Birth Rate Plunges During Recession

Time ^ | Dec. 04, 2012 | Dan Kadlec

[MinorityRepublican]

The youngest baby boomers will begin turning 50 next year, a noteworthy milestone in the graying of America. But the more important data point may be this: Last year, the birth rate in America fell to the lowest level in recorded history.

These may be separate developments but they are part of the same ominous story. As our largest generation moves toward full-on retirement we are minting what promises to be our smallest generation, a group that from the very beginning of its working years will face the impossible task of supporting millions of entitled old fogeys. Something will have to give.

The U.S. birth rate slid by 8% in recent years, reaching 63.2 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age in 2011, according to a report from the Pew Research Center. That is half the peak birth rate recorded in 1957, which was smack in the middle of the baby boom. This is the lowest rate since at least 1920, the earliest year for which there are reliable numbers.

[skeeter]

So maybe all the little future taxpayers we need to support a giant geezer population down the road will materialize yet. But I wouldn’t count on it.

Here's an idea - don't retire.

Of course I believe the widespread bias against aged employees will need reforming.

[RegulatorCountry]

The one possible bright spot among so many dark ones in unloading health insurance from employers would be age discrimination. That’s the biggie, the hit to the group plan.

Of course, given the proclivities of the current administration, they’ll find some way to muck that up, too. They’re destroyers.

[Gay State Conservative]

I'll wager that it hasn't plunged for the 47%

[Cowboy Bob]

If it weren’t for illegals and welfare queens, the rate would have been even lower. :(

Working Americans should be proud that they are subsidizing their own demise.

[Texan5]

No one in my family ever retires-most of us are self-employed as ranchers or construction subs and can’t afford to-hey, it keeps us fit.

That said, the pro-choice bunch are about to get the results of preaching a totally selfish lifestyle that looks down on having kids and funds abortion/infanticide for so long-there is a God, and there are far-reaching consequences to pissing Him off...

[Standing Wolf]

How high is the murdered baby count now? Hmmm!

[Psalm 144]

Leftist policies are always a blight to the human race.

[Psalm 144]

“How high is the murdered baby count now? Hmmm!”

Over 50 million. “One nation, under God”

Right.

[Dilbert San Diego]

It’s ironic that the birthrate is so low, yet the rate of illegitimate births is so high. We have institutionalized the concept of single mother parenting, especially in the baby mama culture of the ghetto and the barrio.

Unfortunately the baby mama culture is spreading to the rest of society. We have lost the will as a society to make any moral judgements about anything.

This even touches on the whole gang culture of the inner city. The vast majority of the guys in gangs were raised without a father in the home, which contributes to their delinquency.

[Dilbert San Diego]

It’s ironic that the birthrate is so low, yet the rate of illegitimate births is so high. We have institutionalized the concept of single mother parenting, especially in the baby mama culture of the ghetto and the barrio.

Unfortunately the baby mama culture is spreading to the rest of society. We have lost the will as a society to make any moral judgements about anything.

This even touches on the whole gang culture of the inner city. The vast majority of the guys in gangs were raised without a father in the home, which contributes to their delinquency.

[Texan5]

My opinion as well-just desserts for all the years of preaching infanticide-too bad the golf courses and luxury retirement pads in Florida and the cruise ships will be empty because those people have to keep working to make money...

[tbw2]

The married, responsible parents are holding off on having more children. The unmarried are on the dole and are incentivized to have more children.
If the incentives were removed and the economy improved, more married parents would have more children.

[MondoQueen]

Since when are we older citizens “geezers” and “old fogies”?
Wait till you become one of them. You won’t likee idea of being denied medical care, especially when you have worked hard for 50 years and contributed 15% through you and your employer.

[OldPossum]

The married, responsible parents are holding off on having more children.

It seems to me that that is the rational response to today's societal conditions. Why would anyone want to bring children into what appears to be a world that will be biased against people who want to be ambitious, hard-working citizens?

[skeeter]

Of course, given the proclivities of the current administration, they’ll find some way to muck that up, too.

The biggest 'proclivity' being their hatred of the white middle class, which is the major demographic of the Boomers.

They'll find some way to kill us off.

[Viennacon]

I notice that most of these countries with “aging populations” have pretty liberal abortion policies. The same liberals then try to import people from incompatible cultures because we “need” them to support the aging population. These same people then sponge on benefits and our country collapses and is balkanized.

[Colofornian]

From the article: The youngest baby boomers will begin turning 50 next year, a noteworthy milestone in the graying of America. But the more important data point may be this: Last year, the birth rate in America fell to the lowest level in recorded history. These may be separate developments but they are part of the same ominous story. As our largest generation moves toward full-on retirement we are minting what promises to be our smallest generation, a group that from the very beginning of its working years will face the impossible task of supporting millions of entitled old fogeys.

C'mon all consider the source here. Liberal of liberals, Time Mag.

Let's analyze their premise for a moment.

The birth rate, already not high, dropped to its lowest levels ever in 2011.

That means that if the culture roughly remains the same, the best-earning 2011 babies will begin their post-college career say in 2034. In 2034, whatever Baby Boomers are still alive will range in age from the 70s up to age 88.

At that point, if you considered that perhaps 94% of all in the workforce then would range in age from 23 to 65, translated that means that 23 yo in the Year 2034 will be about 2% of the overall workforce.

Obviously, even if they had normal birth #s, they wouldn't be expected to produce 2% of the "contribution" to "social security" or whatever by then has replaced it.

The issue isn't yet significant until you get almost double-digit years or more of such birth decline...when huge drops in laborers in their 30s results in extremely significant issues. And even then most of the Baby Boomers will be in the grave by the 2040s.

The results THEN will be not less laborers...just more Hispanic & Muslim immigrants flooding the U.S. as labor "replacements"...(like what Europe has had to do with their extremely low birth rates...bring in more Muslim immigrants)...

Besides, a country that endorses Planned Parenthood carving away at the birth rates by carving away at pre-born flesh basically deserves whatever it gets.