4 ms·

If the government wants to increase the birthrate, then they should something about childcare expenses, like make them tax deductable, instead of building OkCup

If the government wants to increase the birthrate, then they should something about childcare expenses, like make them tax deductable, instead of building OkCupid.gov. If we're just going to print funny money every year anyway, then use some of that to maintain the population, and provide a public safety net.

sliken 2y ago
It does seem clear that financial issues are a major contributor. Parents have been getting older before having children, presumably because it's taking longer to have financial stability. I know it was a factor with our kid. If you want more kids work on affordable housing, decreased costs for healthcare, decreased costs for college, and decreased costs for childcare.
bryanlarsen 2y ago
Child-care support is highly likely to be long-term anti-inflationary. Inflation happens when the money supply grows faster than the productive capacity of a country. And few, if any, things are more important for productive capacity than a young workforce. Or think about it from the other direction. Suppose the country was "fiscally responsible" and had lots of money to support retirees. But if there is nobody of working age, then those retirees will be spending lots of money on their needs and wants. Without workers to supply those needs and wants the prices will get quickly bid up. Aka inflation.
tivert 2y ago
> If the government wants to increase the birthrate, then they should something about childcare expenses, like make them tax deductable, instead of building OkCupid.gov. Meaning daycare? IIRC, they are already tax deductible to a point (see: Dependent Care FSA). But it's interesting and kind of depressing that the solution is always to make it easier and cheaper to shove kids into institutional settings, because the assumption that the gaping maw of capitalism must consume a maximum amount of every adults' time and energy is unquestioned. Institutionalizing childcare is the best for capitalism, because it captures the parents' time with paid work and creates a product to suck up their money with. Too bad about the kids, though. Capitalism comes first.
- mirashii 2y ago
  > Meaning daycare? IIRC, they are already tax deductible to a point (see: Dependent Care FSA) At a cap of $5,000, the dependent care FSA does not even cover 2 months of daycare for my daughter, and the tax savings amount to less than two weeks of care.
- cjohnson318 2y ago
  What do you mean by "institutional settings"? I'm just talking about a daycare where my kid can learn their letters and make friends in the neighborhood. That's kind of an institution I guess, but I wouldn't describe it as an "institutional setting".

sliken 2y ago

It does seem clear that financial issues are a major contributor. Parents have been getting older before having children, presumably because it's taking longer to have financial stability. I know it was a factor with our kid. If you want more kids work on affordable housing, decreased costs for healthcare, decreased costs for college, and decreased costs for childcare.

bryanlarsen 2y ago

Child-care support is highly likely to be long-term anti-inflationary. Inflation happens when the money supply grows faster than the productive capacity of a country. And few, if any, things are more important for productive capacity than a young workforce. Or think about it from the other direction. Suppose the country was "fiscally responsible" and had lots of money to support retirees. But if there is nobody of working age, then those retirees will be spending lots of money on their needs and wants. Without workers to supply those needs and wants the prices will get quickly bid up. Aka inflation.

tivert 2y ago

> If the government wants to increase the birthrate, then they should something about childcare expenses, like make them tax deductable, instead of building OkCupid.gov. Meaning daycare? IIRC, they are already tax deductible to a point (see: Dependent Care FSA). But it's interesting and kind of depressing that the solution is always to make it easier and cheaper to shove kids into institutional settings, because the assumption that the gaping maw of capitalism must consume a maximum amount of every adults' time and energy is unquestioned. Institutionalizing childcare is the best for capitalism, because it captures the parents' time with paid work and creates a product to suck up their money with. Too bad about the kids, though. Capitalism comes first.

mirashii 2y ago
> Meaning daycare? IIRC, they are already tax deductible to a point (see: Dependent Care FSA) At a cap of $5,000, the dependent care FSA does not even cover 2 months of daycare for my daughter, and the tax savings amount to less than two weeks of care.
cjohnson318 2y ago
What do you mean by "institutional settings"? I'm just talking about a daycare where my kid can learn their letters and make friends in the neighborhood. That's kind of an institution I guess, but I wouldn't describe it as an "institutional setting".