Letter WSJ – An American Baby Boom?

This letter to the editor was published in The Wall Street Journal on May 8, 2025. The Journal reaches roughly 4.2 million readers, and its editors receive hundreds of letters daily but print only 6–10. My letters appear regularly in newspapers across Hawaiʻi, California, and Nevada, but placement in the WSJ is both rare and significant — a national platform that’s one of the most effective ways to catch a policymaker’s attention.

An American Baby Boom? In this Economy?

President Trump is apparently interested in offering new mothers a $5,000 baby bonus to boost the national fertility rate (“How to Make American Babies Again” by Leonard Lopoo, op-ed, April 30). “Sounds like a good idea to me,” he said at a recent press conference.  It isn’t.

When will our government learn that throwing taxpayers’ money and the associated bureaucratic red tape at a problem does not solve it?  Common sense would suggest that our birthrate is declining because of the cost and stress of raising a child.  Our schools are a failure; our streets aren’t safe; our justice system favors the lawless; deadly drugs have long flowed across our borders; the debt continues to grow; and the cost of food, energy, insurance, education, and healthcare is alarming.

Our representatives and unelected bureaucrats have created big government, which presents significant challenges for families and businesses.  Today, parents worry that their kids won’t have the same chance at success as prior generations did.  Americans want a refreshing vision and better leadership that delivers positive outcomes.  When our policy-makers fix what they broke, don’t be surprised if the birthrate stabilizes.