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This, that, and the other, August 2026 edition
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- Tuesday, 11 August 2026
- Written by Margaret Dickson
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and I do not have much in common and do not share many of the same views.
I did not go to Yale Law School. Nor was I mentored by one of my law professors audacious enough to write a book on child-raising entitled Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I do not support aggressive immigration enforcement by ICE or tariffs on nations that have historically been our friends.
We do agree, however, that our country is on the brink of a population bust and probably sooner than most of us expected.
Americans have long read about declining populations in various European and Asian nations, with South Korea currently holding the title of the lowest fertility rate in the world at approximately .08 lives births for women of childbearing age. The bottom line is that South Korea and many other nations are nowhere near replacing their population the old-fashioned way, not including immigration. Sociologists point fingers at high costs of living, economic stressors, and changing social priorities as causes for foregoing parenthood.
The United States is joining the ranks of population-declining nations, with a birth rate of 1.6 prospective live births per mother, considerably below the 2.1 figure considered the replacement level.
Political immigration policies have dramatically lowered the number of people entering the United States, accelerating our race to the population cliff. Current projections are that the US population will stop growing sometime in the 2030s, with the actual decline beginning in the 2050s.
If we want to avoid falling off this cliff, demographers say we need to support the needs of young families for housing, child care, cost of living, quality public education and affordable health care. Otherwise, the cliff looms.
It is worth noting that JD Vance and his wife, and one-time law school tutor, welcomed their 4th child this month, doing their part to avoid the cliff.
It is also interesting that the Vice President, who, as a federal employee, has paternity leave available, is not taking it, leaving mom with 3 children under 9 and a newborn infant.
What sort of role model is that for would-be fathers in a culture not nurturing of young families?
Several weeks ago, I wrote about tattoos, the most recent in a long line of columns on that topic, which has fascinated me for years. Tattoos are ubiquitous in today’s American culture, so reader response was—well— ho hum. No one pays much attention to tattoos these days.
That said, I did have this unexpected, unusual, and very positive reflection from one reader.
“Margaret, appreciate your column, and decided to respond to your tattoo article. As an aging lady, I found myself losing color in my face. I couldn’t keep eyeliner on. It would be faded before I left the bathroom after applying it most mornings. So I consulted Dr. T for my 60th birthday, and his wife tattooed eyeliner for me. Doctor gave me numbing shots, so no pain. Fairly quickly finished in a few hours. I needed a second swipe, but was rattled by the laser, so never returned. At nearing 85, still looks good, very pleased with it. Can’t say that I’ve saved enough by not buying eyeliner to have paid for it as yet. But happy with my birthday gift. Thank you for your efforts to inform our community and keep us connected.”
Nothing like a happy customer!
And, finally, brace yourself.
We are fewer than 100 days away from our much-anticipated—and in some cases, dreaded—midterm elections. We in North Carolina are hosting one of our nation’s marquee US Senate races and all that comes with it. Ours is not as fraught as Senate contests in Texas or Maine, but millions in advertising dollars are coming our way as the outcome of North Carolina’s race will be an important factor in which party controls the Senate and how difficult life will be for its minority members.
