Posted on 06/23/2014 11:19:09 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
I know it sounds creepy to suggest that Uncle Sam ought to bribe women to have more babies. It has the whiff of something that chest-baring ultra-nationalist Vladimir Putin would do. More future patriots from Russian mothers for Mother Russia!
Most Americans would probably say nosy technocrats have no business trying to engineer some socially desirable family size, either bigger or smaller. And they would be right.
But what if Washington has already inadvertently instituted its own version of China's awful one-child policy? After all, American families are having fewer children than they want.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.theweek.com ...
I’ve got 4!
Taxes..too much taxing the American dream out of existence.
Oops. Should have checked that better.
Most European countries and the Province of Québec tried bribing people to reproduce. Did nothing for birthrates.
Uncle Sam already does, big time.
Many of the more educated, hard working kids (and when I say kids I mean those under 35) are delaying marriage and parenting later, or altogether — either due to high costs of living and/or a selfish desire to travel, constantly party, advance in their careers, etc.
Those with limited education and IQ are breeding like rabbits, because they are rewarded to do so.
We will get the type of society we’ve been subsidizing for decades. We’re probably already there.
Yep. People who are willing to subsist on government rations, maximize their offspring to maximize their rations.
The people paying those bills can’t afford to have as many children.
No worries. The immigrants from North Africa and the Middle East will be happy to have 6 kids so you don’t have to.
A simple change that would have a big social impact - cut back on the assumptions that lead to the “it costs a quarter million dollars to raise a kid!”
Much of that cost is assuming a bigger house to give each kid a room, as if sharing a room is child abuse. (Around 40% of that estimate is housing.) Cut back on the expectation of sports fees and activities that drive up the cost, so that the total official bill is more affordable and not causing young adults to say “we can’t afford retirement and more than one kid”.
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