How much can governments do to boost birth rates and avoid population ageing? A lot of research is going into encouraging higher fertility, but demographers are still perplexed. In the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research 2008, John Bongaarts, who has worked with the Population Council in New York for 30 years and is one of the world’s most respected demographers, tackles the question. And his answer is: not much.
In most countries, there is a gap of about 0.8 to 0.9 births between the number of children that women have and the number that they want to have. Economic factors account for perhaps 0.2 or 0.3 births per woman. So creating ideal economic circumstances will not achieve a miraculous increase in fertility. Furthermore, no government policy will eliminate all economic obstacles, so the increase which can be achieved is very small indeed.
Talk of the Zionist-Bolshevik-Masonic-Wall Street conspiracy to take over the world has been muted for the past few years, thank goodness. But Bill Gates & Co seem to be stoking the fires again. According to the London Sunday Times some of America’s best-known billionaires met secretly in New York on May 5 to discuss ways to fix the world through philanthropy. The little tete-a-tete, nicknamed “The Good Club” included David Rockefeller Jr, Warren Buffett, George Soros, Michael Bloomberg, Ted Turner and Oprah Winfrey. It took place at the home of Sir Paul Nurse, a British Nobel prize laureate and president of Rockefeller University.
Each participant was given 15 minutes to discuss his or her favourite cause, such as supervision of overseas aid spending, setting up rural schools or water systems in developing countries. Bill Gates apparently wanted an “umbrella” as a…
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Brazil has joined the zero population growth club. Official statistics show that its fertility rate plummeted to 1.9 children per woman in 2007. This was even lower than previous rates estimated by the UN and the US Census Bureau. Brazil’s long-term fertility rate is now lower than the United States (2.1) and even than France (2.0).
The statisticians project that the birth rate in Latin America’s largest country will continue to move downwards. It has fallen from 5.3 children per woman in 1970 to 2.8 in 1990, and a projected 1.8 by 2010. The rate levels off at 1.5 children per woman by 2030.
According to the Population Reference Bureau, this sharp decline has major implications for the region's future population size, and signals significant population aging:
Here is concise summary of the gloomy future forecast by some demographers:
“Within the next quarter century true depopulation — a persistent long-run excess of deaths over births — will manifest itself in nearly all the countries of Europe and in those non-European countries to which Western civilisation has spread. The present stream of concern over eventual depopulation—concern evident in the many European works dealing with depopulation, in the depopulationist inquiries being made in countries such as England and Sweden, and in the anti-depopulation measures already put into effect in certain countries—will assume the proportions of a deluge. The growth of alarm at depopulation in various countries will proceed along the lines of a rather definite and somewhat ‘naturally evolving’ pattern and will be accompanied by the enactment of a sequence of ineffectual measures designed to stem the decline in fertility.” click here to read whole article and make comments
Here is something you don’t read every day, not by a long shot: an official of Planned Parenthood pleading with his countrymen and women to have MORE children. He calls upon them to prevent abortion, to promote marriage and to encourage young people to marry and have children:
"Religious groups need to advocate respect for life, abortion prevention and positive values on marriage and parenthood, encouraging the younger generation to form families and have children."
Australia is an immense country, but most of it is arid desert or semi-desert and the population clings to the coast. As an Australian poet said, "It has a wet rim where the people clot / Like mud". So it would be difficult to support a huge population. However, enthusiasts for "sustainable development" think that its meagre 21 million are already far too many for its fragile ecology. The national president of Sustainable Population Australia recently argued that the country needed a one-child policy to reduce the population from 21 million souls to just 7 million.
Writing in the Melbourne Age, Chris Berg, the editor of the IPA Review, had an original criticism of this familiar tune.
While some look to demographics to determine the future state of their nations, the needs of the workforce, the location of schools, others use it to sell video games. According to a website called Gamasutra: The Art and Business of Making Video Games, Sony wants to catch up to rival Nintendo by marketing its PSP (Play Station Portable) to the 8 to 15 year-old demographic in addition to it’s core audience of 16 to 24 year-olds says product manager Claire Backhouse.
“PSP is going for a younger market, which isn’t something we’ve really done before,” she said. “Our heartland is 16-24-year-old men and always will be — they won’t be neglected in the slightest. But the summer’s game releases, such as Harry Potter and Petz, as well as the launch of the new colors, are certainly appealing to an 8-15-year-old audience.”
It appears Michael Cook isn’t alone in paying attention to Russian demographic trends. The Daily Telegraph in London is hosting an online supplement on Russia from Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Writer Sergei Balashov takes on the issue of Russian depopulation, not from a position that this issue will change Mother Russia into a frozen caliphate but that Russia’s declining population will leave few workers to care for the elderly or the young.
"Even more troubling is that the number of able-bodied adults is declining faster than any other demographic category. This group is expected to absorb the bulk of the losses, declining by 14m by 2025. According to the RBC daily, in 16 years every 1,000 employed Russians are going to be providing for some 800 dependents."
May 5 is Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day in Japan – a national holiday. The custom is to fly the carp-shaped koinobori flags, one for each child. But as a recent report from AP points out, each year for the past 28 years there have been fewer and fewer children to enjoy the holiday. Japan has the lowest percentage of children amongst 31 major countries – only 13%, compared to 20% in the United States.
But the number over 65 is currently 22.5% and rising. By about 2020, the percentage of children will fall below 11% and the percentage of elderly to 29%. Low birthrates and high life expectancy are already putting strains on government services, pension programs, and labour supply.
US Medicare and Social Security will run out of money even sooner than expected because of the recession, according to the Obama administration. Medicare, which pays hospital bills for older Americans is expected to run out of money in 2017, two years sooner than projected last year. The Social Security trust fund will be exhausted in 2037, four years earlier than predicted.
Spending on Social Security and Medicare exceeded US$1 trillion last year --more than one-third of the federal budget. This puts the US government in a bind. Its dependency ratio is growing – the proportion of the population which is supported by workers – because of the elderly are increasing and the workers are decreasing. It cannot count on rising numbers of taxpayers. Hence the only options are to cut costs, slash benefits, or raise taxes. All of these options…
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A thought experiment about marriage
24 May 2012
A world in which sexual intimacy could not produce children would never have come up with the idea of marriage.
11:12:22 AM
How much can governments do to boost birth rates and avoid population ageing? A lot of research is going into encouraging higher fertility, but demographers are still perplexed. In the 
Talk of the Zionist-Bolshevik-Masonic-Wall Street conspiracy to take over the world has been muted for the past few years, thank goodness. But Bill Gates & Co seem to be stoking the fires again. 
Brazil has joined the zero population growth club. Official statistics show that its fertility rate plummeted to 1.9 children per woman in 2007. This was even lower than previous rates estimated by the UN and the US Census Bureau. Brazil’s long-term fertility rate is now lower than the United States (2.1) and even than France (2.0). 
Here is concise summary of the gloomy future forecast by some demographers: 
Here is something you don’t read every day, not by a long shot: an official of Planned Parenthood pleading with his countrymen and women to have MORE children. He calls upon them to prevent abortion, to promote marriage and to encourage young people to marry and have children: 
Australia is an immense country, but most of it is arid desert or semi-desert and the population clings to the coast. As an Australian poet said, "It has a wet rim where the people clot / Like mud". So it would be difficult to support a huge population. However, enthusiasts for "sustainable development" think that its meagre 21 million are already far too many for its fragile ecology. The national president of Sustainable Population Australia recently argued that the country needed a one-child policy to reduce the population from 21 million souls to just 7 million. 
May 5 is Kodomo no Hi, or Children’s Day in Japan – a national holiday. The custom is to fly the carp-shaped koinobori flags, one for each child. But as a recent report from AP points out, each year for the past 28 years there have been fewer and fewer children to enjoy the holiday. Japan has the lowest percentage of children amongst 31 major countries – only 13%, compared to 20% in the United States. 
US Medicare and Social Security 
