Shannon Love: Family Freeriders

Yesterday Glenn Reynolds aka Instapundit linked to a blog by Shannon Love where she talked about the economics of children. Her opinion, in short, was that people who don't have children are public services parasites as they will be supported by these children as adults.

Much spirited debate occurred in the comments. Not surprisingly, but alarming still, were the angry comments about "onerous school taxes", children are the real moochers, and derisive comments about "breeders." Those who don't have children basically loath any societal responsibility to children. This is all cloaked, I'm guessing, in "libertarian" terms. But there seems to be more there than that.

Reduced to economics, children cost their parents A LOT of money. As my financial planner said, "Children are not an investment they are a liability." (Financially, of course.) This is true. My husband and I would enjoy a lush lifestyle if we'd just jettison the little ones.

Reduced to economics, children cost the American tax-payer (and since we are big taxpayers we must be included in this category, too) a fair amount of money. So far, though, my property taxes cover the cost to educate my children, and then some. So the complaint that "non-breeders" must foot the bill for "breeders" is true in some, but not all, cases.

Reduced to economics, adults past the age of 65 or whatever the current Medicaid/Medicare age cut-off is, will ALL depend on the taxpayers of the next generation--those vile little creatures spawned by breeders today. Now some of these creatures won't grow up and be a productive part of society, but some of the fabulous single and childless couples of this generation are doing little, monetarily anyway, to contribute to society. In fact, some adults right now, take monitarily from society before the official government benefits kick in.

Some of the commenters cavalierly state that if America's population goes down, due to less breeding, that we'll "just import labor from developing markets"--as if this is no big deal, whatsoever. All one has to do these days is look at Europe, whose birthrate decline is causing serious hand-wringing among leaders, because not enough new workers replace those lost and the imported workers share little cultural, educational or philosophical heritage with the different countries in question. This problem makes front page news weekly in Scotland. Italy and many other countries contemplate birthing benefits, trying to subsidize educated women to have children!

Do we really want to depend on foreign workers to support future American generations? Do we want to discontinue school taxes and risk an even more ignorant generation (granted, public schools generally fall short of their potential--but what if those taxes gave parents some choices)?

What underlies this hostility towards parents and children? I've discussed this problem before in blog posts, but it all seems to becoming to a head. Do Babyboomers fear old age so much that their jealousy for people with better skin, more lifetime ahead, and still-unused potential clouds their judgement? I'm asking here.... It's weird.

There seems to be a resentment when someone notes the obvious: Childless by choice couples get to remain in a self-deterministic reverie undiminished by the inherent humbling that parenting brings. We can fancy ourselves many things when we don't have children: masters of our fate, wise to all answers of the human condition, serious intellectual sophisticates. Parents in contrast (who were only yesterday these people) get disabused of these notions during the first terrifying illness or public humilation with words screamed, "I HAVE TO PEEEEEEEEEEE NOW!" as the urine dribbles through the shorts, down the leg and onto the deck of Thomas Jefferson's Montecello.

Non-breeders seem to view breeders as mindless rubes engaged in a quaint, plebian practice. Sex can be used for the purpose to create a child? Why that is almost sacred. Heaven forbid even nearing an activity which could be construed as sacred. Which is why religion, too, is seen as intellectual mind-candy. What's next? A symbolic viewing of the Madonna with child-aka a mother publicly nursing her child? Oh please, God, no, unless it's viewed as a painting at the hand of an Old Master at the Met.

There is so much more to this debate than pure economics. This issue is political. It is social.

People who desire that not one red cent goes toward subsidzing little brats protest something I'm still trying to put my finger on: is it fear of helplessness that being a child or seeing a child or having a child engenders? is it the perceived child-centric society that Rush Limbaugh laments so much (notably childless)?

Whatever it is, it is a difficult sell to say that an America with future generations of diminished numbers is good for America, but these people sell it. Boy do they! These same people lament the baby boom South of the Mason-Dixon line. Unfortunately those bred of those despicable breeders vote and they often vote Republican! For shame!

I get tired of being viewed as an intellectual sell-out because I decided to have children. Somehow, by having children my potential is wasted on little blobs of protoplasm that should be bred by lesser creatures. If I had any sense at all, I would at least put them in Day Care and let someone else take care of the messy business of housing, feeding and cleaning the stalls of these things.

I get tired of being viewed as a societal slug because public schools suck so many tax dollars. Well my tax dollars are sucked, too, people. If you're willing to forgo sucking at the government teet when you hit 65, maybe we'll have a conversation. Here's the thing, though, some compensation must happen for those who lack funds to send their kids to school. Can someone explain how an uneducated work force will benefit America in the future generations? Or is that just the point? Me first and more than my fair share--the future generations be damned 'cuz I'll be gone anyway.

At no time in world history has motherhood and the children who come from those mothers been under more constant assault. While some intellectuals sneer at traditional religions mother reverence, at least some respect was shown to that choice. Today, motherhood and children are viewed as a last resort for people who don't quite have it all together.

Just breeders.