Kathryn Anne Edwards, Columnist

To Stop the Fiscal Apocalypse, Bet on the Young

The only viable way to support an aging population is to make working people richer and more plentiful.

November 27, 2023 at 11:00 AM UTC

By Kathryn Anne Edwards

Kathryn Anne Edwards is a labor economist, independent policy consultant and co-host of the Optimist Economy podcast.

Fending off the apocalypse.
Photographer: Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg

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Have you heard about America’s impending fiscal apocalypse? It’s that moment in the not-too-distant future when there will be too many elderly people for younger generations to support, rendering the federal government incapable of meeting its obligations.

The apocalypse can be averted. Just make the young richer and more plentiful. Fantastic as that might seem, it’s entirely attainable.