China’s Anti-Family Policies Contribute to Population Crisis
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlights how anti-family policies have contributed to China’s looming population crisis.
After decades of communist population control measures — including China’s “one-child policy” — the country now faces declining birthrates and an aging workforce.
Writing of one prominent city in China, The Wall Street Journal notes,
Once vibrating with energy, Fushun is a city slowly going to sleep. Most of its coal mines and refineries have closed. Half its young people have left. Its pension coffers are heavily in the red, with roughly a third of its population 60 or above.
Last year, only 5,541 babies were born in the city of 1.7 million. By comparison, Michigan’s Wayne County, which includes Detroit and has a similar-size population, logged more than 20,000 births.
Signs of aging are everywhere. Bus stops carry cemetery ads. Taxis advertise dental implants—$200 a tooth or $1,680 for “half a mouth.” . . .
In another decade, all of China will look more like this.
China’s population started shrinking in 2022 and births have been nosediving for several years. By 2035, China will mirror Fushun’s present, with 30% of Chinese 60 or older, based on U.N. population estimates.
Fushun’s rise was built around a Communist Party growth playbook for state-led investment and a lid on births. Fushun was a star performer in both. Now, it epitomizes the economic and demographic strain all of China will confront.
This is not the first time pundits have expressed concern over China’s declining population. In 2020, officials from the Chinese Communist Party said the China’s fertility rate was getting dangerously low, fewer couples marrying and starting families. Nearly two years ago, China’s National Bureau of Statistics released reports showing the country’s population had begun plummeting.
China is not the only country facing a population crisis. Most developed nations are as well — including, to a certain extent, Japan and the U.S. — but not to the same degree as China.
Without a growing population, it’s difficult for countries to maintain strong communities, a vibrant workforce, or a healthy economy. The Chinese Communist Party spent decades promoting the idea that having fewer children would be good for China, but that simply is not how society works.
Societies thrive off healthy, stable families. That’s part of the reason Family Council has spent more than 35 years promoting, protecting, and strengthening traditional family values in Arkansas. When families succeed, everyone benefits.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
Federal Judge Says Local Voters in Charge Can File Amicus Brief in Lawsuit Over Casino Amendment
The federal judge presiding over the lawsuit regarding Issue 2 has determined the group Local Voters in Charge can file an amicus brief in the case.
Issue 2 is a constitutional amendment that voters passed on November 5. The measure prevents the State of Arkansas from licensing a casino in Pope County.
It also prevents any additional casinos from being opened in Arkansas without a new constitutional amendment and without local voter approval at a special election.
Cherokee Nation Business received a license to operate a casino in Pope County before Issue 2 passed. After passage of Issue 2, Cherokee Nation Business filed a federal lawsuit to undo the will of the people and block the amendment.
Local Voters in Charge worked to place Issue 2 on the ballot. After Cherokee Nation Business sued to block Issue 2, Local Voters in Charge asked the federal court for permission to intervene in the lawsuit.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr., issue an order denying Local Voters in Charge’s request to intervene. However, the judge gave the group permission to file an amicus brief in the case.
The amicus brief will give Local Voters in Charge an opportunity to provide arguments and information in support of Issue 2.
Legalized gambling has become a scourge in our state. On average, Arkansans are gambling more than a million dollars every day on sports betting alone. In spite of that, casino tax revenue has not improved Arkansas’ roads or boosted the economy. Instead it’s hurt our communities. The Arkansas Problem Gambling Council has seen a 22% increase in calls for help with problem gambling this year. Unless Arkansas’ lawmakers and its people take a stand, gambling addiction is simply going to continue wrecking lives and hurting families in our state.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.