Now, This Idea Makes Some Sense!

Over at Vox Populi, there's a post about China's decision to incentivize childbirth by providing extra money to those who have a third child. This is because their efforts to reduce the population resulted in many, many extr men, who have no hope of finding a Chinese wife, and having a family.

One commenter suggested that Americans start giving extra perks to those who provided more children (as the USA is currently in a below-replacement situation). That should be limited to those MARRIED couples who produce children.

Why married-only? Because those are generally the most stable home situations for children. We don't just want MORE kids, we want healthy, smart, emotionally stable kids.

The interesting incentive, and one that may well prove the most popular, is the idea that for every child, the couple gets an extra amount on their government retirement payout. Those without children will get enough to keep them alive, but not much more. They will have to provide most of their retirement on their own.

Now, obviously, this may have to be modified for those whose religious vows mandated no marriage, no children. Perhaps membership in that order would qualify for an extra share (particularly as many have contributed to the care and education children and services for the most poor of society). Or, perhaps people could contribute to their care, and gain a fractional increase in their own account.

It's very interesting that our society is beginning to see that protecting helpless life is a good thing, and that children are a benefit for society.