Posted on 12/17/2005 12:16:57 PM PST by NormsRevenge
My, aren't you full of sunshine.
One reason I didn't have more children....I'm too busy paying for other people's children.
Sorry, that's not correct. You're assuming that the kiddies take care of mom and dad when they get old...that's NOT the case and hasn't been for quite a while in this country.
17 more mutant gene carriers...
You rightly say that each person's earning POTENTIAL is approximately 1-2 million dollars. What if they don't reach their potential? Is it rational to reason that they will all collectively contribute approximately 2 million dollars?
And what if these children all grow up to have large families and go on welfare? It happens you know. The I will spend others rich logic just doesn't work with me.
My answer to this problem is a little "tube tieing or a vascectomy" a real bargain compared to what raising a child costs. Especially at tax-payer expense. Where you came up with euthenasia is beyond me. Whew!!!
Related health issues: what puberty's changes translate to in a person's life and body, problems with menstruation, problems and solutions regarding fertility (genetic and sexually transmitted), ovarian cysts, menopause, impotence, etc. etc. etc. I do not include your final sentence in the list.
What your parents experienced in 1947, with no offense intended toward your family, occurred in 1947, and I would consider myself an irresponsible parent if I had had a daughter and sent her into marriage (in any era) without telling her where babies come from, how to enjoy her husband, how to meet his needs and make sure hers were met. Your father may have possessed extraordinary skill in teaching your mother these things, but I put it forth that most men at that time were not quite that aware of how to approach a woman's needs and preparation for being sexually responsive in meaningful ways, or knowledgeable about all the many facets of reproduction over the decades of a woman's life, from a woman's point of need-to-know. I do wonder how your mother got along with that monthly bleeding, unconcerned, before marrying your father.
What type of "public assistance" do they receive? He works. It's not surprising that they qualify for health care and even WIC. When we were younger and did not make as much money as we do now, we qualified for WIC assistance as do many military families. The government subsidizes farming, and there is much milk, cheese, peanut butter, cereal, etc. that would go wasted, so it is given away to those who earn less. I have no problem with the government giving away the surplus.
Public assistance is intended to be a temporary helping hand. I imagine this family will gradually wean itself from needing public assistance. Even well-educated, hard-working folks can find themselves in need at some point. It is usually a temporary and humbling experience.
My step-relative is of Dutch descent ... and there is a lot of cultural similarity between the Germans and the Dutch ... hmmm. Her own mother didn't know where babies came from, and even had begged her doctor to tell her (so she could stop having so many), and he wouldn't dispense the information.
Huh? My wife and I have no children but that doesn't mean we haven't paid one helluva lot of taxes over our lifetimes (in fact, we still pay taxes on our pensions; we even pay $2,000 in taxes annually to support the darling little ones in a faraway county where we own a vacation house and land). We certainly have paid enough in taxes and health premiums (still paying those too) to pay for any health care we may require in our declining years. This may come as a surprise to you but some people have planned their lives so as to not require children to care for them at the end of their lives.
And by the way, why do you think we'll end our existence in some expensive hospital ward? No male on either side of my family has reached 70; all have died of heart attacks. Where's the cost there? One day you're walking around, the next you're not.
You people who maintain that we who choose to not have children grate my nerves, sir. Do what you want to do and I'll do what I want. How's that for an approach to life?
And a damn Merry Christmas to you!
You people who maintain that we who choose to not have children are somehow doing something wrong, and that attitude grates my nerves, sir.
There, that's better.
Do what you want to do and I'll do what I want. How's that for an approach to life?
The world would be a better place if more people felt that way.
I have four children. One of my brothers has none. So what?
And your point is?...
Seems to me she's expressing agreement. Her 'So what' is offering defiance to the view that everybody must procreate.
I have friends my age who have chosen to remain childless. They catch a lot of crap from people. I can understand how they could be a little defensive. I was there when one of the couples was called selfish because they did not have children. They chose world travel and education over having a family. Sometimes I really envy them. Sometimes I don't. But it was their right to do as they pleased!!!
Thanks for your comment. I just didn't know what to make of her "How's that for an approach to life?" It seemed to me to be something that could easily be interpreted as positive or negative.
Called selfish, huh? Selfish as in taking care of themselves in order that the burden thereof not fall on someone else? Is that a bad thing?
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