• Bldck@beehaw.org
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    20 hours ago

    Social security programs are predicated on a large labor force providing for a smaller retired population.

    These programs don’t work if you have an inverted pyramid.

    It’s not just capitalism that’s threatened. Not the economic growth… but the entire concept of work and social programs. Socialism has these issues as well

    • JamBandFan1996@lemmy.ml
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      5 hours ago

      That’s not really true, if the working population is productive enough, then socialism can work. Capitalism allows for growth based on profitability not usefulness to society. Now I love sports, but what if the billions of dollar’s that went to pro and college sports were instead just directed into social programs. You don’t need a larger younger generation, just better prioritization of resources

      • Bldck@beehaw.org
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        17 hours ago

        Printing money does not solve the demographic issue.

        An inverted population pyramid means fewer producers (young laborers) than consumers (old retirees).

        Funding social security through printed money adds demand without solving supply. Thus the price of goods goes up.

        Sure, there are solutions to this problem - Increase automation, increase taxes on capital, etc - but printing money is not the solution

        • queermunist she/her@lemmy.ml
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          16 hours ago

          That’s all secondary to the overall point, which is that social security can be funded. It doesn’t require this weird scheme where young workers pay into the system to support retirees, the US constantly prints money for all sorts of stupid shit and we could just print a few billion less for weapons. Besides, it’s not like population growth is below replacement rates, because in addition to automation and taxes there’s migration.

          … well, there was migration. If the fascists succeed in ending migration, yeah, the US might have a demographic crisis.