首页
登录
职称英语
Among the government’s most interesting reports is one that estimates what p
Among the government’s most interesting reports is one that estimates what p
游客
2023-08-25
12
管理
问题
Among the government’s most interesting reports is one that estimates what parents spend on their children. Not surprisingly, the costs are steep. For a middle-class, husband-and-wife family(average pretax income in 2009: $ 76 250), spending per child is about $ 12 000 a year. With inflation the family’s spending on a child will total $ 286 050 by age 17.
The dry statistics ought to inform the ongoing deficit debate, because a budget is not just a catalog of programs and taxes. It reflects a society’s priorities and values. Our society does not—despite rhetoric(说辞)to the contrary—put much value on raising children. Present budget policies tax parents heavily to support the elderly. Meanwhile, tax breaks for children are modest. If deficit reduction aggravates these biases, more Americans may choose not to have children or to have fewer children. Down that path lies economic decline.
Societies that cannot replace their populations discourage investment and innovation. They have stagnant(萧条的)or shrinking markets for goods and services. With older populations, they resist change. To stabilize its population—discounting immigration—women must have an average of two children. That’s a fertility rate of 2.0. Many countries with struggling economies are well below that.
Though having a child is a deeply personal decision, it’s shaped by culture, religion, economics, and government policy. "No one has a good answer" as to why fertility varies among countries, says sociologist Andrew Cherlin of The Johns Hopkins University. Eroding religious belief in Europe may partly explain lowered birthrates. In Japan young women may be rebelling against their mothers’ isolated lives of child rearing. General optimism and pessimism count. Hopefulness fueled America’s baby boom. After the Soviet Union’s collapse, says Cherlin, "anxiety for the future" depressed birthrates in Russia and Eastern Europe.
In poor societies, people have children to improve their economic well-being by increasing the number of family workers and providing support for parents in their old age. In wealthy societies, the logic often reverses. Government now supports the elderly, diminishing the need for children. By some studies, the safety nets for retirees have reduced fertility rates by 0.5 children in the United States and almost 1.0 in Western Europe, reports economist Robert Stein in the journal National Affairs. Similarly, some couples don’t have children because they don’t want to sacrifice their own lifestyles to the time and expense of a family.
Young Americans already face a bleak labor market that cannot instill(注入)confidence about having children. Piling on higher taxes won’t help, "If higher taxes make it more expensive to raise children," says Nicholas Eberstadt of the American Enterprise Institute, "people will think twice about having another child." That seems like common sense, despite the multiple influences on becoming parents. [br] What is said to be the consequence of a shrinking population?
选项
A、Weakened national strength.
B、Increased immigration.
C、Economic downturn.
D、Social instability.
答案
C
解析
事实细节题。文章第二段倒数第二句提到.如果削减赤字加剧这些偏见。可能会有更多的美国人选择不要孩子或者少要孩子,即题干中的shrinking population;最后一句指出其后果是经济衰退,所以本题答案为C)。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/2957281.html
相关试题推荐
Immigrationposestwomainchallengesfortherichworld’sgovernments.One
Immigrationposestwomainchallengesfortherichworld’sgovernments.One
Immigrationposestwomainchallengesfortherichworld’sgovernments.One
Amongthegovernment’smostinterestingreportsisonethatestimateswhatp
Amongthegovernment’smostinterestingreportsisonethatestimateswhatp
Amongthegovernment’smostinterestingreportsisonethatestimateswhatp
Amongthegovernment’smostinterestingreportsisonethatestimateswhatp
Immigrationposestwomainchallengesfortherichworld’sgovernments.One
Immigrationposestwomainchallengesfortherichworld’sgovernments.One
Immigrationposestwomainchallengesfortherichworld’sgovernments.One
随机试题
Hereamidthesteelandconcretecanyons,greengrassgrows.Ahawthorntree
一项调查结果显示,许多大学生每日阅读时间不足1小时,而上网时间却超过了4小时。Accordingtoasurvey,manycollegestude
对直接承受动力荷载重复作用的钢结构构件及其连接,当应力变化的循环次数n≥( )
张女士,42岁。近日感到双腿关节疼痛,行走、提重物和在上楼时疼痛加剧。因多日未愈
6个月婴儿,发热、腹泻5天,气促、面色苍白、烦躁1天。查体:心率56次/分,心律
肺心病的预防不包括()A.提倡戒烟 B.增强免疫力 C.减少有害物质的
为非均相固-液分散系统,毒性或小剂量药物不宜采用的是A.溶液剂B.高分子溶液C.
运维班每半年应参加安全监察质量部门组织的安全工器具使用方法培训,新员工上岗前应进
根据增值税规定,下列行为应视同销售货物征收增值税的有()。A、将自产的办公桌用于
甲公司和乙公司适用的所得税税率均为25%。2×21年4月1日,甲公司以银行存款1
最新回复
(
0
)