Demographic Stuff
This just in from everyone's favorite dixiecrat ex-senator and full time old coot, Zell Miller. Apparently, old Zell has taken time out from his duelling career to try his hand at demography, suggesting that the source of military shortages, the present social security woes, and illegal immigration in America is (get ready for it) abortion. Luckily for everyone, I know a thing or two about demography myself, and can correct mister Miller on a couple of his mistakes.
First, the actual cause of the social security crisis is not the lack of chidren born since 1973, it is the number of children produced by Zell's generation. The Baby Boomers are the ones mucking up the system, as they have been since they started popping out in the late '40s. It is certainly not the fault of the Boomers or their children and younger cousins in Gen X for having avoided a repeat by practicing assorted forms of contraception. And it is certainly not the fault of the US Supreme Court legalizing abortion in 1973, for the reason previously stated, and also because the Baby Boom ended about 9 years prior, in 1964.
The military shortage is partially another effect of the above, but one other thing also comes to mind: there aren't enough people in the military because we keep sending them to die. People also probably notice the way we treat our vets in this country. Not a lot of reasons for people to want to join the military here and now.
Lastly, the illegal immigration thing. Now, this one at least shows some interesting critical thinking, and possibly even some amount of research on the part of the senator. It is true that underpopulated countries seem to be more likely to experience great amounts of in-migration. Countries like Spain, Russia, and Sweden are good examples of this. However! Given the number of unemployed people in this country, I'd say this one becomes hard to argue in this case!
So there you have it. Trust twenty-two year old college kids with blogs on matters of demography and public policy, not crazy old men with long government resumes and religious agendas.
First, the actual cause of the social security crisis is not the lack of chidren born since 1973, it is the number of children produced by Zell's generation. The Baby Boomers are the ones mucking up the system, as they have been since they started popping out in the late '40s. It is certainly not the fault of the Boomers or their children and younger cousins in Gen X for having avoided a repeat by practicing assorted forms of contraception. And it is certainly not the fault of the US Supreme Court legalizing abortion in 1973, for the reason previously stated, and also because the Baby Boom ended about 9 years prior, in 1964.
The military shortage is partially another effect of the above, but one other thing also comes to mind: there aren't enough people in the military because we keep sending them to die. People also probably notice the way we treat our vets in this country. Not a lot of reasons for people to want to join the military here and now.
Lastly, the illegal immigration thing. Now, this one at least shows some interesting critical thinking, and possibly even some amount of research on the part of the senator. It is true that underpopulated countries seem to be more likely to experience great amounts of in-migration. Countries like Spain, Russia, and Sweden are good examples of this. However! Given the number of unemployed people in this country, I'd say this one becomes hard to argue in this case!
So there you have it. Trust twenty-two year old college kids with blogs on matters of demography and public policy, not crazy old men with long government resumes and religious agendas.
Labels: politics, sociology/demography
posted by Mephisto at 10:26 PM
3 Comments:
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Well aren't you a sassy one!
Also correct.
Abortion is the reason crime rates went waaaay down in the early '90s. Or so says Dr. Steven Levitt.
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