Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!micomvax!musocs!mcgill-vision!utcsri!clarke From: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke) Newsgroups: can.politics Subject: Re: Make the rich pay? Message-ID: <3764@utcsri.UUCP> Date: Wed, 10-Dec-86 12:46:47 EST Article-I.D.: utcsri.3764 Posted: Wed Dec 10 12:46:47 1986 Date-Received: Sun, 14-Dec-86 04:28:09 EST References: <2819@watdcsu.UUCP> <708@looking.UUCP> Reply-To: clarke@utcsri.UUCP (Jim Clarke) Distribution: can Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto Lines: 39 We're not talking about Sunday openings here, I think.... In article <2840@watdcsu.UUCP> brewster@watdcsu.UUCP writes: (in response to my posting) > You seem to assume that there is an automatic right for people to > expect to receive unemployment and welfare. I sure do, only I'd phrase it as "a right to food, clothing, shelter and education". Education's not usually on that list, but we acknowledged that right in the nineteenth century when we brought in free schooling. Daycare is education. > .... If we try to maintain the current system, bad > daycare now may mean no more than bad daycare now, if the "safety net" > you allude to crashes around us. I'm not sure what you mean here. (No criticism meant: I've written my share of obscure sentences too.) But bad daycare will *increase* welfare costs. Children badly brought up before they're five grow up to be incompetent adults. > In the same vein, I have never understood the calls for universal > free daycare. I'm not sure I'm asking for that. I pay for my children's daycare, and don't want a handout. But you must realize that it costs about the same as a university education -- not just the tuition fees, the whole thing. I can afford it because I'm better of than most people. > .... People are not forced to have kids, they > can choose for or against.... Balderdash. Almost everyone wants to have children, and biology says you have to do it when your income is far from its highest. Let the free market tell people that only the rich can afford children, and you'll be in big trouble. This discussion is going nowhere. Let's continue it in ten years when almost all of my free-marketeering opponents have children and understand what I'm saying. They may still disagree then, but at least they'll know what they're disagreeing with. -- Jim Clarke -- Dept. of Computer Science, Univ. of Toronto, Canada M5S 1A4 (416) 978-4058 {allegra,cornell,decvax,linus,utzoo}!utcsri!clarke