Contraception, abortion, and 'free love' have done it in for the Euros. Once upon a time, a man ended up with children as Nature's fee for the man getting his rocks off. Now he can get his rocks off without children. But Nature will get its revenge.....
,,, that's pretty simplistic. I'm one of those guys who actually likes kids. I've got a new one, ten weeks old now. I have a daughter from a first marriage who will be fifteen tomorrow and a son who is twelve. They've given me a lot to smile about over the years and that's how I've come to measure my standard of living. If Alitalia stock falls below its present 32 cents, for example, do you think I'll look worried? A lot of people seem to validate themselves on the basis of a new home theatre system, a summer house or negotiable bearer bonds. Good luck to them... they're things that don't smile back at you. Standard of living is an objective thing but pretty transparent in terms of how its measured in Italy... just my two cents and I've only been there once.