You go home and do your patriotic duty tonight...If you can have children it's a good thing to do. You should have ... one for your husband, one for your wife, and one for your country.That's the message from Peter Costello, the Treasurer of Australia. Offering AU$3,000 (£1,180) per child, it is John Howard and Costello's answer to the aging population problem Australia faces.
A one-off payment to encourage child birth is going to be disastrous. It sends out the wrong signal and will create incentive for women/family who are in the low income group to have children. (God save my soul: I'd still like to be a liberal even when I might sound like a fascist...)
Why not encourage more immigration? Or encourage people to save more?
A more factual note: Aging population is a global phenomenon - check out the US Census Bureau's website for a graphical presentation here (make sure you select "Dynamic").
Funnily enough, the day you posted this I found myself driving through a particularly rough part of Birkenhead, fantasising about throwing packets of condoms like confetti from my open window out to the helpless, shelly wearing souls whose only prospect of escaping their mum and dad's is via a fumble around the back of the Cool Rooms on a Saturday night.
Posted by: Faith | May 13, 2004 at 01:03 PM
I know plenty of people who're glad you didn't!
Posted by: AJE | May 13, 2004 at 04:23 PM
xeqziotehi uwcle.
Posted by: Prudence | December 21, 2004 at 10:37 PM