The following appeared as a recommendation by a committee planning a ten-year budget for the city of Calatrava."The birthrate in our city is declining: in fact, last year's birthrate was only one-half that of five years ago. Thus the number of students en

In the argument, the author recommends reallocating educational, athletics and other recreational facilities funds for other facilities and programs primarily for adults. The argument is unconvincing for multiple reasons.

Firstly, the author makes a bold assumption that declining birth rate will significantly decrease the number of students enrolled in public schools. It is highly possible that Calatrava has very few public schools. Hence, the declining birth rate will effectively have no effect in the number of students eligible for admission.

Secondly, the author takes it for granted that the birth rate will continue declining for the next ten years. There are good chances that this might not happen. Also, reducing funds budgeted for education can seriously hamper the quality of education. It might indirectly affect the students’ academic future.

In addition, the proposal to reduce funding for athletic playing fields and other recreational facilities is absurd. Although the possibility that these facilities used by adults is significantly low, it does not justify the reduced funding. What if these facilities are state of the art? What if these facilities have produced world-class sportsmen in the past?

Lastly, the author is of the opinion that adult population would increase in the next decade. It is assumed that declining birth rate is the primary cause for the same. Reallocating funds for facilities and programs used by adults based on this assumption is unjustified. It is likely that adults may not have time, energy or financial ability to use the same.

To conclude, the argument is weak. It is based solely on bold assumptions that may or may not be true.