AN INCONVENIENT FACTOID FOR GROWTHISTS

An Inconvenient Factoid for Growthists:

According to the World Bank, the top ten wealthiest countries, as measured by per capita GDP, are, in order of wealth:

1. Luxembourg: 491,000 people.
2. Norway: 4.8 million people.
3. Singapore: 4.8 million people
4. USA: 306 million people
5. Ireland: 4.5 million people
6. Switzerland: 7.7 million people
7. Austria: 8.3 million people
8. Netherlands: 16 million
9. Iceland: 319,000 thousand people
10. Sweden: 9.1 million people.

Note that of the ten countries listed, all but one, the United States, have a smaller population than Canada, which does not even make the hit parade. And the United States, with a runaway population growth in the past two decades, has not been doing too well of late, have they? So what was that that Jack Chow, (or is it Olivia Layton ?), Elizabeth May, Michael Ignatieff and Stephen Harper have been saying about immigration being the key to our prosperity?
Someone should break the news to the political class and their media mouthpieces that” Bigger” is not “Better”, that a higher GDP does not mean a higher per capita GDP, and that population growth has meant productivity decline and less quality of life. And with the imminent arrival of triple digit oil prices, Hotel Hospitality (Canada) is already overbooked---lots of room but not enough in the kitchen to serve more than a handful of residents. It’s time that we hung out a “No Vacancy” sign and have room service---Canada Border Security---see that our guests with temporary visas and failed refugee claims be shown out the door.

Tim Murray
November 22, 2009.