[Locke]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Given the demographic trajectory we’re on, we’re not going to be able to maintain our current levels of public spending on things like health care and seniors facilities, let alone take on the enormous costs of buying up private facilities.

I’m not sure people really understand the oncoming demographic crisis every developed nation is facing. The worsening dependency ratio means governments are going to have to impose some combination of substantially increased taxes on younger workers, and measures like increasing the age of pension eligibility, means-testing for OAS, etc. to avoid a debt crisis. And since this is a problem electorates around the world remain in denial about, the rest of us are probably going to have to watch a major country like France suffer humiliating concessions imposed by a EU or IMF bailout before we willingly adopt painful measures to head off our own debt crisis.

This is why I shake my head at proposals to substantially expand public spending on things like seniors’ care. It’s like a ship’s passengers calling on the captain to increase speed while the lower decks are flooding under their feet.

Yes, yes....put all of the old people on a Cruise Ship and just drill holes in the bottom and tug it out to sea.

"This ship is getting awfully damp...why did we have to sign over our house for this trip?"