The Great Recession Baby Bust

Forget the Dow and the GDP. Here's the latest economic indicator: The U.S. birthrate 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 birthrate 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.

"It's a good-sized decline for one year. Every month is showing a decline from the year before," said Stephanie Ventura, the demographer who oversaw the report.

The birthrate, 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. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/28/MNRK1F4FG8.DTL#ixzz0xu8gLxvq

lately have featured grey as the predominate fall color. If that isn't depressing, what is?

In any case, women are often the breadwinners now because men have had the axe fall harder than women, typically lower earners, have. Breadwinners can't take 3 months unpaid maternity leave, especially since employers now are likely to replace them while they're gone instead of holding their jobs for them according to law. After all, it's not likely a woman with a new baby and no income is going to sue.

Since no birth control is 100% effective, expect abortion rates to climb.

With Republicon Senators, um, manipulating the diaper supply, there just aren't enuf for the real babys.

Down the Diaper Dynasty (R)!.