Many concepts contribute to this situation and the inability to change it. Egoism certainly. But another lingering concept is the old leftist belief that "wealth" is somehow "out there" just waiting to be attached and deployed. Why painfully alter bahavior if this false hope beguiles?

I've read from market/economic types that unemployment will trend to zero with the noted demographics. I wonder who doesn't know what they're talking about?

Will a dwindling number of European workers be willing to support a bulging population of elders? Based on their past behavior, I doubt it. When a summer heat wave hit Europe not long ago, the aging and infirm died by the thousands alone and uncared for in un-cooled apartments while their French and German and Swedish offspring splashed on Mediterranean beaches. Eurosocialists love to look down their noses at stingy, stupid and unilateral Americans. But nothing comes between a European and the one thing they most cherish: undisturbed leisure. They seem perfectly happy to sit in their cafes drinking and smoking and making snarky remarks while their society crumbles. I say let them sit. Thankfully, my forbearers had the gumption to leave.

This population theory is nonsense. A fall in birthrates leading to increase in pensioners has the obvious (unless you are a european intellectual) concommitant of a decrline in the number of children in society.

Children recieve financial support from tax payers for an average of six years more than pensioners. Properly computed, the tax burden imposed by maternity, healthcare and educational provision for under sixteens, is greater than that imposed by pensioners. The falling population will create more wealth. The problem is that Western governments will syphon of the wealth to fund vanity projects, African aid etc.' instead of redistributing it to pensioners.

Population decline is promoted, as a theory, by arrogant left-wing, utopian European elites, to justify mass-immigration.

Calvin, you prattle.