Breastfeeding in the office?

[boringscreenname]

I still say that if you can't find options (and that is very possible, no matter how much you look) and can't afford daycare and the kids are just too young to be left alone (not to mention below a certain age its' illegal) then it doesn't prompt someone who's on welfare to work. But if daycare, the number one issue tying them down generally, were handled, it would put a lot of other people out there to work. Provided you can find a job of course.

Did you say you were left alone at home in the 4th grade with a younger sibling? If so that's completely illegal....you can be 10 and be left home alone for a couple of hours, or be 13 to watch someone younger. For a couple of hours only.

If I'm mistaken then I apologize, I don't have that info in front of me right now and don't exactly recall.

Well if someone is on welfare in the U.S. anyway, then you have to attend a certain amount of "job training", in order to continue to receive a welfare check.

Also the state will provide daycare vouchers, that cover the majority, if not all of the daycare costs for people who meet their eligibility requirements, and they will provide a list of daycare providers who accept those vouchers. So I personally feel that there is more than enough daycare assistance that is being provided by the government.

[telecom_goddess]

Well if someone is on welfare in the U.S. anyway, then you have to attend a certain amount of "job training", in order to continue to receive a welfare check.

Also the state will provide daycare vouchers, that cover the majority, if not all of the daycare costs for people who meet their eligibility requirements, and they will provide a list of daycare providers who accept those vouchers. So I personally feel that there is more than enough daycare assistance that is being provided by the government.

Oh hell no ...I was on those voucher at one time and it still had left over costs for me that I couldn't afford. There is no way someone can work at minimum wage or a little higher and afford daycare, even left over costs. There is NOT enough assistance with daycare, there needs to be more. And you can do all the job training you want but without the financial burden of daycare being lifted it doesn't help.

[Boozy]

There is no way someone can work at minimum wage or a little higher and afford daycare, even left over costs. There is NOT enough assistance with daycare, there needs to be more.

There's no economic value to US citizens to subsidize day care so one parent can work a minimum wage job.

It makes no sense. Why pay someone minimum wage to watch someone's kids, so that someone can go out and make minimum wage? There's no value added to the economy there. The government might as well send the daycare subsidy cheque directly to the parent and let them stay home with their kids.

[telecom_goddess]

There's no economic value to US citizens to subsidize day care so one parent can work a minimum wage job.

It makes no sense. Why pay someone minimum wage to watch someone's kids, so that someone can go out and make minimum wage? There's no value added to the economy there. The government might as well send the daycare subsidy cheque directly to the parent and let them stay home with their kids.

Not everyone is making minimum wage.....when my kids were little and I had to have someone watch them while I worked I was making quite a bit above minimum wage....but still not enough to cover the costs of the daycare and living.

[Boozy]

You used a minimum wage job in your first example:

There is no way someone can work at minimum wage or a little higher and afford daycare, even left over costs.

My response was in regards to that, specifically.

In general, there may be some economic benefit to subsidizing daycare. But for the most part, I believe that people who have kids should have their own financial plan to pay for their childcare if they need to return to work. It's not really up to everyone else to cover that cost.

[telecom_goddess]

You used a minimum wage job in your first example:



My response was in regards to that, specifically.

In general, there may be some economic benefit to subsidizing daycare. But for the most part, I believe that people who have kids should have their own financial plan to pay for their childcare if they need to return to work. It's not really up to everyone else to cover that cost.

It's up to everyone to pay taxes for schools.....there is no reason why we can't use taxes to pay for daycare as well.....

[Ladeeda]

There's hardly enough money going to schools. The last thing schools need are MORE budget cuts.

[telecom_goddess]

There's hardly enough money going to schools. The last thing schools need are MORE budget cuts.

Agreed...and it's never going to happen because for it to happen the wealth in this country would have to be evened out...and we can't have THAT!

[Ladeeda]

Agreed...and it's never going to happen because for it to happen the wealth in this country would have to be evened out...and we can't have THAT!

Your sarcasm is misplaced.

The folks in charge have the money, and the wealthy get tax breaks. That puts severe limits on the social programs the government can afford. Do you think anyone is going to vote to raise taxes on their millions so the working poor can keep working with their kids in a daycare? Doubtful. So, if this is going to happen, the money has to come from somewhere. Likely the education programs, which means less money for schools.

Education, in my opinion, is more important. If you can't afford kids, don't have kids. Use protection, get rid of it, whatever. We're already at the bottom of the barrel.

[linguist]

If you can't afford kids, don't have kids. Use protection, get rid of it, whatever. We're already at the bottom of the barrel.

this is over-simplifying the problem to a ridiculous extent. not everyone who has kids and needs public assistance was poor when the children were born. things happen. jobs get lost, parents get divorced or get seriously ill or diel, etc. etc. etc. should a parent throw their child into foster care in such an instance rather than go on public assistance?

[Ladeeda]

It's the bulk of the problem. There are too many people who can't afford kids having shiny new humans enter the world and no way to pay for the upkeep.

There's no reasonable way to subsidize EVERYONE'S kids, and no fair way to separate the extenuating circumstances like divorce or death or job loss from just being irresponsible.

[linguist]

It's the bulk of the problem. There are too many people who can't afford kids having shiny new humans enter the world and no way to pay for the upkeep.
.

this may well be the case. then again, it may not, for as often as i've seen this argument, i have yet to see anyone who makes it actually back it up with evidence beyond anecdotal. in any case making statement such as you made (and others in this thread and elsewhere) lays blanket blame without any consideration to mitigating circumstances, and quite frankly is pretty damn insulting to those of us who've had to go on assistance due to factors beyond our control.

[Eisa]

Circumstances beyond your control, I have no problem with. I still don't think breastfeeding and subsidizing daycare in the office is the way to go.

We used to have neighbors where the mom had like 6 different kids...they ALL had different dads...and she didn't pay one bit of attention to them because she just wanted to have kids for welfare. It was sad.

Not everyone's like that, of course, but a lot of people are, and it makes me angry that they take advantage of the system like that and screw over the people who really NEED it because of circumstances beyond their control.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I agree that sometimes there are circumstances beyond a person's control, but it's a fact that there are hundreds of benefit scroungers in the UK who would have to be tied up and held at gunpoint before they considered going to work rather than living off benefits, regardless of having daycare and breastfeeding breaks in the office. Seeing as the government right now is trying to reform the welfare system, I don't see why that isn't proof enough of problems with people having kids to screw the system.

Far too many people have babies and think, "Well, I don't need to work, I can just collect benefit and I'll get a house". Cuz they think like that, offering breastfeeding breaks isn't going to help these people get jobs; all it's going to do is penalise the childfree (and bottlefeeding mothers!) who have to pick up the slack after Ms Breastfeeder takes her hour long break; make employers feel that they have to hire men so that they're not financially screwed; and cost a huge amount of money for something that's not necessary.

People should a) only have kids if they can afford them (and if it is circumstances beyond their control, to make an effort to help themselves, ie by selling the SUV and not taking foreign holidays, rather than sitting there moaning about the costs) and b) not just expect the whole world to bend over backwards just cuz they have bred. That attitude is the real problem; the vast amount of entitlement issues a lot of parents seem to have, whether it's a demand for more childcare provided free of charge, or insisting that their tots must be allowed everywhere, even traditionally adults only places.

[blas87]

You also have to remember that a lot of parents of "oopsie" babies have a lot of guilt thrown at them if they dare put that baby up for adoption or even worse, abort it. Now, I'm completely for adoption and I don't understand why there is such a stigma about giving away your baby to a loving home with parents who can afford him or her, but there really is STILL a big stigma and a lot of guilt where especially girls feel that they HAVE to keep their baby even if they know they can't afford it or they know the father is a deadbeat moron, or, like in the case of my former friend, she herself is a deadbeat moron.

A lot of assistance abuse and generations of welfare stem from people who have been so damn adament that they have to keep their baby, or because it's become a way of life in their family to get knocked up at 16 and live off of welfare forever.

There would be a lot less people on assistance in general if people would actually consider how much it actually costs to have and raise children, and if they were even ready for it or not. Instead of playing the martyr as some girls do, or just feeling pressured by a harsh pro-life community (like where I live, there are nothing but pro-life billboards on the highways), use your head and think about what is going to happen and how much it will cost. If more people gave their babies up for adoption or used more common sense in general with sex and birth control, this wouldn't even happen as often. People need to quit being so damn self righteous and realize what is best for a child.