An intriguing question, discussed in Mises.org:
…That it is the government vs. the people rather than the government for, by, and of the people is clear in the former’s policies in practice as well as in the statements from its leaders. Very recently, Vice President Kamala Harris noted that “When we invest in clean energy and electric vehicles and reduce population, more of our children can breathe clean air and drink clean water.” Yes, she said “reduce population.”
The White House quickly posted an updated speech suggesting the VP had merely misread. She meant to say pollution, not population…The obvious reason is that this is something that is often discussed in politics and most likely also within the White House. Neo-Malthusianism, the idea that all problems in the present are due to “too many people,” and the seemingly obvious policy implication that we must “reduce” the number of people living on this earth, is alive and well. It’s a hydra that by now has plenty of heads, simply because we’ve already chopped off so many (and, as for the mythological creature, two grow up to replace each head chopped off). Read the rest.