A combination of fewer people in the workforce and high levels of indebtedness leads to a very adverse economic environment, [Ajay] Kapur warned.
The aging population means that a serious reform of the social security and tax systems will be needed in Japan, said Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura at a press conference held Monday, according to a Feb. 1 report by the Daily Yomiuri Online.
In 1960 one retiree was supported by 11.2 workers. In 2010, one retiree was supported by only 2.8 workers. By 2060, it is expected there will be just 1.3 workers per retiree.
And does anyone think this is not, or will never be, an issue here in America? So long as Planned Barrenhood continues to be the state-established religion is this country, we’ll be reaping the whirlwind soon enough.
Planned Barrenhood………I like that, has a “ring” to it. Very good.
Two points. The world’s population is still rising (though it will likely begin to fall in 40 years). Ergo, the problem is not too few births, it is unevenly spread births.
Second, the main reason the world’s population is rising is not because people are breeding like rabbits (as noted, population is declining) but because (thanks to sanitation, food delivery changes and health care) people are no longer dying like flies. (That is a good thing).
Third, the arbitrary distinction of “worker” versus “retiree” with the obviously unsustainable 1.3 workers per retiree is only a problem if you define “retiree” as anybody over 65. Previously people got medicare at 65 and were expected to die at 63, two years before they got it, and those 60 year olds of 70 years ago were pretty darn frail in an era of heavy labor and no back, knee, hip or shoulder surgeries or heart stents. If people live to be 87 (pretty much the norm now) they should expect to work very much longer. Resetting the retirement age to 75 would essentially solve this problem.
As to simply encouraging Europe to breed faster, their unemployment crisis is a YOUTH unemployment crisis. They have 50% unemployment of people under 30. Adding a bunch more unemployed “workers” will not help them. They need to cut benefits and expectations of the older generations.