Record Low Birth Rate, A Crisis For Older Americans

Last August, amid all the coverage of the presidential election, a significant news item was overlooked.  That was the fact that, last year, America's birth rate reached a record low of 59.8 births per 1000 women.  By comparison, at the peak of the baby-boom years, the average was 122.9.

In a country that is getting older with a projected percentage of the over-65 population rising from 15% today to 24% by 2060, this is a problem.  The problem lies in the fact that social programs rely heavily on younger Americans paying into programs like Medicare and Social Security to keep them buoyed into the future.  If there are fewer young people and more older people, the young are going to have to carry a bigger burden to support the seniors of the future. Plus, who will take care of an aging population?  Is senior-care the big job sector of the future?

Facing the same outlook, Japan is desperately trying to "develop" robots to take care of its sick and older population.  But, what about the cost of caring for an aging population in the U.S.?  Has anyone heard of a single politician that seems concerned about this?  Democrats seem to think that Medicare and Social Security are solvent programs as far as the eye can see!

References:

US fertility rate falls to lowest on record: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/11/health/us-lowest-fertility-rate/

Fact Sheet: Aging in the United States: http://www.prb.org/Publications/Media-Guides/2016/aging-unitedstates-fact-sheet.aspx

Development of care robots growing in aging Japan: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/27/national/social-issues/development-care-robots-growing-aging-japan/#.WM7adWclTb1

The Average Senior Lives on Less than the Minimum Wage

For months now, we have been told by the "raise-the-minimum-wage activists" and by both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders that the federal minimum wage of $7.25 is not adequate for the 1.3 million Americans earning that amount.  Many arguing that an increase to $15 an hour is much needed.

But tell that to more than half of our nation's 55 million seniors living on Social Security and existing on less than $7 an hour.

Right now, the average monthly Social Security check is $1180 with nearly half getting less than that. Mathematically, that is the equivalent of only $6.86 an hour; and, for 23% of married and 46% of single social security recipients, that  check constitutes almost all of their income.

Maybe we should be talking about $15 an hour for the nation's seniors so, that 12% of  women and 7% of men aren't living in poverty anymore?  You know, a living wage.  Of course then, Social Security would go bankrupt.  Though, I suppose its alright to bankrupt struggling businesses with a $12 or $15 wage. 

References:

The Tightwire Act of Living Only on Social Security: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/business/retirementspecial/living-only-on-social-security-is-a-tightwire-act.html

Poverty Among Seniors: http://kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/poverty-among-seniors-an-updated-analysis-of-national-and-state-level-poverty-rates-under-the-official-and-supplemental-poverty-measures/

Characteristics of Minimum Wage Workers: Among those paid by the hour, 1.3 million earned exactly the prevailing federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour: http://www.bls.gov/opub/reports/cps/characteristics-of-minimum-wage-workers-2014.pdf

To The Democrats: Seniors Fear ObamaCare More Than Ryan Plan

When Ryan's name was announced, some Democrats rejoiced over the fact that they could eat Romney and Ryan alive over Ryan's "extremist" views on reforming Medicare.  But, once again, this attitude by Democrats failed to understand that seniors aren't some robotic bunch of idiots that will only vote Democrat when it comes to Medicare. Like a lot of people  in this country,  seniors are concerned about the impact of ObamaCare on Medicare.  Nearly half of all seniors understand that ObamaCare robs Medicare of billions.  They understand that they will lose the Medicare Advantage programs; thanks to ObamaCare.  And, they understand how ObamaCare may infringe on the ability to get broad-based and adequate health care in the future because, ObamaCare will ultimately decide that some seniors will be considered  "too old" to receive certain drugs and certain procedures.

Rasmussen took a couple of polls and here are the results that prove the Democrats wrong:


Poll: Florida voters more afraid of Obama's Medicare plan than Ryan's: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/16/poll-florida-voters-more-afraid-obama-medicare-plan-than-ryan/

National Poll: 47% Fear Health Care Law More Than Ryan’s Medicare Reform Plan: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/social_security_medicare/47_fear_health_care_law_more_than_ryan_s_medicare_reform_plan