And while we're at it, I'm not currently ill, so why should I have to pay for disability benefits for others? I'm not old, so why should I have to pay for Social Security?
I don't think I should pay into a system that I will never receive benefit from.
This belief does not seem to be well justified.
> either the age requirements will keep getting pushed back as people live longer
"Keep"? They've been pushed back once in the history of the program.
What do you propose the elderly living off of social security should do instead?
No choice in getting old, or ill, or injured. But people (Americans) sure have a choice in getting pregnant.
It's kind of weird that humanity has managed to procreate without extended, government-funded maternity leave up to this point, isn't it?
(I'd also like to mention this discussion is scoped to US Governmental legislation, NOT the debate over humanity's continued existence.)
My original point was that it's not shameful to not provide this entitlement. Somehow we managed to go completely off the rails into zero-population Armageddon.
I would also ask that you tone down the rhetoric, personal attacks, and broad generalizations for the sake of civility.
Effectively without supported maternal leave, men have a financial leverage over women. One might find this problematic or not, depending on political inclinations. Personally I prefer a society that attempts to balance out this leverage.
Like, I don't have to drink water, I can just eat meat and get my water from that. But it would be absurd to suggest that "drinking water is a choice" because there are alternatives that I could personally take.
This is a Hobson's Choice: a choice between one option. You could wrangle that kind of argument into justification for anything! Slavery: "You chose to be a slave because you didn't run away." Rape: "You chose to get raped because you didn't stay inside." Pregnancy: "You chose to get pregnant because nobody actively forced you to have a baby."
Never-mind any notion of practicality. Forget about the fact that these things literally need to happen. It's a choice because you don't agree with the politics.
Individuals choose whether or not to get pregnant when a man ejaculates inside a woman without protection. If you wish to do that, and bear the fetus to term, I do not wish to pay for your decision.
Individuals should bear the burden of their own decisions, not me.