Why is population decline presented as a bad thing

The article I mentioned in the previous post about the population decline in certain parts of eastern Germany presents it as a bad thing. Population decline=decay, and equals a general sort of decline that is lamentable.

Last I checked there were to many people on this planet and this overpopulation was presenting problems. To put it mildly.

Statements like this just don't make sense to me: "Not far beyond the few thriving urban centers, traffic is often spare on the freshly paved highways". This is a problem? A place that has good infrastructure and is not very crowded is a problem? Later it states: "economic activity per person has risen to 71 percent of the former western sector’s from 67 percent over the course of this decade." There are fewer people and they have more money. Again I ask: what exactly is the problem here. Is there some sort of weird sentimentality for crowded eastern block housing projects? Of course there are the lost jobs right? "Employment at the nearby mines, once accounting for as many as 5,000 jobs, has fallen to 500 or fewer. " Due to a weird quirk I knew someone who worked in one of those mines. He died of black lung disease in the early 80's.

This article is not alone in presenting population decreases as problems. This article is typical of what is said about Russian decreases in population. I have read similar sounding stuff regarding Japan. And Italy. Often the talk gets back to power. Nations who have decreasing populations will suffer a loss of power and prestige and be negatively affected "on the word stage". I have even heard it said that nations who tolerate a persistent drop in population are "committing suicide." What is going to happen, they are going to get invaded by some horde?

Is this the 19'th century? That isn't even 20'th century thinking. Maybe it's just "primal" thinking that never really goes away.

In my opinion if Russia 50 years from now is more like Canada. (fewer people, cleaner, higher standard of living etc. etc.) how could that be a bad thing? Yes Russia has some significant social problems but maybe a lower population will make it easier to fix them.

I think that pundits who do not embrace population declines as a good thing when the planet is so overpopulated would lead us all to suicide.