J. Clarke wrote:

On 3/26/2010 12:59 PM, Larry Blanchard wrote:
On Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:45:50 -0400, J. Clarke wrote:

I'll see your Canada and raise you Japan:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_...ystem_in_Japan

Let me know what you think after (if?) you read it.

Let me know what you think when the elderly retirees outnumber the
workers. Japan's in trouble and they know it.


That scenario applies to a lot more than health care. And to a lot more
countries than Japan. What happens to all those seniors who are unable
to work and are not independently wealthy when a government stops paying
Social Security or it's equivalent?

Uh if you investigate you will find that Japan's population is now in
decline and has been for some time. I do not believe that any other
industrialized nation has reached that point.


Great Britain, France, many of the European countries have birthrates
below replacement rate. Russia has the same problem. All of these
countries have birthrates below replacement rate with the exception of a
certain population of middle-eastern immigrants with strong religious
affiliations toward a philosophy diametrically opposed to tolerance,
freedom, and liberty.

In addition, China is also deliberately pushing a population reduction
policy as well with their one-child policy. Due to the culture in that
country that places a high value on boys and very little on girls, the
desire for a son has led to widespread abortion and even infanticide. The
other side effect of this is that they have a lopsided gender-gap skewed
toward males. This is going to create very interesting problems in the not
very distant future.




--

There is never a situation where having more rounds is a disadvantage

Rob Leatham