I’m inclined to accept that it’s in the process of occurring.
Look, I was born in the midst of the Baby Boom population explosion. No, it wasn’t caused by Catholics blindly following the dictates of the Pope. Most Catholics had relatively modest-sized families. A few subsets had enormous families, but they were often from highly fertile couples. Yes, fertility varies among populations.
It wasn’t directly the pill that made the difference in reducing the average size of families. It was the delay in childbearing – particularly among women – that has led to 1 or 2 children in most families, seldom more. As many of those women were highly encouraged to work outside the home, the logistics of transporting children, paying for childcare, and arranging pregnancy leave also contributed.
And, that delay in the birth of a family’s first child has virtually put a cork in population increase.
The only groups – other than some highly motivated and often religiously-based family structures – that are having larger numbers of children are those that are being PAID to do so. That is, those on public assistance; that group includes the illegal immigrants (but, not the LEGAL immigrants).
We absolutely have to put a stop to that. The alternative is to enslave the Native Populations of the USA, in order to provide the income that will support non-working, or not full-time, taxpayer-supported people. Many of them NOT citizens. Some of them are working, but not at ‘Official Jobs’ – that is, they may be working at jobs that are part of the criminal industry, or just under-the-table type. Whatever the type, they are non-contributors to the tax base – Free Riders, you might say, who may COLLECT money from the taxpayers, but are not a net contributor via their taxes.
We’ve essentially created a class of people who have no obligations to the nation, but have greater rights than those who contribute. I’m not counting their prodigious production of offspring as a contribution. There is little evidence that their kids make much of a dent in the taxpayer/recipient imbalance, either in childhood or as an adult.
So, what’s the solution?
You know what it is. We have to make cuts – drastic cuts – in public assistance. I’ve written about ways to make these changes before. It’s not the methods that are holding it up, it’s the ease with which those on the Left guilt the fiscally frugal that is stopping change.
I’m getting to the point where the Flat Tax – for individuals, as well as businesses – is making a lot more sense.
