Government Mandated Children.

[Sock Full of Boiled Dimes]

That's right, I'm an advocate of that.

What am I talking about?

We are supposedly the greatest country on Earth, correct?

How is it that we have to take a test to graduate high school, to get a drivers license, to operate heavy machinery, to own pets, and almost everything else under the sun, yet any idiot with a dick and a vagina can have a kid?

I might have made something about this before, but fuck it!

After walking through a Kroger on a busy Sunday afternoon I had an epiphany. There are too many stupid parents and something needs to be drastically done about this now.

Which means I believe people should be licensed to have children. If you accidentally are pregnant you are breaking the law! You know why? Cause fuck you that's why! You obviously aren't responsible enough to use a contraceptive with your accidental pregnancy what makes you think you are going to be responsible enough to take care of a human life?

Oh yeah, and suddenly being shoved into responsibility doesn't actually mean you are responsible. It just means you are under qualified for your position.

Not to mention in this country you have a lot of 22 year old girls who hate that they had a one night stand or got pregnant from their cheating boyfriend of 3 months, but love the fact that they are having a child.

"Oh I love it! I'm gonna have a baby shower! I'm thinking about naming her/him Daisy/Star/Brittney/Amber/Devon/James/Shalanqa/Peter/Steven/Tootsie,etc"

Will my idea ever pass? Fuck no!

But it doesn't make it any less right.

[Charrington]

That's right, I'm an advocate of that.

What am I talking about?

We are supposedly the greatest country on Earth, correct?

How is it that we have to take a test to graduate high school, to get a drivers license, to operate heavy machinery, to own pets, and almost everything else under the sun, yet any idiot with a dick and a vagina can have a kid?

I might have made something about this before, but fuck it!

After walking through a Kroger on a busy Sunday afternoon I had an epiphany. There are too many stupid parents and something needs to be drastically done about this now.

Which means I believe people should be licensed to have children. If you accidentally are pregnant you are breaking the law! You know why? Cause fuck you that's why! You obviously aren't responsible enough to use a contraceptive with your accidental pregnancy what makes you think you are going to be responsible enough to take care of a human life?

Oh yeah, and suddenly being shoved into responsibility doesn't actually mean you are responsible. It just means you are under qualified for your position.

Not to mention in this country you have a lot of 22 year old girls who hate that they had a one night stand or got pregnant from their cheating boyfriend of 3 months, but love the fact that they are having a child.

"Oh I love it! I'm gonna have a baby shower! I'm thinking about naming her/him Daisy/Star/Brittney/Amber/Devon/James/Shalanqa/Peter/Steven/Tootsie,etc"

Will my idea ever pass? Fuck no!

But it doesn't make it any less right.

There's a reason this is the theme of like every dystopian novel ever. It's an impediment of one of the core freedoms. Haven't you ever seen braveheart? Those limeys revolted over simple prima nocta, imagine how this would go over. Besides, it would cause a mass underpopulation issue.

Besides, I'm a fan of the pull-out method and happen to be drunk/otherwise impaired a lot of the time while performing it. Reaction time is slowed, accidents happen. It's like a set-up.

[h2orowe]

Tbh, in a perfect world, I'd like to see genetic engineering implemented to where it would ween out unnecessary genetic predispositions. Nothing in terms of race or sex because that doesn't matter. However, try the very most to limit people with low intelligence and medium intelligence being born by manipulating the genes of an embryo or whatever to have high intelligence. Same with disease genes and whatnot. Eugenics applied only towards improving the intelligence and health of humanity because stuff like race and blahblah shouldn't really matter. If a genius is black or white, they're still a genius. Now, if they're female, then, HA! justkidding.

As for the parenting licenses:naaah. I mean, I wish only smart people would breed, but oh well. Sometimes other people's freedoms are a bitch, but you got to let them have it.

[farstrider]

I tend to agree with SFBD, though I realize it could never happen. I think a more realistic idea would be to cease giving handouts to stupid people who have a ton of children for that very reason (i.e. welfare). If it's obvious that somebody is breeding with the intent of getting more government money, send in the sterilization squad.

[Swede]

Tbh, in a perfect world, I'd like to see genetic engineering implemented to where it would ween out unnecessary genetic predispositions. Nothing in terms of race or sex because that doesn't matter. However, try the very most to limit people with low intelligence and medium intelligence being born by manipulating the genes of an embryo or whatever to have high intelligence. Same with disease genes and whatnot. Eugenics applied only towards improving the intelligence and health of humanity because stuff like race and blahblah shouldn't really matter. If a genius is black or white, they're still a genius. Now, if they're female, then, HA! justkidding.

You should watch Gattaca. I agree with what your saying to an extent though.

[Fred]

I think you should take it up with D-pad

[MNJetter]

I don't think we should start genetically engineering our children to be smart until we've built robots for all the jobs that smart people won't want to do. I mean, you don't need an IQ of 120 to pick beans on a farm, or pull the lever to dump garbage into the back of a truck. But those jobs are still necessary at the moment, because using people is less expensive than maintaining machines. The machines can't maintain themselves.

I would much rather see them learn how to encourage a common sense gene than what most of us think of a "intelligence."

[whispering]

I believe in freedom, so no.

[japanat]

I would love to see genetic engineering for fetuses/ovum available on demand. Not required, mind you, but available for those who wish to spend the money and genetically alter their offspring. And I don't mean only in terms of brain power, but genetic solutions to common sicknesses like sickle-cell anemia, cancer predisposition, obesity (if there is a gene - scientists still debate that one).

I would definitely take out a 2nd mortgage on my house to ensure better health for my kids.

[Samurai_Pooh]

I think that after committing a certain amount of crimes (and severe ones) you should be sterilized by the state. It would bring crime rates down, and serve as a deterrent hopefully.

[mawande]

I think that the only way to really make such a thing right would be if genetic counselling were available to everyone. If we were really driven to improve the species, we would arrange funding (once we have the tech.) to make sure that everyone's babies were genetically sound.

The harder part is the one where we keep people who are mentally unsound from having children. Because frankly, it's hard to trust that those in charge of making sure who is mentally sound are honorable and won't classify people they simply dislike as mentally unsound. Or force women to bear their children because they believe themselves superior (ignoring that doing so by definition shows them to be psychopaths).

As another factor, my oldest sister is very intelligent and physically sound. Though I don't have a genetic workup to show what she might be carrying, I'd bet she has excellence to pass on.

But she doesn't want children and took pains long ago to make sure she'd never get pregnant. Got herself fixed and her husband, to show solidarity, got himself fixed too.

Hah. Another subject of many a speculative fiction story. The rich getting out of carrying children by having "lower" women as surrogates. Well, that's sort of going on already and I approve in general except that those rich people who are doing that are often unfit to be parents, too.

[MurphBurger]

yea...i thought of this year's ago, unfortunately no one can do anything about this =/ stupid people having sex and making babies outnumber smart people doing the same because smart people want everything stable when they want kids, stupids just fuck again and again and live off welfare

[haterllnation]

yea...i thought of this year's ago, unfortunately no one can do anything about this =/ stupid people having sex and making babies outnumber smart people doing the same because smart people want everything stable when they want kids, stupids just fuck again and again and live off welfare

That's how they explained it in the movie, Idiocracy (2006) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387808/).

Actually, here is the intro (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1597642154209383351).

[Kannon]

Hilarious, underrated movie, that speaks the truth.

[4letterwords]

Tbh, in a perfect world, I'd like to see genetic engineering implemented to where it would ween out unnecessary genetic predispositions. Nothing in terms of race or sex because that doesn't matter. However, try the very most to limit people with low intelligence and medium intelligence being born by manipulating the genes of an embryo or whatever to have high intelligence. Same with disease genes and whatnot. Eugenics applied only towards improving the intelligence and health of humanity because stuff like race and blahblah shouldn't really matter. If a genius is black or white, they're still a genius. Now, if they're female, then, HA! justkidding.

As for the parenting licenses:naaah. I mean, I wish only smart people would breed, but oh well. Sometimes other people's freedoms are a bitch, but you got to let them have it.

I dunno about that. The smartest person I've ever met had parents dumb as rocks. Both of my parents are college educated, one ivy league, and my sister couldn't even pass the i-step until she was a senior. Actually, most of my friends that are really smart had parents who were... well, not so much. Now if anything people should be barred from having children if they can't afford them. But even that is pushing it. Like the woman on food stamps who just had 8 kids when she already had 6? Living with her parents that just filed bankrupcy? She should have been sterilized after 3. Or someone should have beat the shit out of her for being on food stamps but also having a nose job and her lips done.

I just realized this is totally off topic. I'll go back into hiding now.

[Jetsetlemming]

In a perfect world I'd like to see anyone who supports eugenics dragged out into the street and shot.

[mawande]

In a perfect world I'd like to see anyone who supports eugenics dragged out into the street and shot.

In a perfect world everyone would do what it takes to have healthy children they can take care of.

[Digital Masta]

How the hell do you guys define "smart"? I wish only smart people could breed...what does that mean exactly?

[Jetsetlemming]

In a perfect world everyone would do what it takes to have healthy children they can take care of.
Bad parents are the motivation for many of humanity's best geniuses.

The only form of parental control I could remotely agree with is a situation like Ender's Game, where there's tax incentive to have a small family, and three children or more are seen as a luxury.

[h2orowe]

What motivates people to have more than two children, honestly? Three I can somewhat understand but then you have people who have multiple children (Like Kat brought up) to where it's like do you even love them anymore? It seems like all the affection would be too spread out to even be there. It'd be more like living with a bunch of classmates.

[Duke Luke of Juke]

Whether a child is going to turn out well is too much of a crapshoot. I can't tell you how many intelligent, wealthy kids I've met who turn out to be drug addicts. Or even worse, turn out to be condescending pricks.

[Swede]

What motivates people to have more than two children, honestly? Three I can somewhat understand but then you have people who have multiple children (Like Kat brought up) to where it's like do you even love them anymore? It seems like all the affection would be too spread out to even be there. It'd be more like living with a bunch of classmates.

Fairly certain that a person's love for their children doesn't come in a set quantity. It came from you mang, you created it. That's not classmates.

[SlickWilly440]

Tbh, in a perfect world, I'd like to see genetic engineering implemented to where it would ween out unnecessary genetic predispositions.

That's a good idea, then no one will suffer from SPS (Small Penis Syndrome).

Nothing in terms of race or sex because that doesn't matter.

Of course if matters, especially race. If a white couple had a genetically engineered black baby, then everyone is going to wonder who the wife cheated on her husband with. And no one is gong to buy that "my baby is genetically engineered" explanation.

Gender is also important because the father might not the responsibility of having a son, where as having a daughter would focus more of the attention to the mother.

How the hell do you guys define "smart"? I wish only smart people could breed...what does that mean exactly?

He is right guys/gals, we have to define our definition of "smart," which is applicable to the qualification of breeding. That is why I propose the definition of "smart" to be: middle class or higher, a devout catholic, born American, speak only American English as their native language , white, and has a four year college degree or higher. So do we have an agreement?

Like the woman on food stamps who just had 8 kids when she already had 6? Living with her parents that just filed bankrupcy? She should have been sterilized after 3.

She must be some sort of insane masochist to want to have more children, especially when she already has six. Who in there right mind would want to deal with all that stress/pressure/responsibility/etc.

Or someone should have beat the shit out of her for being on food stamps but also having a nose job and her lips done.

Oh, so that explains it. I saw her on the news, and something about her face just didn't look right. If she got beat up, she would probably get more plastic surgery.

In any case like this there is always an "enabler" whom is in close contact with the subject and supports their lifestyle.

I just realized this is totally off topic. I'll go back into hiding now.

Come out when you are ready because we'll still be here...how convenient is that.

-------------------------------
The government should also start mandating a limit to the number of children a couple is allowed to have. Lets say the limit is 1 child per couple, then if that is enforced properly we can prevent from overpopulation like some countries we know.

[MNJetter]

Do the math, man. One child per couple wouldn't be population maintenance. If two people have one child to replace both of them, the population is going to decrease dramatically in the generations to follow, and very few countries actually have a problem severe enough to need that. Some countries, like Japan, are actually beginning to feel the effects of the opposite problem.

I don't think I'd have much of a problem with general societal encouragement to have no more than two children (which would neither increase or decrease the population) per couple. Heck, in the states, that seems to be the general flavor now. But mandating laws about it would get complicated. I mean, how do you count the number of children for a woman who had two kids with one husband, got divorced, and remarried a man who has no kids? Does he not get to have any kids then? What about a woman who has never been married, and is seeing multiple partners? Can she have a kid for each one? That would defeat the purpose of this whole thread, the purpose of which I took to be about limiting kids for the purpose of societal advancement, not population control.

And how, as a nation that doesn't have one of the worst human rights records on history, would you properly enforce something like that? Forcible abortions/adoptions? Jail time for the recalcitrant parent? Huge taxes or fines that force the family into poverty?

[Firefly]

What motivates people to have more than two children, honestly? Three I can somewhat understand but then you have people who have multiple children (Like Kat brought up) to where it's like do you even love them anymore? It seems like all the affection would be too spread out to even be there. It'd be more like living with a bunch of classmates.


The natural instinct to continue to repopulate and carry on your genes to keep the line going, etc etc etc blah blah blah.

I think in this particular subject, intelligence is when you can not only understand and accept this, but think past it and decide if having children is really right for you, your lifestyle, and what you really want in life and out of life. Including all financial, social, and personal issues. With the way we've all evolved [mentally and socially], some people are just not suited to have children. Unfortunately, people who don't bother to use their heads will continue to have children, be stupid, blah blah etc etc...

[MNJetter]

Yeah, except that there are a ton of people out there who can think of all these things, and still end up with screwed-up kids. Your list of qualifications may seem simple in type, but if you really think about it, that eliminates the vast majority of people in practice. Hardly anybody has a complete handle on their own life like that. In fact, most people go through their whole lives attempting (and only partially succeeding) to realize those goals. And even if you somehow do manage to find someone who meets all of those requirements, there's no guarantee that their kids will turn out well.

[Firefly]

I don't really have much sympathy. Simply put, if they're not prepared, ready, and have the ability to raise a child to the best of their ability, I personally do not feel they should be having children. If you don't know how to take care of yourself first, what reasonable excuse do you have to bring someone else into this world, that you will need to take care of as well? Maybe someone here can come up with something convincing.


Of course it is possible to have people turned out fucked up even with decent parents. I understand that. That isn't really the issue I'm focused on, though. I'm talking about situations that involve shitty parents.

[Digital Masta]

How many people actually plan their children. How many people on this board where an accident I mean really?

My two out of three of my cousins (they are all sisters) had unplanned children, and they were both young when it happened...when they both had their kids they were both around 19-21. It was hard and they certainly weren't financially or mentally ready to have kids but they had family support and while the kids caused them to take the extended path to reaching their goals they finally did it, are financially stable, both own homes, etc.

There are people who although they aren't ready for kids by any means but end up having them but they grow up, get their shit together and do what they have to do.

[Firefly]

Yes, there are some people responsible enough to handle situations as they come. Obviously you cannot put every person into the same box of situations. Everyone is different.

Keep in mind though, that just because someone got their shit together when they accidentally had kids doesn't mean they're happy. It means they're doing what they have to do. (I am not saying this applies to your family. So do not take it that way.)