The American economy created 155,000 new jobs in December, according to the latest report from the Labor Department. The unemployment rate is 7.8 percent, the same as November.
Four years ago, during the last presidential campaign, the American economy was collapsing faster than it had since the Great Depression. Now, with the 2012 election upon us, most analysts agree that the economy is in a period of slow recovery—a bit too slow, according to just about everyone.
Call it the "baby bust." For the fourth straight year, birth rates in the United States have declined.
Slightly fewer than four million babies were born in the U.S. in 2011, the lowest total since 1998. However, the 1 percent drop in the birth rate was less than it had been in the previous three years. This suggests that the economic pressure experts believe is depressing the birth rate
Recent estimates say it costs upwards of a quarter of a million dollars to raise a child to adulthood, and it seems many people have taken those numbers to heart: a new survey indicates the American birthrate is at is lowest point since 1987.