 

Kotkin subscribes to a theory that the expected population growth in this country over the next forty years, from 300 million today to 400 million in 2050, will bring about only good for the nation.  He further suggests that vast amounts of undeveloped land and the

 

abundance of affordable homes will keep birth rates up and attract more immigrants refreshing the aging workforce.

 

We can’t fully employ our present population, nor can we adequately educate it.  Almost half of that current population pays no taxes and survives off entitlements funded by the other half.  The present administration and Congress are hell bent on escalating this trend, which will only further demoralize the spirit of those who are inclined to invest and grow the economy, thus fueling the escalation of that trend.

 

An additional 100 million creative, motivated, hard working, well educated individuals could be good for the nation, but if half of them are on the take from Uncle Sam, it will only deepen the despair from which we already suffer.

 

Sounds like a great book!  Can’t wait to read it.