Elderly in U.S. Are Projected to Outnumber Children for First Time

[question everything]

People over 65 years old would outnumber children by 2035, a first in U.S. history, according to updated projections released by the Census Bureau on Tuesday.

The milestone would be the latest marker of the nation’s aging, which has accelerated with baby boomers’ move into their senior years and recessionary effects on births and immigration over the past decade.

The shift deepens challenges for fiscal policy and economic growth.

Trends in birth and immigration have also slowed the rate at which the country is becoming more diverse. Whites who aren’t Hispanic will begin shrinking as a group by 2024. They would drop below half of the population by 2045, two years later than the bureau estimated just a few years ago.

(snip)

Lower population growth could drag on economic growth. This year’s prime-age workforce—ages 25 to 54—is about 630,000 smaller than the Census Bureau projected it would be just three years ago. The bureau projects the prime-age workforce will grow 0.5% a year through 2030, down from a 2014 projected annual rate of 0.58% for the same period.

The growing elderly population will also put pressure on lawmakers to shift funding toward programs such as Medicare and Social Security, particularly because elderly Americans vote at high rates, said Kenneth M. Johnson, a demographer at the University of New Hampshire.

(snip)

As the nation ages and birthrates remain historically low, immigration looms larger in shaping the future. The bureau projects that by 2030, net immigration would rival natural increase—the surplus of births over deaths—as a share of population growth. By 2040, immigration would be more than twice as large as the natural increase.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/elderly-in-u-s-are-projected-to-outnumber-its-children-for-first-time-1520967362

[Fullduplexxx]

1. The u.s. has made having kids too expensive

[question everything]

3. And, of course, keeping young immigrants who would feel secure

and not separating young families can help. But, no.... they want immigrants form Norway except that people who live in Norway have no interest in coming over. They even like being taxed for the benefits of all.

[Hortensis]

5. Well, November 6 we can take control of congress

if all the people who care about these issues vote their principles and don't get sidetracked into betraying their principles, their nation, and of course themselves. No point in complaining about what the Republicans are doing. We have to look to what we can and should do.

Btw, this is Hillary's statement on just immigration reform, since we're talking about the need for immigrants in the labor force. It's still pretty much the party's, though many things will need to be rebuilt to this point. But it's impossible to read it and not get newly encouraged about what electing Democrats to take control of congress on election day can mean.

Immigration reform

Hillary has been committed to the immigrant rights community throughout her career. As president, she will work to fix our broken immigration system and stay true to our fundamental American values: that we are a nation of immigrants, and we treat those who come to our country with dignity and respect—and that we embrace immigrants, not denigrate them.

As president, Hillary will:

Introduce comprehensive immigration reform. Hillary will introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to full and equal citizenship within her first 100 days in office. It will treat every person with dignity, fix the family visa backlog, uphold the rule of law, protect our borders and national security, and bring millions of hardworking people into the formal economy.

End the three- and 10-year bars. The three- and 10-year bars force families—especially those whose members have different citizenship or immigration statuses—into a heartbreaking dilemma: remain in the shadows, or pursue a green card by leaving the country and loved ones behind.

Defend President Obama’s executive actions—known as DACA and DAPA—against partisan attacks. The Supreme Court’s deadlocked decision on DAPA was a heartbreaking reminder of how high the stakes are in this election. Hillary believes DAPA is squarely within the president’s authority and won’t stop fighting until we see it through. The estimated 5 million people eligible for DAPA—including DREAMers and parents of Americans and lawful residents—should be protected under the executive actions.

Do everything possible under the law to protect families. If Congress keeps failing to act on comprehensive immigration reform, Hillary will enact a simple system for those with sympathetic cases—such as parents of DREAMers, those with a history of service and contribution to their communities, or those who experience extreme labor violations—to make their case and be eligible for deferred action.

Enforce immigration laws humanely. Immigration enforcement must be humane, targeted, and effective. Hillary will focus resources on detaining and deporting those individuals who pose a violent threat to public safety, and ensure refugees who seek asylum in the U.S. have a fair chance to tell their stories.

End family detention and close private immigration detention centers. Hillary will end family detention for parents and children who arrive at our border in desperate situations and close private immigrant detention centers.

Expand access to affordable health care to all families. We should let families—regardless of immigration status—buy into the Affordable Care Act exchanges. Families who want to purchase health insurance should be able to do so.

Promote naturalization. Hillary will work to expand fee waivers to alleviate naturalization costs, increase access to language programs to encourage English proficiency, and increase outreach and education to help more people navigate the process.

Support immigrant integration. Hillary will create a national Office of Immigrant Affairs, support affordable integration services through $15 million in new grant funding for community navigators and similar organizations, and significantly increase federal resources for adult English language education and citizenship education.

The Office of
Hillary Rodham Clinton

[TygrBright]

2. Not to worry. GOP's working on it.

They'll eliminate all the programs that help the elderly stay alive- Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Section 8 housing, Senior Dining, Senior Transportation, etc. and we'll start dropping like flies.

Local jurisdictions might have to fund corpse pickup wagons, but only for a few years until we're gone.

Then the wealthy elderly and their younger-cohort serfs can get on with enabling the future oligarchs.

bitterly,
Bright

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

4. The US will still have a relatively healthy population distribution

When you look at the projections and then a comparison with the population distribution in a negative growth county like Germany you can see the differences. There are two areas that need to be examined. Whether there is a substantial enough middle to support the tops and bottoms of the pyramid and whether or not there are sufficient numbers at the bottom that will replace those that are exiting from the middle to the top. The future economic stability of Germany (and other nations in the same circumstances) is a real issue.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

6. Here's hoping it forces the conversations we need to have about health care and eldercare.

Unfortunately, it may put off the conversations we need to have about universal basic income and paying for college.

[McCamy Taylor]

7. Old people are wise.