Nah, that would involve taking responsibility for your actions and that's a deeply unfashionable thing these days. Why do that when the taxpayer/government will bail you out
Can't afford school meals for kids, but billions for homebuyers, sure!
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Nah, that would involve taking responsibility for your actions and that's a deeply unfashionable thing these days. Why do that when the taxpayer/government will bail you out
Associate
Yes I think we’re all perfectly clear on what you’re saying at this point.
I am sure there are some irresponsible parents out there who maybe “shouldn’t” have had children, but there are also a lot out there who work hard but still struggle. This will sound quite profound: stuff happens in life. People who are reasonably comfortable can then find themselves not so, especially during a pandemic.
Of all the “I don’t want my tax money spent on” arguments, free meals for children seems a strange hill to die on given how much money the government waste on other things.
It seems the government handing out lucrative contracts to companies they have vested interest in gets a free pass here.
Feeding children though? Not on my taxes! Why don't they just cut back on luxuries. Switch off their heating! Get a better job! I can do it why can't they! Shouldn't have had kids, irresponsible parents should have known coronavirus was going to destroy the economy and leave them on the breadline.
It's almost as if some posters here are so sheltered that they've not had any experience of what its like to really be on the breadline as a family. How many have had to resort to food banks?
I guarantee the most hardship a lot of posters here have faced is being 500 slots deep in the RTX 3080 queue.
Children are a responsibility not a right. If you work hard and still struggle... maybe don't "sow your seed" to the sound of £185,000. Maybe if people envisioned parenthood as a £185,000 purchase they would reconsider, probably not though.
But if its not a global pandemic, it could be sickness, a job loss, a divorce etc. as has been mentioned, there is always something, and that something needs a basic level of planning. Some layer of savings. When you consider bringing a child into this world, it should be a very strong consideration that "can I afford to feed and cloth a child, as well as live and put a rainy day fund in place". If the answer is no, then don't have a kid or make changes to get to that point.
and yes, there are plenty of other things the government don't do correctly. Doesn't mean that I have to agreed on this.
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Associate
It would be great if parents took all the steps you mentioned before having children, but unfortunately this isn't the case. Children who would really benefit from free school meals exist. Should we deny them as a way to punish the parents for their lack of planning? Seems cruel. Do you think that this would act as a good learning tool for parents to not have any more children?
Soldato
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You say it like it's a bad thing
The world is overpopulated, climate change is going to screw things up and there's the issue of plastics that will likely end up destroying large swathes of eco systems
What a legacy to leave the children ya'll care so much about but go you virtue signalling to nerds on a computer forum
Maybe some of us don't want children because we're not cruel enough to bring them into such a broken world and can actually see that having a child is a 16 year commitment and not a ******* vanity project or just breeding for the sake of breeding and we were raised to take responsibility for our actions and not expect handouts every time we **** up
And the world would be better for it.
no, I would not punish them. At all. I would have the child taken away and housed somewhere better. Followed by mandated contraception for the incapable parents.
Associate
Yes, because taking them away from their families and putting them in the system would be such a wonderful experience for them.
Mandated contraception? Sod it, let’s just sterilise them all.
It’s hard to have a reasonable discussion when these are some of the suggestions.
Soldato
If we can take one positive from this thread, it's that the pathetic gammon, loser, incels, who seem bent on punishing children, aren't breeding themselves. Result!
current system no. But there is scope to provide a better system, you know a life more than food banks, and scratching a living of misery under selfish parents.
why are you so averse to sterilisation? Some people are banned from keeping animals when they have abused them, why cant we stop people from doing the same?
Associate
System reform? Yes sign me up. Better education and support in all aspects of life would be great and would really help to tackle these problems. Is this going to happen? Unlikely. During a pandemic? Definitely not.
A short term solution is needed, even if it is just bandaid.
stuman said:
I’m not even going to begin to address everything that is wrong with this statement. Just wow.
We have other big projects happening at the moment, brexit? We can make the changes, just people don’t care for real help.
don’t address everything that is wrong, just your thoughts on why the worst parents on the planet should be allowed to inflict suffering on children?
Associate
Not sure “we voted to leave the EU so we can’t afford to tackle child hunger and poverty” would be a good PR look for the leave campaign. It certainly isn’t a good excuse.
Nice rephrasing of your first point. Forced sterilisation is such an abhorrent idea and I’m sure violates numerous international laws as well as human rights.
Is having to support parents who have too many children and perhaps should stop a burden on society? We can argue yes to various degrees. Only better sex education and access to contraception can really help fix this. It’s certainly preferable to the government beginning to sterilise it’s citizens.
We spent £500+ million of taxpayers money in August subsidising unhealthy fast food meals for adults, who didn't even need it, whilst facilitating the spread of Covid and it was a publicly popular scheme.
But helping to feed disadvantaged kids at this time is obviously a step too far for some....
But helping to feed disadvantaged kids at this time is obviously a step too far for some....
Soldato
Pretty sure those chaps knew all about fire and used it to both keep warm and to cook food. There is evidence of man using fire as far back as million years or so, Neanderthals were still mooching about a mere 40,000 years ago.
I do wonder how many of them dont have children out of choice and how many have this view of life because they have never had the chance to have children.
Soldato
We spent £500+ million of taxpayers money in August subsidising unhealthy fast food meals for adults, who didn't even need it, whilst facilitating the spread of Covid and it was a publicly popular scheme.
But helping to feed disadvantaged kids at this time is obviously a step too far for some....
It's ok to spend money when they directly benefit from it though, do you know nothing?
They don't have kids so it's ok for the little ones to rot in care homes whilst their parents are sterilised or gassed in shower blocks.
They've never experienced hardship in their lives, even the ones that claim to have either haven't or were luckily shielded from it by parents who likely secretly cried themselves to sleep at night, if they could sleep.
For the record I've never experienced hardship either, my folks were relatively comfortable and I grew up in an affluent town in North Yorkshire but rather than make me bitter and resentful of people who are genuinely in need, it gave me perspective and empathy. Could we do more, certainly but I've done soup runs on a Friday night whilst my mates were out drinking and we do give to charities that deal with these issues (around 7% of what we earn) and I am a higher tax payer and I would happily pay more tax to deal with these issues because I'm not a cold bitter childless forum alpha.
40% of men never father children apparently.
But why do some women pick dead beats to have children with?
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