More Babies, Please

The New York Times ^ | December 1, 2012 | ROSS DOUTHAT

[MinorityRepublican]

IN the eternally recurring debates about whether some rival great power will knock the United States off its global perch, there has always been one excellent reason to bet on a second American century: We have more babies than the competition.

It’s a near-universal law that modernity reduces fertility. But compared with the swiftly aging nations of East Asia and Western Europe, the American birthrate has proved consistently resilient, hovering around the level required to keep a population stable or growing over the long run.

America’s demographic edge has a variety of sources: our famous religiosity, our vast interior and wide-open spaces (and the four-bedroom detached houses they make possible), our willingness to welcome immigrants (who tend to have higher birthrates than the native-born).

And it clearly is an edge. Today’s babies are tomorrow’s taxpayers and workers and entrepreneurs, and relatively youthful populations speed economic growth and keep spending commitments affordable. Thanks to our relative demographic dynamism, the America of 50 years hence may not only have more workers per retiree than countries like Japan and Germany, but also have more than emerging powers like China and Brazil.

If, that is, our dynamism persists. But that’s no longer a sure thing. American fertility plunged with the stock market in 2008, and it hasn’t recovered. Last week, the Pew Research Center reported that U.S. birthrates hit the lowest rate ever recorded in 2011, with just 63 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age. (The rate was 71 per 1,000 in 1990.) For the first time in recent memory, Americans are having fewer babies than the French or British.

[MichaelCorleone]

***Last week, the Pew Research Center reported that U.S. birthrates hit the lowest rate ever recorded in 2011,...***

Having nothing to do with the millions of womyn slaughtering their children year in and year out of course.

[Gene Eric]

Abortion doesn’t help.

[cherry]

its pathetic but we deserve it....

we HATE children in this country....

we want NO children on our airplanes...we want them kicked off if they cry....

we make whole communities devoted only to old farts and NO children allowed...

for every dollar we spend on little Billy we spend $10 on granny....

we don't want children to eat in "our" restaurants....

I'm surprised I haven't read a thread here on Fr about making children attend only special church services so they won't interrupt we sacred adults in our supposed prayer....

yep....children are not wanted nor accepted nor even liked by an ever increasing adult cabal....JMO of course...

so who blames young adults for not having children......

[annieokie]

Americans are having fewer babies"""".....

Not going to work out to well for the TAKERS, rofl.

They have got a BIG suprise waiting for them. I love it, REVENGE is what Obama said, Revenge it is.

My grandchildren do not want any children, and they would be among the MAKERS.

Before the last of the family goes, leave word to burn everything in sight.

[annieokie]

Americans are having fewer babies""""".....

With so many threads on this same subject this week. I'm beginning to sense a state of FEAR among the elites & media.

Things are not working out as planned for them, hahahahahahaha.

[JoeProBono]

Why are there no Islamists in Star Trek? Because it's set in the future.

[Fester Chugabrew]

More babies? Yes! More godless educrats and media elites? No!

[EDINVA]

I don’t think the abortion rate has increased since 1990. Couples just are choosing not to have children, or to delay until it’s too late. The ONLY thing keeping the birthrate up are Muslims and Hispanics. It sure isn’t white Anglo-Saxons. That’s why they’re projected to be a minority in the USA by 2046. Not far off.

[MichaelCorleone]

“I’m surprised I haven’t read a thread here on Fr about making children attend only special church services so they won’t interrupt we sacred adults in our supposed prayer....”

In general I share your sentiments, cherry, but you’re out of line on this particular one.

[Best and Brightest]

Remember the call for “Zero Population” growth because more than replacement rate was considered a greedy thing to do to the environment? That was one of the liberal agenda pieces that liberals adopted within independent thought.

[kearnyirish2]

When France fell in 1940 they knew it was because they didn’t have enough children (and publicly stated so); we are watching “Anglo-America” change to Latin America because Americans won’t breed. There are many reasons (especially legal & financial) for them to refuse to do so, but they must accept the consequences of that. Bill Gates and those in power wanted 0 population growth; if we wouldn’t play ball they would make it financially impossible to have families. This past election showed the consequences of those decisions...

[andyk]

Heck, let’s just quadruple the child tax credit, and expand the use of negative tax liability! More redistribution for all my friends!

[Gene Eric]

>> so who blames young adults for not having children......

At the risk of sounding chauvinistic and insensitive, here are some reasons for the decline in birth rates among Western Caucasians:

1) relationships without responsibility, or delayed marriage
2) “children destroy opportunity for young adults”
3) feminism, careers, independence — “to Hell with men”
4) the indelible impression of divorced parents and friends
5) the slut-ification of women, and lost respect thereof
6) latent emotional maturity
7) disregard of family, and spirituality
8) abortion

[Salvation]

This gives you some idea -- probably outdated now.

Each “+” (cross) represents 10,000 deaths (or fraction thereof)

Revolutionary War 6,188
+

War of 1812 4,505
+

Mexican War 4,152
+

U. S. Civil War (both sides) 498,332
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Spanish-American War 2,446
+

World War I 116,516
+ + + + + + + + + + + +

World War II 405,399
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Korea 54,246
+ + + + + +

Vietnam 58,167
+ + + + + +

Desert Storm 293
+

Afghanistan/Iraq Liberation 3,500
+

Grand Total all U.S. Wars 1,150,744
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+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

Abortions in the U.S. (Since Roe v. Wade in 1973) 54,559,615
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[Salvation]

 

“The answer to anyone who talks about the surplus population is to ask him, whether he is part of the surplus population; or  if not, how he knows he is not.” [1925]

~~G. K. Chesterton

 

[GOPJ]

Culture suicide.

Young people are telling us how they feel... They don’t want to bring children into Obama’s country...

[MetaThought]

This started loong before Obama, it’s just becoming clear now, as our dear “guest-workers” are leaving.

[Best and Brightest]

Sorry for the typo - that should have read “without independent thought.”

Remember the call for “Zero Population” growth because more than replacement rate was considered a greedy thing to do to the environment? That was one of the liberal agenda pieces that liberals adopted WITHOUT independent thought.

[nolongerademocrat]

Having a baby is one of the greatest expressions of hope for the future that a couple can display. If people have no hope that the future will be better, they do not want to bring children into this world. Hope is the Tree of Life. We are seeing the death of hope along with the death of our country. It is ironic that “Hope” was part of Obama’s campaign motto in 2008 because he has done everything he can to destroy hope in our young people.