Yeah, but are they paying any of their own money to take care of those kids for two decades? As a parent, I’m involved in my kids’ lives on a daily basis and I’ve been given an additional set of legal responsibilities & obligations. Society expects more from me in order to raise my kids (though I did willingly take that on by becoming a parent). You raise a good point though that further muddies the idea, what about legal guardians or adults who help out kids, who decides who gets that extra voting power? And then with delinquent parents, why should they be entitled to more voting power? It also further disenfranchises the LGBTQ+ community as well, so yeah, it’s just fraught with way too many issues.
You said it yourself and it’s very fucking simple:
You shoveled shit on yourself (had kids), so fucking deal with it.
That’s the end. There’s no caveats.
Your knowledge and beliefs sound lofty at best.
:: cough :: Might I point out, now more than ever, there are those who didn’t choose to become a parent?
Fuck yeah they should get something for it. Whether it’s votes, ice cream, or some sort of UBI… they deserve something.
As you said, you took on the responsibility and obligations of parenthood when you chose to have children. Part of that is considering their interests when exercising your vote. While I don’t have children, I don’t agree that you have more skin in the game as you put it, than I do. I, as a human being and citizen of this country, want to see it succeed and flourish not only now, but long after I am gone, for generations to come. My family, friends and loved ones are all considerations when voting, as well as what I think will be best for society as a whole. It’s why when local votes come up for school funding, I always vote in favor of increases, despite having no children of my own benefitting from it.
Every adult makes life choices, and has various considerations for how they think the world should be, and what will improve it. The personal decisions you make and how you live your life should not afford you more or less votes than anyone else.
Yeah, but are they paying any of their own money to take care of those kids for two decades?
Yes. Taxes. People without kids still pay taxes for things like education, meal programs, etc. People with kids get a tax break to compensate for the cost of raising kids. You’re asking for something already built into how we support parents and children in America.
You also appear to be under the misconception that parents will automatically vote in the best interests of their children. Some may, but not all. It also pressures people to produce children needlessly in order to have more personal electoral power, which will result in a baby boom the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the end of WW2 - and back then, the US had a dominant economic position where there were more resources available to support these children.
I feel that you might be trying to argue your position in good faith. However, giving parents more rights to vote because they have children is a terrible idea. It will be exploited mercilessly by bad faith actors. Hell, the USA should be rewarding parents who choose to have fewer(2 or less) children, or those who choose not to have kids. This planet is already too overcrowded.
Yeah, but are they paying any of their own money to take care of those kids for two decades?
Yes. It’s called taxes. I pay property tax specifically to fund public education. The entire idea is called the “Forced Rider Problem”. That is, I have to pay for services that I (or my hypothetical children) will never use. Not that I’m opposed- I benefit from a well educated society.
“yeah but-” I’m also contributing taxes to fund social wellfare programs, in addition to near-weekly donations of fresh and healthy fruits and veggies. Doesn’t make me a hero or even a decent person. And you taking care of kids doesn’t make you a fucking hero either.
As a parent, I’m involved in my kids’ lives on a daily basis and I’ve been given an additional set of legal responsibilities & obligations.
Congratulations? You want a medal? getting laid and dealing with the responsibilities because the law says you have to does not make you anything other than a person who got laid.
Society expects more from me in order to raise my kids (though I did willingly take that on by becoming a parent).
you actually think you get a medal, don’t you? You actually think you’re special and awesome and a decent guy because you took responsibility for your actions (that of bringing a child into this world).
The only way this idea makes any sense is to allow the children to vote for themselves not to give a parent extra votes. You might argue that children are uninformed and won’t vote ‘correctly’, but that same argument can be applied to the parents as being informed isn’t a requirement to vote.
