How does declining U.S. fertility affect housing sales, Social Security and college? - Deseret News & AMAC
Lois Collins takes a fascinating look at Social Security through a sociological lens in this piece. That birth rates are declining and have been for years is not really new news. American women are predicted to average 1.78 children over the course of their childbearing years (15 to 44), roughly half the fertility rate of women in the 1950s. The central question, though, that experts are now asking is will shrinking generations mean shrinking lifestyles? And what effect does fewer births, and thus fewer workers, have on America’s most important universal program? Demographer and scholar Lyman Stone is worried about what happens when too-few working-age taxpayers can’t support programs like Social Security without a hefty hike in their payroll taxes or older adults losing a big chunk of their benefits. Since older Americans are a large and powerful voting bloc, Stone figures the money may just be cut from other popular but important programs. Full piece here.
The Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC) believes Social Security must be preserved and modernized. This can be achieved by making modest changes in cost of living adjustments and the retirement age, with no additional taxes on workers. AMAC advocates for a bipartisan compromise, “The Social Security Guarantee Act,” taking selected portions of bills introduced by former Rep. Johnson (R-TX) and current Rep. Larson (D-CT) and merging them with the Association’s own well researched ideas. One component is Social Security PLUS, a new, voluntary plan that would allow all earners to have more income available at retirement. This component is intended to appeal especially to younger workers. AMAC is resolute in its mission that Social Security be preserved and modernized and has gotten the attention of lawmakers in DC, meeting with a great many congressional offices and their staffs over the past several years. Read AMAC’s plan here.