Solutions for Self-Reliance

Is the US Baby Bust Good News or Bad News?

SHARE
,

Whenever you hear the words “record setting” when applied to demographics or economics, be cautious.

Here’s an example.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) just announced that the US birth rate hit a record low in 2011.

How low?  At 63.2 babies per 1,000 women, it’s half the rate it was in the 50’s and the 60’s (a number that was somewhat higher than normal due to the post-WW2 baby boom).

Baby's hand

While that may be a good thing in the long run, in the short run it’s a sign of economic stress.  Couples tend to have fewer kids when they can’t afford them.

As such, it’s a pretty good indicator that the US economy — along with median incomes that shrank 1.5% last year and net worth that hasn’t recovered after a precipitous fall — is shrinking no matter what the no nothing economists on TV say.

That’s a useful bit of information to have when planning for the future.

Is there any good news in this report?

Firstly, the CDC also reported that teenage births (15-19) are falling quickly.  They are down 25% from four years ago, and are only 1/3 (wow!) of what they were in 1991.

Secondly, the fact that people are putting off having kids may be a sign that something else is afoot.   A seismic shift in the economic landscape the likes of which we have seen since the wholesale industrialization of the 20’s and the 30’s.

Shifting to what (there don’t seem to be any industries of the future anymore)?  As I mentioned in my speech at the World Maker Faire in New York City last weekend, we’re in the process of re-localizing our economy.

We’re bringing the production of food, energy, water, and products to the communities where we live to both insulate ourselves from an increasingly turbulent global system and to increase our chances at prosperity.

If we are truly in a shift, it’s great news….

 

Arable Land is Shrinking

Problem: The amount of arable land per person decreased from about an acre in 1970 to roughly half an acre in 2000 and is projected to decline to about a third of an acre by 2050….

Resilient Solution: Make more arable land. Foodscape your yard like this:

I ran out of time today.  More on Saturday.

Resiliently Yours,

JOHN ROBB

Like it? Show your support on Patreon! Let us change the world.
Become a patron at Patreon!

Comments

comments

Suggested Videos

Self-Reliance is Hard
We Make It Easier

Solutions for Smarter Self-Reliance:

You'll find them in The Self-Reliance Catalog; a carefully curated collection of the best plants, tools, shelters and systems for self-reliance and resilience.

Free Registration