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Big Brother (Male) - If threats don't work, try bribery

The Soviet government is trying bribery, offering the equivilant of US $36,000 to any woman who has a second child. The cost of raising a child to seventeen is somewhere between $140,000 and $280,000, not including pre-high school expenses or loss of income if one parent stays home. I'm not saying I wouldn't reject the $36,000 check if someone offered it to me, but I do have a little hint for those governments who really want more children. It won't guarantee your country is chock-full of kids but might help make it easier for those who do decide to help out the state of the union by reproducing: try national good quality health care; universal preschool and college; increased equality, and respect for women's reproductive and political rights. If that doesn't convince folks to have children then, hey, maybe they just don't want to.

Source: Rachel Neumann at Alternet
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