The Monster Is the Burgeoning Horde.....
The monster is the burgeoning horde of pensioners in Germany and other industrial countries.___Spengler
For nations, demographics is destiny. If a nation is growing old--particularly a welfare state nation whose generous social benefits depend upon a constant inflow of taxes from the productive sector--it loses vitality in more ways than one. Germany, and most of Europe, is growing old.The aging pensioners of Europe and Asia must find young people to pay interest into their pensions, and they do not have enough young people at home. Germans aged 15 to 24, on the threshold of family formation, comprise only 12% of the country's population today and will fall to only 8% by 2030. But one-fifth of Germans now are on the threshold of retirement and half will be there by mid-century.But America can survive these violent cycles of bubble-building and bubble-bursting, because America still has younger generations. It is not at all clear that Europe will be able to survive, since Europe's younger generations are failing to show up.
...There is nothing complicated about finance. It is based on old people lending to young people. Young people invest in homes and businesses; aging people save to acquire assets on which to retire. The new generation supports the old one, and retirement systems simply apportion rights to income between the generations. Never before in human history, though, has a new generation simply failed to appear.
...America is in the midst of another wave of wealth-destruction. The Federal Reserve has sought to devalue its way out of a financial crisis, giving foreign investors all the less reason to buy American risk-assets, although foreign central banks continue to buy American government bonds for lack of an alternative. __Spengler
Europe's "burgeoning horde" of pensioners expects to retire early and be paid handsomely for doing so. But who will pay? And as the generations caught in the middle slowly become aware of the trap in which they are caught, what will they do?
More and more of Europe's young professionals, academics, and sports/media stars are choosing to emigrate from Europe and immigrate into Switzerland and the Anglosphere. When caught between the growing influx of violent religious fanatics from the third world, and the possibility that no pension will be waiting for them when they finally retire (years later than planned), more intelligent and capable young Europeans are choosing to transport themselves to places where they will have the financial power to create their own pensions--their own destinies.
Labels: entitlements, immigration
posted by al fin at 9:43 am
7 Comments:
I don't agree with you on many issues. For instance, America does have a social security problem in the order of ahum, dozens of trillions of dollars. But yes, overall, europe is going to have a big problem. And this current financial and energy crisis that we are facing, doesn't help it.
I won't dwell why I think Europe will fare better than america in the next decade. It would be a long discussion, for I can see where you come from here. But this line trespassed my head:
"When caught between the growing influx of violent religious fanatics from the third world"
and
"more intelligent and capable young Europeans are choosing to transport themselves to places where they will have the financial power to create their own pensions--their own destinies."
I find it ludicrous. I couldn't possibly believe that we were discussing religious fanaticism of Europe! Are you kidding me? Have you got no mirrors back at the ol' US of A? America is the CORE of one side of religious fanatics that irritates the other core of religious fanatics (middle east). We stand in between of fanatics!
Accordingly, I can't possibly know where such "more intelligent and capable young Europeans" would go rather than Europe itself. No one I know is going to the crazy USA. I knew someone who was toying with the idea of going to Australia, but generally, young people moved between Barcelona, London, Paris, Rome, Milan, Berlin, etc.
Have you got any stats whatsoever backing your ideologic prejudice?
The mistake you are making here, BR is that you are depending upon personal acquaintances and anecdotes rather than officially maintained immigration and emigration statistics. It is possible that you are outraged that anyone would make public statements which contradict your own ideological prejudices. Most people grow up to feel the same defensiveness. It is not unusual.
Perhaps you have heard of Islam? Perhaps you have heard of the growing populations of prisoners in many countries of Europe, up to 75% of which hails from the third world, more than half from Islamic countries?
Perhaps you have heard of honour killings, religious motivated gang-rapes, and many other blights that the dysfunctional religious immigrants, the neo - pseudo - Europeans are bringing to the continent?
Blinding yourself to reality will not help you face the future. The demographic time bomb has a ticking clock. Europe's future looks dimmer by the tick.
It is also possible that you are full of hot air.
If you like to talk about countries which will have true problems with islam immigrants, talk about russia, for instance. But it is clear you like having schadenfreude against europe instead.
That you dismiss american fantaticism is telling. Islam may be disruptive but it is outside the mainstream and politics. Can you tell the same about envangelists, and those crazy pastors that USA has? Was I having ear problems when I heard GWBush father saying that atheists had not a place in america because the USA was a country founded "under god"? Or when the POTUS argued that God himself had told him that iraq had WMDs? You are so obstinated in encountering rats in other people's houses that you can't even compute that you have an elephant inside your own.
Drum on, al fin. I'm having a blast at your ignorance.
Russia is the leading edge of the phenomenon, the canary in the European coal mine. The old USSR spanned from Eastern Europe to Central and East Asia. There are a lot of muslims within that wide expanse. Moscow is populated with at least 1/3 Muslim, and growing.
As for you, everything you know, you learned in comic books, apparently, BR. Caricatures and little else.
So you have not heard of Islam after all. Too bad. It is holding a knife to your throat as we speak.... watch out!
Caricatures? You post hearsays and ideological bullshit, try to mislead your readers unto your distorced dreamland and I'm the one who likes comic books?
Ahah, get real.
Last time I remembered, it is the USA who's driving a stupid war in the middle east. Last time I remember, it was NY who suffered the most brutal islamic attack, not europe. Keep it going alfin. If I am the one who reads comics, then you're the one writing them!
Not only is Islam holding a knife to your throat, demanding your respect and your submission, but it is preparing to rape your sisters in the most horrific manner.
Sweden may be beyond the point of no return, a tragic story. The Netherlands--where Pim Fortuyn and Theo Van Gogh were murdered after speaking out against the barbarosity--is facing the folly of its tolerance in the face of intolerance.
It is a tragic tale, growing more tragic by the day.
"Sweden may be beyond the point of no return, a tragic story. The Netherlands--where Pim Fortuyn and Theo Van Gogh were murdered after speaking out against the barbarosity--is facing the folly of its tolerance in the face of intolerance."
Man, you come from a country that killed presidential nominees, musicians and all "dangerous people to xtian society", like doctors who practice legal abortions and so many other things. You are in a country dominated by REDNECKS. Americans believe in CREATIONISM. You come from an almost theological country where being anything but a christian war-mongerer (oxymoron, anyone?) is considered unpatriotic and unamerican. WTF is wrong with you? Your obsession on Europe's problems show only your discomfort at promoting proudly what was once the promise of a great country, with the banner of freedom illuminating the world.
You are one of those who likes to talk about social security malaises in europe, and yet, we don't have the 50 trillion dollar hole the USA has, all of this with the demographics you showed and a WORKING social security.
You are one of those constantly talking about europe's evil socialism, and I share some of your skepticism in that model, but then you don't even speak about the war machine you've built. Isn't that even more socialist? A multi-trillion dollar machine that sucks up your bucks and blood to the sole intent to rape countries of their resources. A persistent huge government subsidy on petroleum. I'd rather have a decent social-security, but hey, that's socialism, we wouldn't have that!
Yes, USA is still a great country. Yes, Europe is still with a lot of issues. Never been otherwise. In the eighties we had the red threat scourging half of europe, with serious intolerance and totalitarianism. Now THAT was a problem. Nowadays we have pesky terrorists biting europe like irritating flies and you whoo yourself at it. LOL. Simple example: ask the israeli if they are descending to the dark ages because of this cultural war. They are in the exact middle of it, and yet I don't see you making a case of impending doom of Israel. But hey, I guess their fascist approach to the problem is something that a truly macho man (surely not a french gay) like you dares not disapprove.
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“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act” _George Orwell
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