Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Old Europe, Who Cares?

Last year, Vice-President Cheney, caused quite a stir speaking of "Old Europe". It seemed to me that it was much-a-do about nothing.

Our home grown Europhiles and many of the self-styled intelligentsia of the European 'upper crust', were all in a huff. Their collective nose out of joint, they castigated Mr Cheney and in general, acted like offended dilettantes.

There was an unsaid message in Mr Cheney's statement. Europe is growing old and set in its ways. Unwilling to change its path and ridgedly hidebound to a system that supposedly combines the best of the freedom of western style Democracy with the "compassion" of Socialism; it has instead become the cross between an elephant and the rhinoceros, (the ell-if-i-no).

Robert J. Samuelson _ Washington Post
Europe's birthrates have dropped well below the replacement rate of 2.1 children for each woman of childbearing age. For Western Europe as a whole, the rate is 1.5. It's 1.4 in Germany and 1.3 in Italy. In a century -- if these rates continue -- there won't be many Germans in Germany or Italians in Italy. Even assuming some increase in birthrates and continued immigration, Western Europe's population grows dramatically grayer, projects the U.S. Census Bureau. Now about one-sixth of the population is 65 and older. By 2030 that would be one-fourth, and by 2050 almost one-third.

Read the whole thing.

My question is, do we care?

4 comments:

Warren said...

Esther,
You're right about that part but what can we realistically do about it?

The Europeans seem to be hell-bent on the destruction of their own societies and arrogantly dismiss any warning, from us 'peons', in the face of reality.

They cite the 'antiquity' of "European Civilization" while ignoring the fact that their "Civilization" is actually a endless parade of disasters, economic collapse and wars.

In Africa, there is a certain type of rat that lives in a symbiotic relationship with highly venomous snakes. The snakes keep away predators that eat the rats and their young but in turn they eat the rats when they get hungry.

I'm afraid that the "snakes" will be ignored as long as only a few "rats" are eaten at a time.

I hope I'm wrong because the snakes will, one day, out-number the rats.

Warren said...

Elijah,
Got porn-fu(ed), eh?

"i promise never to click on those porn links again"

The most often told lie for 20 years was, "the checks in the mail". I think there's a new contender!

LOL

Glad you're back!

Esther said...

Actually, I think you're right on target.

beakerkin said...

Warren

Economic prosperity always reduces fertility.However , the problem with Europe is defining deviancy down and moral relitivism. Honor killings and persecution of gays is not a cultural variant it is wrong . PC is the road to ruin and we must fight moral relitivism.

Glad you published fresh material.