Libuse Bautzova writes in the Winter 2008 edition of The New Presence magazine about the state of pension reform in our country. Her amazing article entitled, "Here Come the Pensioners," was a great primer on just what we might expect to see in this nation if we don't reform our self-destructive ways, and soon. (I'll see if I can get permission to reproduce parts of it here for you. If I'm successful, stay tuned for an update).

Here's the gist of what she's saying. I'll break these out into bullets:

** Czech society is getting old -- and fast! By 2050, over half of Czech society will be over 60 years of age. Young people are increasingly unwilling to salt away money for their futures. Saving mentality still has yet to permeate this society's thinking -- and regrettably, our elderly citizens clearly aren't the individuals to turn to for guidance on this score, for obvious reasons.

** Czech females are reproducing at a rate of 1.5 children per couple. Czech demographers aren't predicting a rosy future. At this rate of reproduction, by the middle of this century there will be 2 million less citizens living in the Czech Republic, bringing our numbers down to around 8 million souls. Owning this much open territory and not making available to the rest of the world seems almost selfish. (Maybe it's the Canadian in me, spoiled with being the second biggest landmass on the planet).

** Employers aren't hiring older employees. This, despite the fact that such elderly types aren't anywhere near the officially mandated age of retirement (60 years of age for males). The conventional marketplace wisdom is that older people (read: those who came into their own during Czechoslovak Communism) aren't adaptable, are unwilling to master new skillsets, and don't comprehend cutting-edge technology, so what's the point in investing in them to take up space. For someone such as myself who positively adores old people, this is harsh news to swallow indeed.

** Pension reform is molasses-like slow. Just ask Labour and Social Affairs Minister Petr Necas. His various proposals to innovate the Czech pension system -- anything from gradually increasing the legal retirement age, to significant cuts in pension payouts, to a blend of public and private pension contributions -- are all political footballs. Considering the outcry from the recent spate of cuts, these proposals aren't likely to gain any sort of traction anytime soon.

** Czech young people aren't saving. That's something, according to Bautzova, which is still in young Czechs' "for later" file. As for the ones who stay (and that's decreasing steadily as the hassle-free, politically neutral Czech passport is accepted at more places internationally without a visa, thank goodness!). Since young people aren't saving, little goes into the public kitty for a rainy day. Between such low contributions and the political graft that is endemic to our political system, not to mention the complications in bringing the ODS' tax reform up to speed, this paints yet another rather grim picture.

Which is why we need immigration!

I can just remember watching the grainy black and white 1950s images of Australian PM Robert Menzies on Ted Turner's amazing COLD WAR series of VHS cassettes (hope I'm not dating myself here), begging immigrants to come down to his continent -- then at the opposite complete end of the universe -- to populate it and work the land.

Were it not for those masses of Lebanese, Greeks, Italians, Arabs, Poles, Croatians, and other sundry Europeans and Middle Eastern types, Australia might never have become the Oceanic entrepreneurial powerhouse which it is today. And that goes doubly for my native Canada.

It's a proven fact -- despite the obfuscations of Czech political elites -- we're eventually going to lose the population race if we don't do something about it fast.

When our Asian FDI saviours (egs. Asus, Acer, Foxconn, Hyundai) yank their capital out of Cesko in about five to ten years' time, we'll have little to sustain our economy for the long haul. This will further strain our public purse; that is, unless we start investing in things like solar panels, a technology this nation, strangely, has a competitive advantage in. Barring changes to the status quo, and because of all the points I'd listed above, we're going to need bodies in this country. Many of them, in fact!

Newcomers. Fresh blood, fresh faces.

Newcomers from lands where opportunity is not in plentiful supply. Stretching the example further, that means people from the developing world, who do not always have white skin, nor who read books and newspapers from left to right.

Germany is a good example of this.

Look at the magnificent leap -- the "Wunderwirtschaft" -- it took with its economy during the post-War period. What with its expectant thousands of Spaniards, Italians, former Yugos, and assorted other Souther Europeans who made the trip northward to toil in its factories and auto assembly plants. These are also the same people who repaired the massive network of autobahns as well, smashed as the latter were at the end of the last global conflict.

I can just hear the groaning now...we don't want immigrants here! Look at what the Hamburg cell did on Jedenacteho Zari! Immigrants from Muslim lands?! Ven! There might be some who claim that the Germans deserved the influx of questionable foreigners to their lands, given what sort of havoc they were responsible for wreaking during the War.

Yet like it or not, my friends, this is the only thing that's going to save us now.

Otherwise, we'll lose the population game, and then there will be no "Czech culture" to save. And that's a fact, Jack.

Tune in soon for further examples of why immigration is good for Cesko...watch this space!