[ninenot]

Lemmeeesee, heah,

We need more TV's, more SUV's, more kitchen appliances, more software and hardware. Can't possibly afford children.

Those of you who are still asking "what's the problem with the Japanese economy" might take a look at their birthrate (not that it's the ONLY problem) and find that THERE ARE NO CHILDREN IN JAPAN. So all the middle-agers are saving for retirement, not spending on kids; and the 'not spending on kids' means that there's damn little demand, even though there's lotsa cash-in-the-banks.

The REAL crunch, as in Italy, will arrive when all those old folks expect Gummint help to stay alive in nursing homes. Who can pay THOSE taxes if there are no younger earners?

THIS is the problem that PJBuchanan has not addressed. While he carries on about "immigration problems" (meaning there are too many immigrants,) he has not yet proposed exactly how the Gummint will provide the promised SOcial Security/Medicaid bennies with NO TAXPAYERS REMAINING...

[Tax-chick]

THIS is the problem that PJBuchanan has not addressed. While he carries on about "immigration problems" (meaning there are too many immigrants,) he has not yet proposed exactly how the Gummint will provide the promised SOcial Security/Medicaid bennies with NO TAXPAYERS REMAINING...

I believe Pat expects the Revolution, if we cut off immigration. It's the only alternative that's really logical. Massive euthanasia, or try to keep working until they die ...

It's only recently that everyone came to expect years of tax-supported idleness, and the increase in life expectancy just makes the crisis deeper. The article mentioned that the retirement age in Italy is 57 (!!!), so an average of 20 years on the dole ...

The whole system is built on immigration, and will crash if the immigration stops (or if the immigrants, and the rest of us with kids, decide to stop supporting it.)