Why didn’t the fundies think of this?
The Moscow Times outlines Vladimir Putin’s plan to pay women $9232 [250,000 rubles] in exchange for producing a second child:
“The state, if it is indeed interested in improving the birthrate, must support a woman who decides to have a second child,” Putin said. “It must provide her with, so to speak, a start-up base, motherhood capital that would raise her social status and help solve future problems.”
Women would be free to use the money for new homes, their kids’ education or their own pension after their children turn three, Putin said.
It was unclear if the benefit would be paid in cash or otherwise.
Hooboy. It may be paid “otherwise.” How’s that for fine print? “Thanks for the new Russian! Here’s your $9232 in Mickey D’s gift certificates!”
Russia’s population is dropping a staggering 700,000 people per year. I understand Putin wants to do something about it.
Unfortunately, raising a new child will burden any woman or family for considerably more than nine thousand dollars. I highly doubt the “social status” of a mother will be improved long-term by this one-time (hopefully cash) payment. And maybe I am a cranky pessimist, but doesn’t it seem like this might induce some people desperate for money to have another child before they are properly prepared to care for it?
Despite the “Bad Idea Jeans” label slapped all over this stinkbomb, I have no doubt that once our friends on the religious right get a whiff of it, they’ll try and promote a similar strategy. After all, they’ve become avid fans of Stalin’s work and might appreciate the chance to emulate a more modern Russia.
Once abortion is no longer legal, a truly entrepreneurial wingnut would propose the following:
- $10,000 for every child born to a married heterosexual homemaker
- $10,000 fine for every child born to someone else
One would pay for the other (and probably pad the slush funds a bit on top of it), and surely this would create a strong incentive to 1) get married, 2) never ever have sex until then, and 3) be straight. Forget cash for babies, this is cash for Living The Way God Intended.
“Mr. President, we can not allow a cash for babies gap!!”
OT: “Putin” is funny.
Why don’t our fundies do it? That’s rewarding women for fucking, yo. That’s against everything they stand for.
Which is sad. I mean, when everything you stand for is, “You fuck, you pay,” you are a shallow, sad person.
Marc, you punkass socialist. Don’t you know that the nuclear family is an island, and that the acceptance of support from anyone but your spouse is a sign of weakness?
But Kyso, this is socialism under the guise of taxation and tax refunds. That’s as American as apple pie.
And I don’t know that the plan rewards fucking — it rewards procreation and forces you to be a straight married nonworking woman to collect.
As long as grandchildren could be involved, I am pretty sure the ‘nutjobs think of sex more as a necessary but acceptable evil to be tolerated.
Also, it’s hard to get a woman all the way under your thumb unless you impregnate her, and I’m pretty sure that involves fuckage. We could go the artificial insemination route, butt hat would reward men for masturbating and I know that ain’t gonna fly.
I left the typo in the afore-written comment b/c that is easily my favorite typo. Any time I discover I accidentally typed “butt hat” instead of “but that,” I crack up.
Butt hat.
Always funny.
ugh. Ya know… population of Russia is also dropping because a lot of peeps are getting the hell out of there, and have been for a very long time. Dumbasses.
You couldn’t pay me all the money in the world to go back and have a kid there even though I really miss the nature and the culture of my country.
I’d be feeling acutely embarrased for my old country (I think it’s a reflex with most Russians), but US had been doing a pretty decent job in catching up with us, as far as having embarrasing leaders.
Oh yeah, Bush makes Putin look like the damn tooth fairy.
I was thinking “almost a decent person” but your version is funnier. Though no one can beat Brezhnev: falling asleep while giving State of the Union-type speech – priceless.