>> WELCOME TO NEW HAMPSHIRE'S BUSINESS, I'M FRED KOCHER. NEW HAMPSHIRE IS DEMOGRAPHICALLY UNBALANCED OR A WAY TO SAY THAT, THE POPULATION IS UNBALANCED AND THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES FOR COMMUNITIES. THAT'S THE FINDING OF MY GUESTS WHO JUST PUBLISHED A BOOK WITH THE TITLE "COMMUNITY AND CONSEQUENCES", HERE IS WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH EXCERPTS. NEW HAMPSHIRE AND NEW ENGLAND ARE FOLLOWING AN UNBALANCED DEMOGRAPHICS. SENIORS ARE INCREASING RAPIDLY AND SHRINKING NUMBER OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN. THE UNBALANCING HAS RESULTED IN FEWER CHILDREN IN OUR SCHOOLS, FEWER ENTERING COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITIES AND WIDESPREAD WORKER SHORTAGES. AND THIS BOOK HAS MANY SUPPORTERS, INCLUDING THE DELTA DENTAL AND NEW HAMPSHIRE REALTORS AND OTHERS. WITH ME HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT ARE THE AUTHORS OF THE BOOK, LORRAINE MERRILL FORMER COMMISSIONER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND THE FOUNDER OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS MAGAZINE AND RESIDENT OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. WELCOME BOTH OF YOU. AND WHA HAPPENED AS YOU SAY IT WAS OVER THREE DECADES. >> PETER AND FRED. IT'S A COMBINATION OF NATIONAL TRENDS, THE AGING OF THE BABY BOOM AND SO FORTH, BUT IT'S ALSO MUCH WORSE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND THAN NATIONALLY. SO NEW HAMPSHIRE USED TO BE A LITTLE BIT YOUNGER THAN THE AVERAGE BY MEDIAN AGE, 20, 30 YEARS AGO. BUT NOW WE'RE THE SECOND OLDEST STATE IN THE COUNTRY. AND SO WE'VE DONE SOM THINGS IN OUR STATE, I THINK INADVERTENTLY, THAT HAVE MADE THIS MUCH WORSE. THINGS LIKE NOT SUPPORTING HOUSING SUITABLE FOR YOUNG FAMILIES IN OUR TOWNS. HAVING THE HIGHEST RATES OF STUDENT DEBT FOR YOUNG PEOPL GRADUATING FROM COLLEGES SO THAT WE'VE REALLY DISCOURAGED YOUNG PEOPLE FROM STAYING HERE OR COMING HERE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE SEEMINGLY PUT OUT, ROLLED OUT THE WELCOME MAT FOR OLDER PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER TO COME AND LIVE HERE WIT AGE RESTRICTED HOUSIN ADVANTAGEOUS PROPERTY TAX DEALS FOR OLDER PEOPLE, AND WE'VE DONE NOTHING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. >> PETER, YOU AND LORRAINE, SAY IF YOUR BOOK THERE HAVE BEEN SERB AND ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES TO THIS IMBALANCE. WHAT ARE THEY? >> THE MAJ CONSEQUENCE IS A LACK OF LABOR FORCE GROWTH AND THEREFORE, A GREATER DIFFICULTY OF ALL EMPLOYERS TO FIND WORKERS, PARTICULARLY IN THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY THAT WE NEED TO TAKE CARE OF ALL OF THESE ELDERLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE MOVED TO NEW HAMPSHIRE. AMY: IS THERE AN EXAMPLE OF THE PARTICULAR COMMUNITY TRYING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, PETER? >> WELL, YES. FIRST OF ALL, THE TOWN OF PELHAM BASICALLY HAD A-- THEY HAD A REFERENDUM T NOT PERMIT, TO FORBID THE CONSTRUCTION OF ANY MORE AGE RESTRICTED HOUSING, THAT IS AGE 55 AND OLDER. AND IT PASSED 2-1. AND SO, THEY'RE TRYING TO FOLLOW THAT UP WITH AN ORDINANCE THAT ALLOWS FOR WORK FORCE HOUSING, BUT THEY HAVEN'T BEEN SUCCESSFUL YET. BUT THERE ARE OTHER COMMUNITIES LIKE BRADFORD AND OTHER PLACES WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO BRING YOUNG PEOPLE BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY AND GET PLAYING BOARDS AND TOWN BOARDS TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOUNG PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN, AND FAMILIES WITH INNER CH WILL NOT IN FACT INCREASE THEIR PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE THAT'S THE MYTHOLOGY, THAT IF WE'RE ALL-- WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF CHILDREN IN HERE, THEY'RE ONLY GOING TO RAISE OUR PROPERTY TAXES BECAUSE THAT'S HOW THEY PAY FOR SCHOOLS. AND WE'RE TRYING TO BUST THAT MYTH AND REALIZE THAT CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE. A AMY:. >> THE BOOK, WHERE IS IT AVAILABLE FOR SALE? >> AT ALL INDEPENDENT BOOK STORES IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ONLINE FROM THOSE BIG ONLINE BOOK SOURCES. >> WELL, HERE IT IS, "COMMUNITIES AND CONSEQUENCES", REBALANCING NEW HAMPSHIRE'S HUMAN ECOLOGY. IT'S WORTH THE READ, BELIEVE ME, I'VE READ IT. I WANT TO THANK LORRAINE MERRILL, THE FORMER AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE AND PETER, THE FOUNDERS OF DEMOGRAPHICS MAGAZINE SPE