• • Conservatives Should (and Must) Support Policies of Pro-Natalism 
Robert W. Patterson, Daily Beast - David Frum Last week, Forbes contributor Paul Hsieh suggested Jonathan Last, Joel Kotkin, Harry Siegel, and Ross Douthat aren’t freedom-loving Americans because the respected thinkers want to boost a key growth indicator: birthrates. It seems their pro-natalism offends Hsieh’s notion of liberty. [....] At the root of Hsieh’s misdiagnosis is his libertarianism. In his Ayn Rand fantasy world, “freedom” trumps everything, including civilization, nation, patriotism, industry, and culture. Such a notion would surprise Thomas Jefferson, whose understanding of the “pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence was essentially linked to marriage and children, according to Rutgers historian Jan Lewis.   Published: 2013-03-07