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Capitalism is Bad for Babies

The capitalist crisis has increased everything from unemployment to home foreclosures, domestic violence to depression. But one thing it hasn’t increased is the number of babies born in the US. Although one would think that “making babies” would be a money-saving way to cut down on entertainment expenses, the reality of the crisis is hitting American families hard. If millions of workers can’t even find a job or make their house payments, how can they possibly afford to raise a child?

As reported by CBS News: “Forget the Dow and the GDP. Here’s the latest economic indicator: The U.S. birth rate has fallen to its lowest level in at least a century as many people apparently decided they couldn’t afford more mouths to feed. The birth rate dropped for the second year in a row since the recession began in 2007. Births fell 2.6 percent last year even as the population grew, numbers released Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics show.

“The birth rate, which takes into account changes in the population, fell to 13.5 births for every 1,000 people last year. That’s down from 14.3 in 2007 and way down from 30 in 1909, when it was common for people to have big families The situation is a striking turnabout from 2007, when more babies were born in the United States than any other year in the nation’s history. The recession began that fall, dragging down stocks, jobs and births.”

It is estimated that it could take a decade or more to reverse this trend.  So much for “progress” under capitalism!