In the TC Business section today:
"Root of Chinese Frugality May be Shortage of Brides"
China having a one child policy seemed a good thing when the population was exploding but of course this led to the preference of the one child allowed being a boy so now there is an imbalance of too many boys and not enough girls.
"Some commentators deplore the imbalances distorting the global economy, particularly China's tendency to save too much and the U.S. penchant for spending too much. Shang-Jin Wei, a professor at Columbia University, and his co-author, Xiaobo Zhang speculate that families are trying to increase their sons' chances in the marriage market by saving large amounts of money."
So, let me see if I get this. People who save money and help the world by limiting the reproduction of children are responsible for the global economic downturn.
Gee, I wonder what might happen if the US stopped spending so much and stopped using so many of the world's resources. What a concept!
