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As a Canadian (and Walrus print subscriber to boot!) this article shines a bit of a bit-too-positive hue to the realties that we're starting to deal with. Unlik

As a Canadian (and Walrus print subscriber to boot!) this article shines a bit of a bit-too-positive hue to the realties that we're starting to deal with. Unlike our American counterparts, and thanks to the technocratic leadership of the Chretien, Martin, Harper, and Trudeau Jr governments many long term decisions were made that are going to soften the blow, but the reality is we're going from a one-to-five retiree to worker ratio to a two-to-three. Harper was great for our net-debt to GDP / and hospital expansion and the Liberals before him made sure that the CPP was fully funded on an actuarial basis and fixed our credit rating, but it's still going to be a brutal couple decades financially. Honestly the worst part isn't even the way it's hitting / going to hit our healthcare / welfare[0] systems. The worst part is that due to the mental effects of aging our electorate is getting dumber just when it needs to be smart. Against their own interests as a demographic, boomers voted in Doug Ford in Ontario, the brother of former crack mayor of Toronto Rob Ford, and his plan is to "find efficiencies" and bring back "buck a beer" whilst lowering taxes. I'm starting to think that democracy needs to be adjusted either for mental capacity, or for expected longevity. I wasn't able to vote when I was ten even though I was taking college courses nights, weekends, and summers. I was fine with it. I'd be fine losing the right to vote at 80 or 85. It's just a second childhood. When I'm that age I can trust that my family won't vote to take away my social assistance. [0] Many seniors and soon-to-be seniors get on disability or qualify for OAS, or qualify for other healthcare or housing programs not actuarially balanced for demographic distortions. Edit: Never before have I made a comment that seems to oscillate so wildly with upvotes and downvotes.

B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago
> due to the mental effects of aging our electorate is getting dumber Youth is well known for wise decisions ...
- T-A 8y ago
  Sadly, 3pt14159 has a point: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/aging-brains.aspx http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/aging-brains.aspx (though peak age in that graph is quite a bit higher than others you see floating around).
  - 3pt14159 8y ago
    Most of the research I've seen shows that mental capacity is strongest in the 30s where the decreases in fluid intelligence are minor compared to the 20s and the gains in crystallized intelligence are measurable. It falls off a cliff in your 80s. But I really don't need a guy in a lab coat to tell me about mental capacity and age. I'm old enough to have seen first hand what happens even to very intelligent people. I've only met one person that made it to 90s with a mind I would call fully operable, and he was a well known and respected engineering researcher his whole life. Most get stuck in a pattern of thinking that they can't break out of. It's eery to observe the slide into it.
    - B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago
      > very intelligent people. Good points, but I'm just pointing out that wisdom and intelligence are not the same. A wit once said he'd rather be governed by the first 400 names in the phone book than by the Harvard faculty ...
      - 3pt14159 8y ago
        I completely agree that they're different and I really do prize the wisdom of others because I feel like its the weakest ability score on my character sheet, but unfortunately the world is getting so complicated that obvious solutions are ill-advised. A wise person can see that Donald Trump is a villain because they understand his character. An intelligent person can see that his policies produce outcomes that are counter to their aims. The trouble arises when you have someone that has good character; but is misguided technically. They want to, say, help the poor so they nationalize the farms or end trade agreements.

B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago

> due to the mental effects of aging our electorate is getting dumber Youth is well known for wise decisions ...

T-A 8y ago
Sadly, 3pt14159 has a point: http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/aging-brains.aspx http://www.apa.org/monitor/2015/02/aging-brains.aspx (though peak age in that graph is quite a bit higher than others you see floating around).
- 3pt14159 8y ago
  Most of the research I've seen shows that mental capacity is strongest in the 30s where the decreases in fluid intelligence are minor compared to the 20s and the gains in crystallized intelligence are measurable. It falls off a cliff in your 80s. But I really don't need a guy in a lab coat to tell me about mental capacity and age. I'm old enough to have seen first hand what happens even to very intelligent people. I've only met one person that made it to 90s with a mind I would call fully operable, and he was a well known and respected engineering researcher his whole life. Most get stuck in a pattern of thinking that they can't break out of. It's eery to observe the slide into it.
  - B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago
    > very intelligent people. Good points, but I'm just pointing out that wisdom and intelligence are not the same. A wit once said he'd rather be governed by the first 400 names in the phone book than by the Harvard faculty ...
    - 3pt14159 8y ago
      I completely agree that they're different and I really do prize the wisdom of others because I feel like its the weakest ability score on my character sheet, but unfortunately the world is getting so complicated that obvious solutions are ill-advised. A wise person can see that Donald Trump is a villain because they understand his character. An intelligent person can see that his policies produce outcomes that are counter to their aims. The trouble arises when you have someone that has good character; but is misguided technically. They want to, say, help the poor so they nationalize the farms or end trade agreements.