'Work less, have more babies,' Japanese government says

Associated Press ^ | 3-26-02 | HANS GREIMEL

[Oldeconomybuyer]

TOKYO (AP) --

[freeeee]

"Breed, you cattle! That's an order."

[rodeocowboy]

This is yet another one of the many problems with socialism and social engineering. Especially, when it is mixed with immorality. This exact problem is facing the United States of America's, "Socialist Security" program, although you barely hear a word about it right now.

[rmlew]

CAttle?
No. This isn't an issue of social planning, so much as fixing a problem caused by the gov't. We are talking about the demographic collapse of a country, in part due to government programs. Now the government is realising the problems with some of their policies. (Maybe they will do something about abortion, which is very easy and acceptable in Japan.)

[untenured]

There is almost nothing the Japanese government can do about their low birthrate. People in Japan, as in all advanced countries, don't need to have many children so that enough will survive to adulthood and support them. At the same time, the foregone opportunities people in their 20s and 30s face if they have many, and hence early, are now extraordinarily high.

Only a wholesale change in attitudes about what's important in life will work, and the government is powerless to affect that.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

This is essentially the same thing LBJ told the American people in 1967.

[Reeses]

The USA is addressing the social security ponzi scheme problem by opening the borders and letting in mostly Central Americans. I suspect Japan is not willing to let in a flood of Chinese to provide a tax base to support their retired workers.

[freeeee]

Well if they're going to use socialism to encourage childbirth, they're lucky because we've done some pioneering work in that area right here in the US.

All the Japanese need to do is start a welfare program. Problem solved.

[Texaggie79]

Baby, I don't usually do this on the first date, but the gov said.........

Finally a GOOD use for gov!!!

[adx]

I wonder what their tax rates look like......

[patton]

Finally, somebody gets it.

[freeeee]

LOL!

"Getting screwed by the government" might become more than just a saying in Japan!

[BADROTOFINGER]

I wonder what their tax rates look like......

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to ask this pivotal question...JFK

[rmlew]

This is essentially the same thing LBJ told the American people in 1967.

BS. LBJ put in programs that have harmed the family. His Great Society subsidiesed single motherhood, while punishing married couples.

[rmlew]

Only a wholesale change in attitudes about what's important in life will work, and the government is powerless to affect that.

It can stop promoting an anti-natalist agenda in the public schools. It can stop promoting feminism and homosexuality. It can stop subsidising single mothers over families. We can change tax laws to
1. End the marriage tax penalty.
2. Increase the deduction for children.
3. end the death tax allowing for continuity.

The government could try to do something abouyt the mess it created in education. Vouchers would go along way.
And finally, the government could criminalise abortion, ending a trend where 1/3 pregnancies are terminated.

[koba]

The Japanese are a proud people. Even if there was a welfare program, I doubt most of those eligible would even take advantage of it.

[altair]

Times are changing. The first year I moved here, there was a stimulus package pushed by the New Komeito party (=Soka Gakkai) as the price for their joining the ruling coalition that was basically one-time welfare. In order to qualify, one had to fit a certain profile that was suspiciously similar to the average Soka Gakkai Buddhist, either very old, or married with young children. What should have been a scandal, but wasn't really, was that much of this welfare ended up being spent in hostess bars.