(End of the American Dream)—Birth rates have plummeted to record lows all over the industrialized world, and this has very serious implications for our future. If something is not done to reverse this, native populations will fall very rapidly in wealthy countries during the years ahead, and there won’t be nearly enough young workers to support the entitlement programs that the elderly are counting on.
Meanwhile, nations where birth rates are still above replacement level (such as in the Islamic world) will become more powerful and will play a more dominant role in world affairs. Despite all of our advanced technology, population numbers still matter, and we really are facing a demographic collapse of epic proportions.
Here in the United States our birth rate has been below replacement level for many years, and now the average woman in the United States is only giving birth to about 1.6 children over the course of a lifetime…
In the US, the birth rate has been falling since the Great Recession, dropping almost 23 percent between 2007 and 2022. Today, the average American woman has about 1.6 children, down from three in 1950, and significantly below the “replacement rate” of 2.1 children needed to sustain a stable population.
Our birth rate has already been cut in half, and it is being projected that it will fall even more during the years that are in front of us.
Many have pointed out that we will not be able to economically support our aging population if this continues…
Institute for Family Studies senior fellow Brad Wilcox said that we may already be seeing the effects.
“Below-replacement fertility means closing schools, shrinking college enrollments, fewer workers and consumers, and not enough taxes to pay for entitlements. We’re already seeing low fertility fallout hitting schools and colleges. But it will have big consequences for the economy as well, given that there will be relatively fewer workers and consumers, and less entrepreneurial activity, as the population of young adults in America falls across much of the nation,” Wilcox told Fox News Digital.
Illegal immigration is the primary reason why the U.S. population has continued to rise even though we aren’t replacing ourselves.
This year, we are seeing an enormous tsunami of people coming over our southern border each day…
Illegal entries at U.S. borders remain at historic levels as the Biden mass migration catastrophe continues to intensify.
Apprehensions of illegal aliens along the southwest frontier alone are now surpassing 10,000 on a daily basis, while migrants and smugglers also exploit other borders and ports of entry.
On Friday, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 13,000 apprehensions across the U.S. — a figure that does not include known or unknown ‘gotaways.’
It is the same story over in Europe. Native populations are not replacing themselves, and immigrants are making up the difference.
As of 2020, the average woman in Italy was only giving birth to 1.24 children over the course of a lifetime…
The number of newborns in Italy has been in steady decline since the 2008 financial crisis, with the average number of children for each woman standing at 1.24 as of 2020 – among the lowest fertility rates in the EU. At the same time, the population is rapidly ageing – the number of centenarians in Italy has tripled over the last 20 years to 22,000 – placing even more pressure on government finances.
The birth rate in Italy has continued to fall since then, and on Saturday Elon Musk publicly encouraged Italian women to start having more children…
While addressing the crowd Musk also encouraged Italians to have more children. And it’s no wonder. Despite Musk’s interest in procreation, Italy does have one of the lowest birth rates in the world.
Between January and June of 2023 there were 3,500 fewer births than in the same period of 2022, according to data from national statistics ISTAT. And in the year 2022, birth rates fell for a 14th consecutive drop by 1.7% to 1.18 for women of Italian nationality, and 1.24 to include new mothers who are immigrants. To address these unprecedented numbers, Meloni set aside around 1 billion euros to combat the declining birth rate in October.
Of course Italy is far from alone. In my new book I share statistics from other countries in Europe where birth rates have also fallen to depressingly low levels.
In Asia, things are even worse.
If you doubt this, just check out these numbers…
In South Korea, the birth rate is down to 0.81 children per woman. In China, after decades of a strictly enforced one-child policy, the population is shrinking for the first time since the 1960s. In Taiwan, the birth rate stands at 0.87.
When your country is more than 50 percent below replacement level, that is a major crisis.
South Korea actually has the lowest fertility rate in the entire industrialized world, and that rate is expected to keep dropping for at least several more years…
South Korea’s total fertility rate, the number of births from a woman in her lifetime, is now expected to drop from 0.78 in 2022 to 0.65 in 2025, according to the government’s Statistics Korea.
In a worst-case scenario, that rate could go as low 0.59 births per woman in 2026, the agency said.
What is South Korea going to look like if this continues?
Needless to say, governments around the world have recognized that there is a problem, and many of them have put incentives in place to encourage parents to have more children. But despite everything that has been tried, nothing has really worked…
The drop has frightened lawmakers and commentators alike, with headlines warning of a coming “demographic crisis” or “Great People Shortage” as economies find themselves without enough young workers to fill jobs and pay taxes. To stem the tide, the world’s leaders have tried everything from generous social welfare programs to pink-and-blue awareness campaigns to five-figure checks to veiled threats, all to relatively little avail. “Even the richest, savviest, most committed governments have struggled to find policies that produce sustained bumps in fertility,” Trent MacNamara, a history professor at Texas A&M who has written about fertility rates, told Vox in an email. “If such policies were discoverable, I think someone would have discovered them.”
Unfortunately, many people out there simply do not understand the importance of this issue.
The family is one of the fundamental building blocks of civilization.
Without strong families, we cannot have a strong society.
For example, one recent study discovered that neighborhoods in the United States “with a greater percentage of traditional two-parent households have less crime”
Conservative Christians have known it all along: Neighborhoods with a greater percentage of traditional two-parent households have less crime. That’s likely why the traditional family has been under direct assault by what can only be called satanic forces for many decades. As goes the traditional nuclear family, so goes Western civilization.
The proof is plain as day. A report Tuesday by the Institute for Family Studies concluded that neighborhoods with strong families are safer. Safer neighborhoods mean safer cities and towns. Safer cities and towns mean safer counties and states. A safer country leads to prosperity and stability for all.
If we want our country to succeed, we should be doing all that we can to encourage strong marriages and strong families.
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
Sadly, at this point more Americans than ever are not getting married…
A quarter of 40-year-olds in the United States have never been married, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center.
As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, this marks the highest figure since the data first started being published back in 1900, and a major leap from the 6 percent low of 1980.
Instead, young Americans are increasingly opting for alternative lifestyles.
Right now, a news story about a congressional staffer engaging in an alternative lifestyle with another man in a Senate hearing room is going viral all over social media…
Leaked amateur pornography shows a congressional staffer having anal sex with an unknown man in the Senate hearing room, video obtained by the Daily Caller shows.
The alleged staffer can also be seen in a photo, naked on all fours, looking back at the camera on the table where Senators often sit to ask questions during a hearing. It appears to be unprotected sex.
A source identified the room to the Daily Caller as Senate room Hart 216- The Judiciary Room. The Caller blurred out his face because his identity has not been confirmed.
No matter how much you may want to deny it, this is who we have become as a nation. And if we stay on this path, there is no future for us.
At this moment, the United States really is facing a demographic collapse of epic proportions.
Let’s hope that Americans start having more children, but at this stage there are no indications that current cultural trends will reverse any time soon.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
