[independentmind]

Notice how she starts with the assumption that anyone should be able to raise as many children as they want regardless of their financial wherewithal? My wife just gave birth to our first child, and we've been married for six years. Know why we waited? We couldn't afford to have children.

How is it that we live in the wealthiest country in the world--the wealthiest country the world has ever seen, in fact, and so many young married couples cannot afford to have children? How is it that our parents managed? My parents had five children in seven years and they somehow managed. They didn't even own a home or two cars when they started having children either. Imagine that.

[End The Hypocrisy]

One answer may be that the concentration of wealth has become increasingly concentrated within the wealthiest 1% of our population, and they've kept the USA from banning soft money campaign contributions that were implemented over half a decade ago even in countries like Mexico. The top 1%'s wealth abounds, but it's deceptive to think that most others share in such wealth just because their hording society's currency has boosted their own holdings. When saying that, I do NOT advocate anything even remotely resembling socialism. But paying down the $6.3 trillion dollar national debt, for example, seems like a higher priority than cow-towing to the exceedingly wealthy at every turn. They consider everyone else to be peasants and rabble for the most part, and covet our envy. It's their right to do so, but it's our right to democratically further our own political agendas too.

Food for thought...

[HLPfiver]

Hold on a second. The question of whether I can afford something is relative - it depends on what standard of living I want to maintain. Our parents managed to survive while having boatloads of kids because they settled for less comfortable lives than most people today are willing to.

We did have a house and two cars before we had a kid - and our decision to wait to have a child is a big part of why we could afford all that stuff. So if you want kids early, have 'em. Just don't complain about your lack of material possessions, and don't you dare suggest that I owe you some of mine.

[ThinkDifferent]

so many young married couples cannot afford to have children? How is it that our parents managed?

It rhymes with "faxes".