Understanding the Issues: Education

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

To me, it matters a lot.

If you had unprotected sex before marriage and ended up as a single parent, even though you're probably receiving child support, you got yourself into that mess. I don't think it should be my responsibility as a taxpayer, who was careful to use protection during sex in my single years, to bail you out. I'm here taking care of myself and acting responsible, and now I have to pay taxes to bail these people out who didn't? I'm all for helping people who are down on their luck; ie husband was laid off from a manufacturing job and decided to run out on the family, spouse killed in an auto accident leaving a single mom raising 3 kids, etcetera. But that's only a small % of single parents, the majority are in that situation because of bad decision-making.

Now, the kids come first. So my distaste for the choices made by the parents shouldn't hold kids back. They can't help the situation they were born into. So in the end I relent; I have to say I agree with helping these kids with after-care programs.

But it doesn't taste good.

To add on to what he said each time we offer a new benfit to unwed mothers or fathers it just makes it that much easier for them to keep doing what they are doing. Its not like allot of them make this mistake once, they have several children with different dads and just keep combounding the problem knowing that big goverment will do just enough to keep them going.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by firstdown

To add on to what he said each time we offer a new benfit to unwed mothers or fathers it just makes it that much easier for them to keep doing what they are doing. Its not like allot of them make this mistake once, they have several children with different dads and just keep combounding the problem knowing that big goverment will do just enough to keep them going.

I agree on principle what you're saying, but the hard-working, dual-income parents suffer now because we don't want the "bad decision makers" to receive the benefits of a well funded after school program. Not increasing the funding for the program will not decrease the amount of single parents and the amount of children they have. I don't think the benefit of keeping your kids enrolled in an after school program is a consideration for having more kids out of wedlock. Parents don't warn their teenage daughters that if they have unprotected sex then their kids will go to after school programs while they work. Bottom line is there are and always will be children that need some place to go after school that is safe while their parents are working.