What will America look like when the vast majority of Boomers are gone–say, in 2050? Here are some predictions:
- THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROBLEM IS GONE: With the Boomers dead and lots of new immigrant workers in place, the issues involved in paying for the welfare state have disappeared.
- THE RACIAL ISSUE HAS CHANGED: Woke members of Gen Z are now running the country. They went to integrated public schools and are contemptuous of racists. The influx of Hispanic immigrants, however, has created a society in which immigrants do all of the hard work and Anglos reap most of the benefits. This presents serious political and social problems for the future.
- CHRISTIANITY IS A SPENT FORCE: America has seen periods of religious fervor at seemingly unlikely times in the past, but no longer. The corrupt bargain between reactionary politicians and Christians which empowered the latter in the short run has destroyed any enthusiasm for Christianity among members of Gen Z and their children. The chickens have come home to roost.
- CLIMATE CHANGE MEANS CLIMATE CHANGES: The Southwest is almost uninhabitable. Parts of California have been depopulated. Florida now belongs exclusively to the wealthy and to tourists, neither of whom are present during hurricane season. Mountain property values are skyrocketing. The Northeast and the Midwest are becoming more popular. Lots of new climate regulations are in place, too; government seems to be everywhere these days.
- THE SEARCH FOR A HAPPY MEDIUM CONTINUES: America needs both ample incentives for entrepreneurs and a large, stable middle class. Finding just the right balance of incentives and regulations to produce both results has always been a difficult task. It still is.
You have probably noted that the America I have described is a nightmare for reactionaries. That is why they are trying today to turn the clock back, and why they will fail in the long run.