Two Is Enough Why large families don't deserve tax breaks.

Slate ^ | March 29, 2004 | Dalton Conley

[Un Canadien Errant]

The U.S. government encourages families to have children, as many of them as possible. Child tax credits, child-care tax deductions, and family leave policies all reward parents with big broods. The pro-child policies are based partly on romantic notions about mom, family, and apple pie, but they also have a rational goal: We subsidize kids so that our next generation of workers is ready to win in the global economy.

[Un Canadien Errant]

Doesn't this article have the Brave New World feel that lefties love. Talking about "the trade-offs between child quantity and quality" makes children seem more like goods rather than gifts from God.

[Unam Sanctam]

Left-wing anti-life mentality strikes again.

[breakem]

thanx, thought provoking

[Hardastarboard]

Don't forget that the lefties think of large families and see ultra-right wing Christians everywhere.

[netmilsmom]

Welcome to FR, tomorrow.

[dracos]

I have the answer: Let's give criminals an option when it comes to sentence. For most offenses, let's offer to them to be surgically "fixed" in order to avoid incarceration. While they will have the benefit of "coasting" on their crime, society will be much better in the long run. The cost of the procedure will be made up 10 fold when the miscrants don't come out to plague us. I understand the ACLU will fight us on this one, but wouldn't it be nice? Also, how about birth control being required when one is on Welfare (you notice I said birth control and not sterilization?). When they have been "benefited" by what Welfare has to offer, AND THEY OFF the program, thn have the kids. What do you think?

[Restorer]

Dimwit.

A great many women have one or zero children.

Some significant number of women must have three or more just to compensate for them, or the birthrate will fall below replacement level.

The "subsidies" are merely a (very) partial compensation for the costs associated with raising children, an activity vital to the continued survival of a society.

BTW, our glorious European allies have much more generous childbirth incentives. They aren't working. Essentially all European countries are well below replacement levels in their birthrate.

[blackdog]

Morons.........We already sliced, diced, and sucked out 40 million of the little tykes, how many more should we kill?

Besides, social security would be in just peachy shape if we had not executed 40 million unfortunate to have found themselves in a hostile womb.

[AZLiberty]

Yup. We want to be just like German or Italy, who are failing to reproduce themselves, and will starve in their old age due to lack of children.

On the other hand, there's sure to be some great bargains for us in European real estate as the older generations die off.

[kabar]

Europe is dying because of the demographics. An aging society with fewer workers supporting the economy and the social welfare system doom a country's competitiveness in the world economy. Countries like Germany are providing "kinder geld" to encourage more children. This article is nonsense.

[Temple Drake]

short-term idea with long-term dreadful consequences ... all we have to do is wait for the Islamo-fascists to reproduce their way into the majority and kill off our few great-grandchildren.

[Dan(9698)]

Who is going to pay your Social Securety?

[freeangel]

Most of the kids I see that are from large families are on medicaid. Somehow I do not equate that with any kind of support in "winning" the global economy. Just another drain on the the taxpayers. If you can't afford them--don't have them.

[Un Canadien Errant]

Exactly. Soon if the lefties get their way we'll be like Japan: a society with no children and no future. And then who will defend America?

[grellis]

I could fertilize my lawn with the article and have lush green grass by morning...for my kids to romp around in. Utter hogwash.

[expat_panama]

Left-wing anti-life mentality strikes again.

You nailed it.  The title is "large families don't deserve tax breaks".  The graphic shows the government keeping the peoples money out of the outstretched hand of those greedy taxpayers.

So once again we hear the left assuming that all money belongs to the government, and it uses 'tax breaks' to decide who gets to have some of their own money back and who doesn't.

I'll tell you who 'deserves' a tax break, a tax payer-- large family or not.  The only large (or small) family (or single for that matter) who doesn't is the professional 'victim' that doesn't pay any taxes in the first place.

But this is probably to complicated for the half of the population that doesn't pay taxes.

[longtermmemmory]

conclusion, the left HATES children.

for the democrats Mother is a four letter word
for the democrats Fatherhood is a hatecrime
for the democrats Family is a sex act
for the democrats forced idividualism is a tool of power
for the democrats selfless acts are taxable.

[conservative cat]

Ah.. More BS from Slate. I have three children and will probably shoot for (or at least my SO will)a fourth. The same people who propose this BS are all for gay marriages and the associated benefits they like to claim all married people have.

[CholeraJoe]

Europe is dying because of the demographics.

In the Republics of the former Soviet Union, the number of abortions exceed the number of live births by a factor of 1/2. Example: In St. Petersburg, Russia in 2002 there were 24,000 live births and 36,000 abortions. And you thought Stalin was a killer?

[longtermmemmory]

due to shortages, abortion was the form of birth control used. It was not unusual for a woman to have six or more abortions.