An American view of Global Warming

How about an incentive NOT to have children? Tax credits for those who make the decision to remain childless (like ME:thumb

I also agree with stopping the rewards for having more than one child, although I would increase it to two. China has a lot of problems now with the their one child policy. A whole generation is growing up of cossetted only children who aren't benefiting from having another sibling. I have a younger brother and had great fun tormenting him while we were growing up:D

 

China also had/s an infanticide problem, tehy ( along with India too) have an issue with gender selective abortions, female child neglect and orphanages full of female children. I remember watching a programme that highlighted the issue of male child abduction fueled allegedly by the rule. Compulsory one child policies are draconian, and in my own view just plain wrong.

Can I just clarify something-do people genuinely believe that when considering having a child the idea of claiming the family allowance is the clincher? Really?

I don't agree with the idea of rewarded childlessness, but I do believe that in some instances childless people are discriminated against, not in many I grant you, but it is there.

There are also inherent advantages to having no children, and we are getting close to one of them-Christmas ( the family allowance won't cover that bill so I am afraid it is not a reward) , there are also professional and lifestyle advantages to remaining childless, I am compelled to live in a three bedroomed house costing me a mint each month in Mortgage payments-I could have a cheap one bed flat somewhere and pay less than half what I pay now, include food bills, clothing bills, I cover them because I chose to have children NONE of you pay for those things, I do; so the incentives already exist, and yet people continue to have children.

Please accept this as my personal view, but the comments about rewarding people who have children, have no factual basis-and also don't apply to third world countries as there is hardly a family allowance system in places like the Sudan, or any other third world country for that matter. And when my children are functioning and tax paying adults, who is it that will fund you in your old age? They will pay over the weekly amount in family allowances in income tax alone, never mind VAT or other taxes. I paid my way, they will pay theirs.

The global birth rate and fertility rate is in actual fact falling, whilst the rate of people living past a certain age is increasing.


Still passing the buck; still comparing one thing with another to let people off the hook. It is not futile to try, it never is. Where there is life.............

 

You are, as ever, spot on, I completely and uitterly agree with having to do something about these particular people- these people are the ones I reserve the most virulent ridicule for John. They drive me mental, like bad drivers who happen to be female, not all Mums are the same though. I don't think anyone has more disgust for these women than the Mums who work every day God sends, save for their kids futures, bring their kids up right etc etc. The term lazy scrounging b**** may have fallen out of my mouth on more than a few occasions regarding that particular set of individuals. I think that is an issue of bad parents raising bad parents, but not a reason to do less than we can. And it definitely isn't a reason to stop my daughters from having more than one child should they choose to.

 

I'm afraid its not just the less developed countries. In Middlesbrough's general hospital, for a while they introduced a policy of refusing to tell pregnant women the gender of their as yet unborn child, because they found that a large percentage of abortions happened after someone had been told they were going to have a girl.

In the vast majority of cases, I can't see how it could be. However I personally knew one family (my next door neighbours when I lived on a rather horrible estate) who bred like rabbits for that very reason. There were three generations in one household and the elder two generations kept on breeding. They kicked out their son when he turned 16 because he didn't continue full time education so his family allowance stopped, and they openly admitted and even boasted about their lifestyle.

Such families are, I hope at least, a tiny tiny minority.

Personally, I don't see how the sums add up. Let's have a little look at it:

Family allowance: Near enough £20 per week.

Nappies: About £5 per week
Formula milk:About £3.50 per week
Baby food: About £5 per week
New clothes: About £2.50 per week
Additional laundry powder: About £2 per week
Additional electricity usage: About £3 per week

So with my approximated figures, we've already exceeded the family allowance anyway, and that's before we start on about toys, buying cots and blankets, safety seats for cars, pushchairs, any number of creams, lotions, potions etc, petrol money to take them to any play groups etc they might go to (my son goes to a baby swimming club about 10 miles away). That's all before he's had his first christmas or birthday and while he is still too young to want all the latest gadgets and trainers.

So if family allowance is an incentive, it only works on those with no grasp of basic arithmetic. £20 a week just doesn't come close. Since my son was born I've been more skint than at any other time in my life.

There are incentives to having kids, but not financial. My son is the most entertaining character I've ever known, and I now have an excuse to play with toys again

 

Good Luck at Christmas prising those toys out the packaging Clueless lol. And those bills.....................prepare yourself is the best advice I could offer you.

 

I reckon I'll get off fairly lightly this year. At less than a year old he isn't too fussy about toys, as longs as he has colourful things, or things he can wave about or make a noise with. His grandparents have already got him loads of good stuff. I don't want to spend loads on him this year because what I've found so far is he tends to ignore the toys and play for hours with the boxes they came in. That's if he can't get hold of the TV remote, which is by far his favourite thing.

 

Or your mobile phone, or money-my daughter used to take all my notes out of my purse and draw on them=colouring in the queen because she couldn't find paper............................god burn ( er I mean love lol) 'em.

 

From what I've heard, an empty box wrapped in Christmas paper is just as much fun for that age group, as they enjoy ripping the paper off more than anything.

 

As the first girl grandchild, our daughter got a lot of presents one Christmas when she was four.
Among other not inexpensive presents from one grandfather, she received an old tobacco tin of "Old Holburn" with a lot of coloured pencils in it. It was her favourite present.

 

As a first grandchild ( oh the bliss of being very much wanted and loved) myself I can promise you all that anything from a much beloved, adored and worshipped Nanna and Grandad is a treasure indeed. My Nanna and Grandad were living saints as far as I am concerned.

It is strange the things we treasure in life..