Posted on 01/27/2009 11:06:53 AM PST by NYer
Yes, it is. Another part that's not going to work much longer is non-working people's being supported by the working population their entire lives.
The modern social-welfare state is an experiment that has failed. The outcome of the failure is not yet evident to most voters, but it's going to kick people where they live "soon," in global-history terms. Those who are old (70s-80s) now may not realize what happened, but many of those now 50s and 60s may find themselves "lives not worth living" a lot sooner than they expect.
(The fact that this particular advance is fairly recent is a more comprehensive rebuttal to your earlier point, such as it is, than the specific example of post-Soviet Russia.)
"I'll take 'Arguments commonly used by Antoninus' for $400...."
The modern welfare state worked when (a) there were 8+ workers for every retired person; (b) there was a sense of shame attached to being on the dole; and (c) retirees died at 70, rather then 85.
None of these are really applicable anymore. The system will inevitably collapse under its own weight. It's just a question of how much damage it will do on its way down.
On this issue, people didn't need much convincing. The rise of effective and cheap birth control, coupled with the overturning of the laws that banned contraception, was more than enough to make tens of millions of Americans go out and control their fertility.
For most people, women especially, unregulated fertility is a nuisance and a limitation.
If my husband and I had waited until we could afford to have children, we never would have had any. We have been blessed with four so far and wouldn’t change a thing.
When conditions changed, in large part due to the effects of the new system, it began to crash. It's not yet quite in free-fall (defined as massive, unmistakable societal disruption) but it's only a matter of time.
Russia first, or Japan? Certainly Europe falls to the Moslems before the U.S. goes belly-up, since we have a larger and more resilient citizen population and less-hostile immigrants, overall.
All I can say is, God Bless you and your wonderful family. Maybe you can’t see it hnow, but you are so blessed. Please count your blessings, and the rest will take care of itself. You may not be able to provide all the worldly goods, but you have more riches than those who have beautiful homes and no children. Please hang in there. You will survive and will look back at these times, I hope, with very fond memories.
One more thing. I don’t have 7 children, but I do have 4. They are all grown now, but when they were small, and I had the first 3 in in a 3 year period, we were struggling as well. We had some IRS problems, which kept our income very low, and we were struggling to make ends meet as well. It was very hard, and I broke down in tears the week before Christmas because things looked so bleak. I have been where you are, and I wouldn’t give one of my children back so that my husband and I wouldn’t have had to struggle. Things have gotten easier for us now, and I’d be willing to bet that this will happen to you as well.
Children are expensive...no I am happy to have the four and hopefully provide for them in these tough times...I may live in a rich nation, but I am not rich
Muslims strap bombs on their kids...so they need more.
God blessed me with four lovely children, but I still have to feed them and clothe them...welfare moms get criticized all the time for doing this.
Thank you Patrick for your efforts to reveal the truth about birth control, euthanasia, loss of respect for life.
Terry Schiavo X 10,000’s, slowly, quietly.
Reminds me of the saying,
‘God forgives but nature never forgives.’
We will indeed reap what we sow.
“Things have gotten easier for us now, and I’d be willing to bet that this will happen to you as well.”
Thanks. That probably isn’t true for a lot of reasons, but we will survive. My point wasn’t to complain about my own situation, so I apologize if that is how it came across. I love all of my kids, and could not imagine not having them. Even so, the two on the way, will come at a cost to the others. My first 5 range from 18 to 13.
I can completely understand those who choose to limit the number of children they have. It is a responsible decision, even if it doesn’t agree with my faith. Maybe some are being selfish, but most are probably just trying to make sure that they can give their kids the attention and time they will need. Not everyone is cut out for raising a large family.
“What is now known as the “right to die movement” is steadily morphing into what will soon become the “oblicagtion (sic) to die movement.””
Very true. There’s a lot of resentment regarding old people and the very sick who are “using up all our resources”. People have hardened over the years.
Warning: NEVER fall for inpatient pallitive care for yourself or a family member. My sister (52 y/o) lasted one day under that label. I agreed to it because they told me she’d be pain free. Well she sure was after a few heavy doses of IV morphine. I arrived the next morning and she was unresponsive and died that afternoon. Insofar as I was concerned it was Euthanasia. I did some investigating and it’s been going on for years. The patients have Cancer or other catastrophic illness so it’s not detected and if it is - well they were endstage Cancer patients.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.