Krugman asks a question, news that will make you want to repeatedly bash your head against a bulkhead, and in the "things that glow in the dark department"...
The other day I was looking at the changes of population in the Caribbean and it was/is depressing reading.
For instance, here's the population stats for the USVI but if you bother to look into the rest of the Caribbean you're going to see the same story played out...
| Year | Pop. | ±% | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 30,527 | — | ||||||||
| 1911 | 27,086 | −11.3% | ||||||||
| 1917 | 26,051 | −3.8% | ||||||||
| 1930 | 22,012 | −15.5% | ||||||||
| 1940 | 24,889 | +13.1% | ||||||||
| 1950 | 26,665 | +7.1% | ||||||||
| 1960 | 32,099 | +20.4% | ||||||||
| 1970 | 62,468 | +94.6% | ||||||||
| 1980 | 96,569 | +54.6% | ||||||||
| 1990 | 101,809 | +5.4% | ||||||||
| 2000 | 108,612 | +6.7% | ||||||||
| 2010 | 106,405 | −2.0% |
Scary numbers when you think about it. An even scarier number is that in 2008 the population density was measured at 162 people per square kilometer.
The increased population combined with a unsustainable economy, an infrastructure way past its sell-by date, and a total lack of anyone in power actually doing anything remotely constructive to fix things does not a pretty picture make.
Or, to put it in common parlance, it's all going to hell in a turbo charged wicker basket. So, if you plan to visit and cruise down here I'd do it sooner rather than later...
Listening to Greg Trooper
So it goes...
