The last quote, “would have been unthinkable to a mother — whether she was white or black — to become pregnant, hide the identity of the father and then let the public pay for her kids”, I think, points to the limits of Heinsohn’s demographic approach. What is “thinkable” and what is “unthinkable” is a matter of religion, or some quasi-religious moral authority. It is not the matter of welfare policy alone. It is when the culture is lacking from the beginning, or experiences a collapse due to some extraneous force, that welfare becomes a destructive element that leads to the phenomenon of idle hostile youth.
Which points us back to the collapse of Christianity as a universal cultural force in the West and the outward-looking culture of Jihad in Islam. It’s in the world of ideas that demographic decisions are made.
I do hope we will be surprised to see how resilient American culture is to the extent that we may yet see America’s best days to come. Maybe the world will follow our lead.
Don’t give up even if it’s only to be able say that you fought the good fight.
And thanks for your many great articles.