Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
I don't at all understand why no one has looked at arranging our economic system and population around a stable steady state. Growth causes expenses, complications, and pain all over society. Calgary was a better city at 700k than it is now, as far as being an enjoyable place to live.
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Because asking the average Canadian to contribute as much in taxes in their lifetime as they will use in services is politically untenable. And that’s what you have to do to account for an aging population and declining birth rates - some combination of bringing in lots of new taxpayers through immigration, substantially increasing taxes on younger workers, and cutting health care and pensions for seniors.
Turns out voters hate all of those options. And that’s not just a Canadian thing - it’s true of every developed country in the world. We live in societies today where many people are retired longer than they worked. These unprecedented demographics present an unprecedented challenge to the delivery of public services, and no government in any country has figured it out. Which is one of the reasons why populism is on the rise everywhere.