6-27-16 – Vermonters can’t afford kids

by Rob Roper

UVM economist Art Woolf writes this week that the number of Vermont births in 2015 was the lowest since the beginning of the 20^th century, and probably the lowest since before the Civil War. Despite our long, dark, cold winters only 5903 babies were born last year, down from a peak of 8500 in 1989.

This isn’t a national problem, where birth rates spiked to give us the Millennial generation, the largest since the Baby Boomers. Since then, nationally births rates have cooled and leveled off, but they have not dropped precipitously as they have in Vermont.

Woolf doesn’t offer an explanation for the lack of fertility, but folks on social media have not been as shy weighing in. For my own part, the answer is obvious: kids are expensive, and the government takes away the money parents need to raise them.

Before parents can spend a dime on raising the next generation they first need transfer a large portion of their paychecks to previous generations in support of Medicare and Social Security. They are mandated to buy health insurance or pay a fine under Obamacare. They need to pay their income taxes, and housing costs, including rent or a mortgage, property taxes, electric bills, etc. Often they have to pay off tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. They need to feed themselves. Only if there is anything left over after all this can you – responsibly — think about bringing a baby into your life.

As government has succeeded so spectacularly in making so many aspects of young people’s lives more expensive than they used to be – college, healthcare, and housing, not to mention child care, especially, it’s no surprised that young people aren’t having as many kids. That liberal Vermont and our fellow deep blue New England sates are leading the pack in this negative population trend is no surprise either. Turns out having government in your wallet is a bigger turn off than having them in your bedroom.

– Rob Roper is president of the Ethan Allen Institute