Its the Demography, Stupid

When it comes to forecasting the future, the birth rate is the nearest thing to hard numbers.

By 2050, Italy's population will have fallen by 22 percent, Bulgaria's by 36 percent, Estonia's by 52 percent. In America, demographic trends suggest that the blue states ought to apply for honorary membership of the EU: in the 2004 election, John Kerry won the sixteen with the lowest birth rates; George W. Bush took twenty -five of the twenty -six states with the highest. By 2050, there will be 100 million fewer Europeans, 100 million more Americans- and mostly red-state Americans.