>We could choose to offset it directly, for example by subsidizing children -- kind of like a basic income just for kids.
Unfortunately, too many people thinking "why should I pay for raising someone else's kids?".
>"why should I pay for raising someone else's kids?"
Well why should I?
Because other people paid when you were young to raise you.
No they did not (especially false for US, think about why). And if they did, that's still not a good argument. The fact that we have had something done in the past is not a good argument to keep doing it - US past is full of things that weren't good and shouldn't be done.
To pay taxes for the public services and infrastructure you will use during your retirement.
Why should you pay for maintaining roads you never use? Or social aid you never receive? It's the common good.
We already do pay to help raise other poeple’s kids through a variety of taxes, including public schools via property tax. This would be more of a subsidy for reproducing, rather than helping to raise them. I think it’s only rational for a community to invest in good outcomes for children, because the alternatives are not only undesireable and immoral, but more expensive. Actually subsidizing having children though, rather than investing in existing children isn’t something quite so simple. If you want to have children and are willing to make the associated sacrifices, good for you, it entire ask me to mitigate those sacrifices when I’ve chosen to not have children. I’m still happy to pay my taxes and invest thereby in their education and health, but propping up your career? No.
Exactly. Paying for them to be cared for, fed, educated? Great. Paying for you to have time off, not the same thing.