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Comment by chaostheory | Hacker News Reader

This is the same conclusion I came to. Many Canadians are now against immigration due to their housing crisis. What they don’t realize is that Canada has been hit with a demographic bomb in the 1970s that other countries are now only starting to experience. Ie without immigration, the retired elderly will soon outnumber working age adults who contribute to the economy and tax revenue

They only have two choices now:

* increase or keep immigration at the same rate

* decrease or eliminate benefits like socialized healthcare and social security

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Three.

Increase productivity (per capita output), increase taxes, specifically pursue high income society development paths (including on who you allow to immigrate, such that high income immigrants promptly become high tax contributors).

Canada is more or less already doing this. They'll likely just have to boost taxation further.

You’re not wrong, but increasing productivity is not easy especially in a place that is both highly regulated and highly taxed. Your most productive and talented workers tend to move south due to both the higher pay and lower cost of living.

You’re right about the other two either already happening or inevitable.

More and more, I continue to be shocked that countries in this position didn't end up letting covid run its course. Seems like after some initial difficulties, it could have helped balance their demographics a lot.

Are you actually surprised governments didn’t decided to kill a few million of their own citizens?

Didn’t Sweden take this risk? Looking at the data, it seems to have paid off unless I’m reading it wrong

No? Sweden had quite a strong COVID response including an entry ban for a while. The government got quiet draconian when cases spiked, but where more targeted than many countries.

They did. With not locking down early, claiming that it was 'nothing', not providing them support during the lockdown, then reopening early. All for the sake of the stockmarket and 'the economy'.

Yes, or at least I was until I remembered those making decisions are mostly older and more at risk of death or issues from contracting covid.

Guess governments aren't as cynical as some think

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