3 ms·

Wow, I can't believe that birth is only 5x as common as immigration in the US. I knew there were a lot of people coming into the country but I didn't think it

• anigbrowl 13y ago
  We need more if we are to sustain our tax base; immigration only seems high because fertility is relatively low. While it's a lot in absolute terms, the US is only around 180th in terms of population density, well below average. http://ssab.gov/Documents/IMMIG_Issue_Brief_Final_Version_000.pdf http://ssab.gov/Documents/IMMIG_Issue_Brief_Final_Version_00... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_by_population_density http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_de...
  • MrZongle2 13y ago
    Or we could consider spending less.
    • anigbrowl 13y ago
      No we couldn't. Entitlement spending (eg social security) is mandatory, by law. The architects of that system (and of Medicare) did not foresee the bay boomer generation and the sudden drop in fertility. US pensions are not especially generous, though Medicare costs could certainly be controlled. I urge you to read the SSAB report; this isn't something you can conserve your way out of, same way that you can't conserve your way out of rising carbon pollution. Sure, Congress could pass a law to cut entitlements significantly. But good luck explaining to voters who paid payroll taxes all their working lives that they can't have what they paid for.