Posted on 11/11/2015 6:08:31 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
Moscow may be projecting a tough image abroad, but Russia is facing severe internal problems, including worrying trends that suggest the world's biggest country could run short of people.
That's not what you might assume, judging by the number of babies in buggies and strollers in any large Russian city. At a neighborhood park in St. Petersburg full of young families with children and toddlers, it looks like this country is in the midst of a baby boom.
Natasha and Shariv Azizov are here with their three children. Natasha says they're looking forward to having more, because, as Christians, they regard children as a blessing. "We don't know how many more children God will give us, but we're grateful to God for those we have so far," she says.
Her husband, Shariv, just grins. "We'd stop at 15," he says.
They say that even though Russia is facing a financial crisis, they regard a big family as a good investment, because brothers and sisters will take care of each other — and their parents — in the future.
Gayane Safarova, head demographer at the Institute for Economics and Mathematics in St. Petersburg, says couples like the Azizovs aren't unusual for Russians in their 20s and 30s.
"At present," Safarova says, "the total fertility rate is about the same as in the majority of developed European countries."
Young Russian women are having babies at a rate of 13 per 1,000 people, roughly the same as their contemporaries in Germany or France. But those countries have demographic issues of their own, and Russia, meanwhile, doesn't have enough young women.
During the turmoil that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many people chose not to have children, leaving Russia with a demographic deficit.
(Excerpt) Read more at npr.org ...
“...They say that even though Russia is facing a financial crisis, they regard a big family as a good investment, because brothers and sisters will take care of each other — and their parents — in the future....
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Definitely true. When times really get tough (e.g., when the state has significantly run out of “other people’s money”) family is far more reliable, and honest, than government.
“Post-Soviet”? When did Communists ever care about children?
I have heard the same thing coming from Berlin. Their solution is to bring in hordes of illiterate third world violent Muslims. I don’t think Putin will make that mistake.
There is no excuse for a financial crisis. Russia just needs competent leadership. Putin and his gangster friends have no idea how to promote economic growth or how to create opportunities for the average Russia. Because Putin and his buddies don't know how the first thing about economics, they just steal everything of value.
If it wasn’t for Putin and his KGB buddies causing all the corruption in Russia, their economy would had developed more like China right now.
I have heard the same thing coming from Berlin. Their solution is to bring in hordes of illiterate third world violent Muslims. I don’t think Putin will make that mistake.
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I don’t think he will either...especially after he sees what’s going on in Western Europe:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44vzMNG2fZc&feature=youtu.be
The times we are entering are indeed scary. We need to have wise leaders who are not encumbered by political correctness.
No he won’t. Give it three generations on this path and they’ll be fine.
Isn’t it what they put in the vaccines that causes sterility?
Or is that only Bill Gates’ vaccines.
Or does Russia use Bill Gates’ vaccines.
Do we give vaccines out free to whoever we *want* - hmmm
“Natasha and Shariv Azizov”
Natasha’s hubby has a name that is both Central Asian and Islamic. Just sayink, comrades.
NPR is a broken clock running slow; it isn’t even right twice a day.
The 22-to-35-year-old age group is the nation’s largest, by far. There was a fantastic collapse in the birth rate, causing a calamitous drop in population in the 10-to-22 year-old age group. But since then, fertility rates are up 50%, and a 60% rise in births. (The rise in births is sharper than the rise in fertility rates because that 22-to-35-year-old block is so large.)
Abortions are down 80%. The Muslim portion of the population is decreasing despite higher rural birth rates. The life expectancy is up 7 years over just 10 years... people are barely closer to death than they were 10 years ago!
And the natural growth rate of the population has gone from nearly a million below zero to 35,000 above zero.
The economic freedom index has Russia shooting past 60 nations in just five years
And the currency crisis triggered by the West’s economic war and the collapse of the price of oil hasn’t turned any of these indicators south.
It is nice to know that at least some of the Russian women are no longer having 9 abortions in their lifetime.
Russia will be the last white, Christian country.
Back when they could indoctrinate children into being good Little commies and snitches.
They are no longer communists.
Even when times are good Family is the best security. Family is the only thing you can really count on, and family is the only thing you really leave behind when your time on this earth is thou.
Family is everything, and people who don’t make every sacrifice they can to expand and cherish their families are really missing out on the most important part of life.
“Russia will be the last white, Christian country.”
Assuming Putin doesn’t driven it into the ground.
Putin has the capability of being a long term influence and leader over Russia, but he needs stop overextending Russia’s resources.
He in no ways is worst than the Clintons with their billion dollar foundation.
Get over your unfounded hatred and live a little.
Russia has some decent foundations, the real problem is she is taking on more than she can chew at the moment. Russia can win the war against the liberal west but she has to turn herself into a capitalist power and play the long game.
Socialism destroys a population from within Russia need merely turn away from it, while isolating itself culturally from its lies then it simply has to wait it out. Rebuild its population and in the long run the world is theirs.
Taking advantage of weak leaders like Obama can only go so far, grab what you can and settle that is how you beat incompetent fools, you don’t force them into a fight you just push them into giving up territory bit by bit. Then give them the illusion that they won some level of peace. When really they just lost of a lot of territory and resources.
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