PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • February 24, 2023
A population explosion is straining infrastructure, hurting the climate, driving up the deficit and fueling competition for housing. This is not sustainable. Is continual growth really necessary? Do we want more traffic congestion, more shopping malls, more housing competition driving up the cost of homeownership and the loss of wild spaces? More homelessness? And more friction between developers who want to build dense housing and those who want to preserve the character of their communities? It won’t be easy to slow this juggernaut. But the latest Gallup poll reports most Americans don’t want more expansion, and 38% want immigration reduced. ~ Jonette Christian, Mainers for Sensible Immigration Policy, Holden