Not Enough Babies?

[ultrarunner]

Societal pressure or just being prudent to become established and financially stable in their jobs before having kids? My oldest son is 29, and he and his wife are expecting any day now with child #1. They were not financially ready at age 21 to provide for a child.

My grandfather was 29 and grandma 18 when married...

He said a man has no right to contemplate marriage before he has the means to support a family... grandpa lost a few years serving in WWI so he had to catch up...

 

[jyoutz]

It could be that the lions share of the services purchased have little to nothing to show?

Hundreds of millions spent on Bay Area homeless and very few success stories...

For the money per individual could have bought condos for many...

I think the county model is more in line with revenue and expenditures... just thinking out loud.

I think that your example is a very insignificant and local example of the totality of government services nationwide. Schools, police, fire protection, national defense, Medicare and other public welfare, infrastructure, ect… are way more significant. And it’s instructive to look at a breakdown of federal spending. I found this chart (from Politifact) that categorizes the 2023 federal budget. Of course this doesn’t show state and local government budgets.

 

[ultrarunner]

I do hope one day to reach the age to be able to realize benefits for which I have spent a lifetime contributing.

It's not just Federal as my State imposes a hefty burden when it comes to taxes as well as city and county.

Some very large Federal expenditures are programs where average citizens are compelled to participate...

I've been paying into social security since age 12... granted it was a pittance back then earning $50 a week full time over the summer and Saturdays during the school year.

Im a simple person and some of the amounts spent simply boggle the mind or my mind.

My take away is the realization government spending is akin to a Ponzi scheme that only is sustainable with an ever expanding base of new comers... another way of saying not enough babies to shoulder the increasing burden?

 

[jyoutz]

I do hope one day to reach the age to be able to realize benefits for which I have spent a lifetime contributing.

It's not just Federal as my State imposes a hefty burden when it comes to taxes as well as city and county.

Some very large Federal expenditures are programs where average citizens are compelled to participate...

I've been paying into social security since age 12... granted it was a pittance back then earning $50 a week full time over the summer and Saturdays during the school year.

Im a simple person and some of the amounts spent simply boggle the mind or my mind.

My take away is the realization government spending is akin to a Ponzi scheme that only is sustainable with an ever expanding base of new comers... another way of saying not enough babies to shoulder the increasing burden?

Social security was indeed established with the concept of more workers supporting few retirees. That construct doesn’t align with current demographics. There are ways to improve solvency by raising the income cap, reducing benefits, or increasing withholding, but Congress prefers to use this as a political football and campaign issue instead of working to solve this. It is interesting when you look at the budget pie that social security, defense and other healthcare programs make up roughly 70% of the budget. Yet most conflicts and discussions revolve around allocations to programs that make up less than 5% of the budget.

 

[ultrarunner]

On the local.level just getting the potholes fixed from swallowing compact car times would go a long way and restoring lanes now dedicated for bikes that have yet to appear would be a nice start...

Literally bike Lanes taking over car Lanes and it's days auditing and nor a single bike...

City said it was mostly grant money as if that makes it ok.

 

[jyoutz]

On the local.level just getting the potholes fixed from swallowing compact car times would go a long way and restoring lanes now dedicated for bikes that have yet to appear would be a nice start...

Literally bike Lanes taking over car Lanes and it's days auditing and nor a single bike...

City said it was mostly grant money as if that makes it ok.

In my experience (I don’t live in an incorporated community, just a county resident) persistent contacts and staying in communication with local government can pay off. I am on a first name basis with our county commissioner because of many years of talking with the roads department. I was able to get the roads graded regularly by calling them when the road became washboarded. Then, I organized other landowners on the county road to request that the road by placed on the ballot along with other infrastructure needs during a bond election. The bond proposition passed, and several county roads were paved along with other infrastructure improvements. Local government is local people, and getting involved is how things get done. My experience in a small community. Your situation may be different in a large municipality.

 

[plowhog]

I found this chart (from Politifact) that categorizes the 2023 federal budget.

Never heard of Politifact. But- how can any responsible site put out a spending chart that omits one of the largest slices of the pie? Interest on the national debt, last I knew, was now as much or more than all of our spending on national defense.

I don't see it on the chart. Is there a good reason they would omit that?

MSN

 

[ultrarunner]

I have had some successes by hand carrying petitions and delivering hundreds of signatures.

Building departments vary greatly from city to city...

I have walked out with a permit in a city of 35,000 with no appointment and Chief Building Official on the spot review.

In my city it takes weeks at lightening speed just to wind it's way through the process for the same simple thing.

Not to get too far into the woods but larger cities here spend way more time on social justice issues and how many minorities and union trades for construction, or what companies to boycott... etc.

There was a time when 2 California Supreme Court justices knew me by name as well as mayors, the police chiefs of San Francisco, Oakland plus 2 more Chiefs, several Sheriffs for the county, city council members, Speaker of the California Senate, head of planning but most of all the city managers... the real power in a city like Oakland... just being sent by the city manager at least gets you face time with department heads.

I'm still very close friends with the now former city managers of two Bay Area cities...

I use to attend weekly city council meetings that would often go to 3 or 4 am... made it hard to go to my day job and probably why most are full time lobbyists or expediters ..

It's a huge effort for things that should be simple and nobody is asking favors other than navigating the city hall...

It helps to be a volunteer and community organizer!

And no... I was never involved with elections or even yard signs... not a political bone in my body.

The push here is housing but pushed housing comes at astronomical prices and public subsidies in the name of providing for future generations of babies who may not even want to live here...

 

[ultrarunner]

In my experience (I don’t live in an incorporated community, just a county resident) persistent contacts and staying in communication with local government can pay off. I am on a first name basis with our county commissioner because of many years of talking with the roads department. I was able to get the roads graded regularly by calling them when the road became washboarded. Then, I organized other landowners on the county road to request that the road by placed on the ballot along with other infrastructure needs during a bond election. The bond proposition passed, and several county roads were paved along with other infrastructure improvements. Local government is local people, and getting involved is how things get done. My experience in a small community. Your situation may be different in a large municipality.

 

[tradosaurus]

I thought labor saving automation and AI predicted to result in vast surplus of labor?

Back in engineering school the prediction was finding ways to occupy free time and shortened work weeks with more time for leisure pursuits?

I'm still wondering why we work 40 hr work weeks given we are at least 100% more productive since the 1950's.