I am pleasantly surprised to see such a mainstream magazine as The Economist showing concern for a falling population. In the July 28th-August 3rd, 2007 issue, page 11, it describes how the world's population almost quadrupled in the twentieth century, then goes on to say:
"Numbers are still growing; but recently-- it is impossible to know exactly when-- an inflection point seems to have been reached. The rate of population increase began to slow... Women started having fewer children than the number required to keep the population stable. Four out of nine people already live in countries in which the fertility rate has dropped below replacement rate. Last year the United Nations said it thought the world's average fertility would fall below replacement by 2025."
It's not the collapse of Social Security that concerns me, since I'm not gambling on the government for my retirement. I just want a large enough workforce to fill the gap and support an aging population when my generation is too old, feeble or sick to work.
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I don't know that that will happen in our country. The birthrate is falling in the US. Countries where the old depend on their kids to care for them in their old age tend to have higher birth rates.
Of course Social (in)Security won't help much when we're old.
I have tons of thoughts but will hush now.
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