Australian PM chiding women to make babies

[cestlavie_2010]

"NINA FUNNELL February 15, 2010

Ever had a moment when someone has deeply insulted you but you only come up with the perfect retort later? You kick yourself, wishing you had been faster, feistier and less tongue-tied. The French have an expression for this: L'esprit de l'escalier - staircase wit - or the frustrating experience of

Comments

[themachinestops]

Apparently, gen Y is to blame for the inverted population pyramid.

No, too-strict immigration laws are to blame for the inverted population pyramid.

Seriously, if all governments cared about was having a legion of younger people to pay taxes into the system, there's millions of younger people in the developing world (or, hell, the USA) who'd take the opportunity to live and work in Australia or France or wherever, and eventually become citizens. The real subtext here is "we want more real white Australians."

Another problem is that the benefits system (in the US anyway) was set up with a permanently expanding population in mind (the "pyramid"). So instead of altering the system to deal with a population at replacement rate or a contracting population, the old fogies in charge just crow "make more babies!" Because that's easier than really dealing with the problem, which is only going to get worse.

[lvetodaylez]

That's what I was thinking: let more people immigrate to your country.

I agree with:So instead of altering the system to deal with a population at replacement rate or a contracting population, the old fogies in charge just crow "make more babies!" Because that's easier than really dealing with the problem, which is only going to get worse.

[dodger_greywing]

Apparently, gen Y is to blame for the inverted population pyramid.

Likewise, gen Y isn't to blame, the Baby Boomers' parents are. They're the ones that popped out babies left and right.

[seranai]

This has been posted before a fair while ago, at least once maybe twice.

Bear in mind that almost all governments put pressure on their subjects to reproduce. Basically it's a pyramid scheme, only it's legal because it's called "taxation". The more people the government has, specifically the more people who are working (i.e. you want a lot more young people than old people), the more powerful the country becomes.

[cestlavie_2010]

Sorry about the repost everyone--I joined recently so I wasn't sure, but hoped the fairly current (Feb 15th) publication date meant it would be fresh news for the community. Sorry about that.

I'd heard of Australia's baby bonus before seeing this article, so the combination of the two resonated with me. I definitely don't understand pressuring people (of a certain demographic and ethnicity, of course) to reproduce, when immigration is such an obvious alternative...but then, I guess it all boils down to wanting a "certain kind" of people in your country. : /

[chocolate_frapp]

so it isn't just American politicians who act like knobs!