"Affordable Childcare"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2k childcare that's the problem right there

Look DC and other major cities are nuts from real estate prices to childcare costs etc

Subsidizing isn't the solution though. Look at healthcare you are taking from the middle class to give the lower class stuff for free.

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

Is there an award for the most elitist post ever on DCUM? And you want a family to live in a big 1 BR? I suspect PP was ditch delivered by a drab and raised by wolves.

FIne make it a 2br I don't care

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

Agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can someone explain to me what politicians (both D & R) mean when they say talk about affordable childcare? Are they talking about subsidizing, or regulating prices? I feel like it's a bait issue that is tossed around but with no real way to accomplish or solve. Please be nice- it's an honest question.

It means that those of us who didn't have children until we could afford them will end up paying for irresponsible people having unprotected sex. If you cannot afford child care, you cannot afford to have a child.

Except having a child today is unaffordable for many single parents and many two parent working families. I have nothing against 50 year olds having designer babies, but 24 year olds who are responsible and hardworking should be able to as well, without paying their entire income to quality childcare. There are parallels here to rising college tuition.
--a Republican for whom the best part of the convention was Ivanka Trump speaking to this
--a Republican who scrabbled for childcare when I was 24; looking out for the next gen. Yes, Republicans have hearts

and then people bitch at those who wait until they are late 30s/early 40s and need ART

We can't have it both ways, society.

+1

Not everyone earns a lot of money. I am working class and just could not make enough to justify the cost of childcare. It is cheaper for me to stay home.

Exactly. Outsourcing the primary caregiving of your little children is actually a luxury if you expect "quality" care. Only the rich can indulge to presue their duel careers away from their homes and families. And even then, the quality of that care is questionable.

[Anonymous]

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

You have got to be kidding. If you feel this way, you should not be doing or enjoying anything in your great city that involves the use of people who earn 10-15 bucks an hour. Or even 20. Are you the same person who believes that families are not important? Holy cow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Luckily we can afford daycare, but I know that most of my peers cannot afford 2k a month in daycare and would still make excellent parents. I think the people who say that you should wait to have children mean that you should wait until out of college/trade school and then married.

The daycare gap is creating a truly unaffordable situation between the haves and the have nots. So many women want to work but aren't able to because their salaries wouldn't pay for daycare, especially once they have two children.

Yep. These are the people who should be encouraged to have children. The most responsible people are not having kids because they are, well, being responsible. They would make great parents. This is another way the middle class is shrinking.

I'm PP above poster responded to, and in no way consider myself irresponsible because I made a working class income when I had a child. I think that's preposterous. And I consider myself a great parent, too!

Yep. I was just reiterating that the "irresponsible" parents are those who are jobless and unmarried (I have relatives like this), not the ones who just cannot afford daycare. We should not expect everyone to be making 100k in order to become a parent. It's ludicrous to say that if you don't make 100k, you should keep your legs closed and not have kids until you do. Many will obviously never make that, will never make enough to afford daycare and would be great parents. Some of the hardest working and most family oriented people I know only make 50k. I also know lots of deadbeat dads who are off cheating on their wives and families with their affair partners who make 300k.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:well, many european countries have actual affordable childcare. they also have reasonable maternity leave policies.

+1

I live in Belgium which offers free, full-time childcare starting when a toddler is 2.5. I know many surrounding countries have even better benefits.

What portion of your income do you pay in taxes?

I'm exempt (husband is a fed) but the tax rate here is outrageous - about 50% for most incomes. The sales tax is 21%, including food at the grocery store!

Didya ever think that is the regressive 21% tax that is funding the full time childcare?

[Anonymous]

I'm an economist

Government has screwed up by putting in affordable housing minimum wage etc. All these artifical floors that keep lower class people dependent and screw over the middle class

Now before you call me heartless here is what should happen

1. You get rid of affordable housing and the minimum wage
2. You let the market work..... wages and housing will adjust based on supply and demand.

DC is screwed up because of 1. If you were able to get rid of that you would have 2 where wages would actaully increase or real estate would decrease to an equlibrium point to allow for service workers to have a reasonable wage, reasonable housing and reasonable healthcare. It's all supply and demand. People will only take jobs if they can afford to live in an area. If noone takes the job then you either increase wages or automate

Again there are plenty of other places across the country with lower cost of living

P.S. the third thing you have to do is reform immigration. All the wages being paid under the table is screwing the system as well. Yes illegal immigration totally hurts the law abiding lower class.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2k childcare that's the problem right there

Look DC and other major cities are nuts from real estate prices to childcare costs etc

Subsidizing isn't the solution though. Look at healthcare you are taking from the middle class to give the lower class stuff for free.

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

Is there an award for the most elitist post ever on DCUM? And you want a family to live in a big 1 BR? I suspect PP was ditch delivered by a drab and raised by wolves.

FIne make it a 2br I don't care

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

So if normal people are living elsewhere in the country, you must live here, PP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

So we don't value families in this country. So what? Who cares? Who is to say we should? We value what we value and you have to be realistic about that. It is what it is and no amount of "shoulds" will make it any different.

Democrats love to bang their heads against walls. It's very puzzling to me. Much better to just be realistic about what the world around you is like imo.

All of us belonged to a family even if we have no children now. A family is the most basic and important social unit we have. The outcomes for children who do not have families is terrible. Have you ever experienced a child who was in an orphanage or moved from one home to another? Families and the care of children are what make our country strong. Children need emotional stability and positive encouragement in order to have the chance to succeed in practically every other way in life. Saying you don't care about families is equivalent to saying you don't care about people and people are what build communities and countries (so you don't care about those either). It's just so basic that I can't wrap my mind around what you are saying. What kind of a world do you want to live in? Who took care of you when you were young?

I cannot relate to the PP at all. What do you want for your children and grandchildren?

I don't have children and won't have them because I don't want that kind of hassle in my life. We have a close circle of childless friends who we spend holidays and vacation with, etc. They feel the same as me. If you want to have a baby, that is totally fine. But that is YOUR CHOICE and it is not fair to expect other people (I.e. taxpayers or your colleagues at the office) to do the heavy lifting for you. With birth control and abortion widely available, there is no reason to five birth to an unwanted baby you can't afford to raise. Find a way to do it or don't, that's up to you. I don't want to be involved, as your potential coworker or taxpayer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2k childcare that's the problem right there

Look DC and other major cities are nuts from real estate prices to childcare costs etc

Subsidizing isn't the solution though. Look at healthcare you are taking from the middle class to give the lower class stuff for free.

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

Is there an award for the most elitist post ever on DCUM? And you want a family to live in a big 1 BR? I suspect PP was ditch delivered by a drab and raised by wolves.

FIne make it a 2br I don't care

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

Agree.

Disagree. DC used to be affordable. Why should lower income people be forced to relocate because of gentrification? Say good bye to teachers, postal workers, florists, gardeners, cashiers, waiters, construction workers and (OH YEAH!) childcare workers if that's your attitude.

[Anonymous]

Our full time daycare starts at 1.5 y. We have flat tax rate of 21%.
Most daycare worker have bachelor's in early childhood education. It's required by law. Daycares can have few helpers who don't have to have higher education.
We are not a rich country.

[Anonymous]

and I'll add the H1BI scam is the same principle basically importing cheap labor and screwing over existing Americans

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it means subsidizing it, I am dead set against it. Many childless folks choose to forgo children because they know they can't afford to pay for daycare and still live the lifestyle they want (with vacations and eating out and so forth in the budget). If you choose to have a baby, that $2000 daycare bill is on YOU and no one else. And don't bother with the "who will pay for your retirement" argument. It's old and tired and bullshit anyway. We all know SS will be bankrupt by then anyway.

Screw pay for your retirement? Who is going to wipe your a$$? probably not many with your attitude

I'll pay a private nurse. I'll be able to afford it since I'm childless and not an idiot spending hundreds of thousands on my special snowflake who is just like every other kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2k childcare that's the problem right there

Look DC and other major cities are nuts from real estate prices to childcare costs etc

Subsidizing isn't the solution though. Look at healthcare you are taking from the middle class to give the lower class stuff for free.

The reality is if you aren't upper middle income you shouldn't be living in a high COL area. There are plenty of other palces around the country where you can survive on 10-15 bucks an hour

Rent is less than 700 for a nice big 1br and daycare is around 700 a month in many places around the country

Is there an award for the most elitist post ever on DCUM? And you want a family to live in a big 1 BR? I suspect PP was ditch delivered by a drab and raised by wolves.

FIne make it a 2br I don't care

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

What's irresponsible about working full time? Or working two jobs? Something many working class people do.

[Anonymous]

Point being noone deserves to live anywhere or free healthcare or free childcare. Its called responsibiltiy and choosing an area where you can afford to live (of which there are plenty across the US) and/or making choices working hard/education to make more income to then afford to be able to live in higher COL areas. Call me elitist all you want. It's what normal people have been doing for generations instead of whining or demanding government do stuff for them

Do you want the FDA to stop monitoring for Ecoli in food? Do you want the EPA to stop enforcing clean air and water regulations? Do you think people should demand that there not be lead in their water? Is that whining? Do you think the government should help people who are mentally or physically disabled (or should we just tell them to work harder and get an education)? Do you think old people should get Medicare? Do you think kids should get free K-12 education? Do you think there should be a minimum wage? Do you think your garbage should be collected (or maybe you should do that yourself)? Do you think plows should come down your street when it snows? Do you think potholes should be fixed? Do you think those people should be paid enough to live in your high COLA area? Or should they drive in every day from West Virginia? What about police and fire protection? How much are you willing to pay to make sure those people are available and live close enough so they aren't totally burned out from driving here? Do you think they should be able to have children if they want them? What kind of place do you want to live in? Do you like other people?

Have you benefited from any of these things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an economist

Government has screwed up by putting in affordable housing minimum wage etc. All these artifical floors that keep lower class people dependent and screw over the middle class

Now before you call me heartless here is what should happen

1. You get rid of affordable housing and the minimum wage
2. You let the market work..... wages and housing will adjust based on supply and demand.

DC is screwed up because of 1. If you were able to get rid of that you would have 2 where wages would actaully increase or real estate would decrease to an equlibrium point to allow for service workers to have a reasonable wage, reasonable housing and reasonable healthcare. It's all supply and demand. People will only take jobs if they can afford to live in an area. If noone takes the job then you either increase wages or automate

Again there are plenty of other places across the country with lower cost of living

P.S. the third thing you have to do is reform immigration. All the wages being paid under the table is screwing the system as well. Yes illegal immigration totally hurts the law abiding lower class.

The first time I ever agreed with an economist, particularly on point 3. Germany allows the immigrants because they need the labor supply. We do not. I work in the housing industry and everyday I see the undercutting of pay by illegal immigrants. It is interesting that the legal immigrants I work with are voting for Trump. They see him as lessening the competition for their jobs and increasing their pay. Maybe this will also mean that Americans will stop by too big houses and too much junk to stuff into their houses. They will have to use their money more wisely than on impulse shopping of junk and food to make themselves feel better.