Arguments from Mark Steyn and other conservative pundits notwithstanding, Dr. Paul Hsieh of the group Freedom & Individual Rights in Medicine argues in the latest Forbes that declining American birthrates are not a sufficient cause for gloom and doom. Hsieh points to another factor — freedom — that’s much more likely to play the key role in future American prosperity.
More fundamentally, it’s not the government’s job to promote any particular lifestyle — e.g., single vs. married or childless vs. multiple child families. The government should not attempt to tilt the playing field to favor a specific “ideal” family size of 2.1+ children. Rather, the government’s job should be to protect the freedom of parents to have zero, one, two, or five children — provided the parents can properly nurture and care for them all. How many children to have is a profoundly personal decision that only parents themselves can make based on their particular preferences and circumstances. …
… But although the government should not promote any specific national fertility rate, it can take some positive steps to address the concerns of those warning of a “baby bust.”
First and most important, we can adopt free-market reforms that improve overall prosperity. Greater prosperity will allow prospective parents who wish to have kids but are hesitant due to tight economic circumstances. To the extent that limited governments and free markets have been partially tried, we’ve seen flowering of economic prosperity. The examples of South Korea vs. North Korea, West Germany vs. East Germany, and Hong Kong vs. Communist China are testimonies to the power of free markets.
Second, we can reform our immigration policies. Of course, the government should stop criminals, terrorists, and those with dangerous contagious diseases from coming to America. But honest immigrants wishing to come to America to work hard and better their lives should be free to do so. More open immigration would provide a much-needed injection of economic vigor into our economy. (Note: This does not imply granting immigrants US citizenship, which is a separate issue.)
Finally, we should privatize Social Security. Contrary to popular misconception, Social Security is not a savings plan where people deposit money earned while working to be withdrawn after retirement. Rather, it is a “pay as you go” system where current workers are taxed to pay current retirees. Declining fertility rates thus threaten the system.
