New Social Systems

> Again. let's assume a new orbital society is developing.
>
> Everybody will have to be an immigrant.
>
> If we restrict immigration to those under 40 or so, then they won't
> have to be funding an existing cohort of seniors via Social Security
> taxes.

Bad idea. Some of the most experienced people will be over 60 and still
have many years of productive life ahead of them. Experience in the
short term will count for more than some hypothetical burden in the
long term. People do not have to retire at 65 - that's a luxury
afforded to western societies by the welfare state. I know of plenty of
people who remain vigorous well into their seventies, and whose
accumulated experience more than makes up for their decreased physical
capabilities.

> Should more money be spent on childhood education? Will we even have
> slackers, druggies, and criminal youth if we don't have the social
> strata that is present in Earth's societies? Afterall, everyone who
> immigrates will have to be talented and educated to serve a function
> in orbit.

There will be slackers and druggies no matter what. The attitude that
these folks should be invited into the airlock will rapidly evaporate
when it turns out that some of them are family members.

......Andrew

Dr. Andrew Case, PhD.
Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics,
University of Maryland, College Park
"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once."
- David Hume