LETTER: Joecks column on population losses was spot on

The Wednesday essay by Victor Joecks is right on the money (“Musk, pope right about the need for more kids”).

Worldwide we see prospective parents holding back. When I was a kid in the ‘50’s our family of three kids was small. The neighborhood families typically were four to six kids.

Curiously, both Elon Musk and the pope represent the problem. Mr. Musk has grown rich beyond comprehension by aligning with government goals. Governments have endlessly promoted electric vehicles and financially supported their purchase, all to Mr. Musk’s benefit. The pope, while not evidently benefiting financially, has tirelessly promoted socialism.

So what’s happened? Simply the growth of government. The larger government grows, the less freedom we have. Just look around. The past couple of years illustrate the overreach of today’s governments.

As the ever-growing governments take over, citizens become boxed in by regulation, controls and ill-conceived edicts and are not much excited about bringing children into this kind of world. Hard to see that changing.