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Comment by the_ancient | Hacker News Reader

Unpopular Opinion but I feel the need to speak up for the millions of adults that either by choice or biology do not, and will not have children

A Step forward in Parental Leave, a Step backwards for equality... Equality is treating everyone the same.. Giving one group 26 weeks paid leave for their life choice (having kids) while not giving the same 26 weeks paid leave to their childless employees is unequal treatment...

I have never understood why I, a person that has chosen not to have children, should have to work harder, longer, for the same money has people that choose to have children

A business hires you do to a job, if your life choices interfere with your ability to do your job you should not be rewarded with time off.

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society values children because they're the nurses, fireman, policemen etc... who will take care of you when're you're too old to do so.

That is fine for society, but what does that have to do with the business.

Business is a part of society, not the other way round.

People are part of society

A Business is an amoral human construct to be a vehicle for profit making for its owners.

Maybe if you look at it as the Business recognizes that the child may one day be an employee of the Business or a consumer of its products. That makes the parent very productive (not only does it produce value for the Business today, but also in the future) and the time off to care for the child is a good investment because children need nurture to grow up into balanced individuals that make for good employees.

It is unlikely any child born today will have a job at all, Human labor will be completely replaced by Robots by then.

As to the bullshit notation that if you do not take 26 weeks off to "nurture" your child they will grow up to be unbalanced individuals, I would like you to cite some research that shows that? I have a feeling most of the people reading this right now grew up with both parents workings full time during their infancy, I know I did. Are we all unbalanced because our parents did not take 26 weeks off after we were born?

Point in case?

I have children. They go to school. We can only go to vacation during school holidays. Prices go up during this time sometimes 2-3 times. How's this working out for "equality"?

What? I dont even understand what point you are attempting to get it...

Because our society values children and wants to encourage you to have some. For the same reason some of your taxes go to schools and, at least here in Germany, pay for child benefits.

The world is already overpopulated. My personal belief is that we shouldn't be encouraging people to have children.

I think only very poor countries are overpopulated, because when there is no social security system and you can't save anything for yourself when you get old because you are poor, the only way is to get many children to hope that they will provide for you when you are old.

Rich countries which offer "free" (payed with taxes) social cares like Germany suffer from too many old people and too few children. So you have to offer more benefits for young families to get more children.

If you develop a social security net in poorer countries maybe families will start to get fewer children, because the state will care for you with no exception.

Look at Japan for what will happen then, just last week I heard that the biggest producer of diapers in Japan sells more of the adult sized version than the baby sized one.

The population problem is a result of some people having too many children. As child mortality decreases we will most likely see a decrease in very large families as well.

That is my personal belief as well. But politicians disagree and you also don't see people voted out of office for providing free daycare.

in the US you would, you would likely not get elected at all if you ran on a "Free Daycare" policy unless you could somehow pay for that free care with out using any tax money

Why? I don't get it. Facilities like these (and health care, care for the old/jobless) benefit our society, why shouldn't you pay for them with tax money?

What else should tax money be used for then? Why is the US thinking that way?

Why do you believe the government should provide Childcare, Healthcare, Eldercare, etc

Where do you draw the line? Why should the government no care for me in my 20's or 30's or 40's

Should I get free food, free shelter, free TV's, Free iPhones?

I do not believe the government should provide anything to anyone. Nor do I believe I should be taxed simply because I am alive.

>Why is the US thinking that way?

A Culture of Rugged Individualism, combines with rightful distrust of the government

Statism has killed more people than any other form of government ever devised by humans. While causing untold suffering.

Well it is like that in Germany, and it worked the last few decades. Homeless people get free food and free shelter.

If the government should not provide anything, why should there be a government? You get taxed because the government provides something for you and the provided services need to get paid. I doubt you want to live in total anarchy without police, firemen or a working sewerage for example.

>why should there be a government?

Why indeed...

>You get taxed because the government provides something for you and the provided services need to get paid.

To the extent I want or need those services I will be happy to pay for them individually like I do anything else. If the services government provides me are desired than I should be free to choose to pay for them and if I do not then I would not be able to take advantage of said services.

>I doubt you want to live in total anarchy without police, firemen or a working sewerage for example.

My Fire dept is all Volunteer funded by donations from the community, it gets very little to no tax money. I believe taxes may have paid for the fire truck, but that money could have been raised with out taxes.

I have a septic tank, no government sewer service, but even if I did every city near me has private run water and sewer services that are paid for by the people connected to them not by tax dollars

Police is the only service on your list that is actually paid for by tax dollars, that makes up about .000000000000000000000000000001% of my tax bill, if the police want to send me a bill for their service I will be happy to pay it directly and not have the rest of the government burden.

Business exist to make money for their owners, the fact that "society" values children is not relevant and should not be.

>For the same reason some of your taxes go to schools and, at least here in Germany, pay for child benefits.

I believe taxation is theft, and parents should pay for their children to go to school.

Business and others may volunteer their money to non-profits, and other endeavors that also have to goal of educating children but that support should be fully voluntary not done by government force/violence.

If you believe taxation is theft you're on the wrong planet.

Do you have any other planet recommendations? There are some good arguments for taxation, but this isn't one of them. You could just as easily say "if you believe murder is wrong you're on the wrong planet."

Theft is the involuntary taking of a persons property, money, or labor.

Taxation is the involuntary taking of a persons property, money or labor by government

simply adding "by government" does not magically transform it into something other than theft...

Allow me to quote one of my favorite political philosophers

"The fact is that the government, like a highwayman, says to a man: Your money, or your life. And many, if not most, taxes are paid under the compulsion of that threat.

The government does not, indeed, waylay a man in a lonely place, spring upon him from the road side, and, holding a pistol to his head, proceed to rifle his pockets. But the robbery is none the less a robbery on that account; and it is far more dastardly and shameful." --Lysander Spooner

Without society, you'd be a subsistence farmer. Are you a subsistence farmer? If not, then some of your income is due to society.

WOW... What a false dilemma fallacy..

Further to believe that Statism, Violence Statism via involuntary taxation at that, is the only way to have a organized and functional society is just ignorant

I am sure you believe Libertarianism is Dangerous

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbNFJK1ZpVg

Just responding with one reductio ad absurdum with another reductio ad absurdum, since you only seem to understand black and white.

This is unpopular opinion because it's rather stupid. Businesses hire humans, not robots.

>This is unpopular opinion because it's rather stupid

That is very insightful, you have convinced me to completely change my entire world view...

>Businesses hire humans, not robots.

1. Some of those humans have children, some do not, as I believe I stated in my post

2. For now they hire humans...

Even in the US we've come to the obvious conclusion there is more to life than profits.

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