Originally Posted by BittyBugsMama

This is my initial reaction to a proposal like this, but my opinion is by no means steadfast. I think its easy to keep having kids if you know you don't have to pay for them. There are already programs in place for food assistance, cash assistance, rent assistance, etc. I think adding in a program in where diapers are now provided as well will just encourage people to continue having kids they know they can't afford. I think leaving some of the financial burden on the parents is important because it doesn't encourage them to have another baby (or more). And yes, I realize that most people are responsible on assistance but its the minority of those who are on assistance and abuse it that stick in my mind. Growing up where I did and knowing the amount of children that girls my age had (and couldn't afford) really has stuck with me for many years. I know girls 2 - 3 years younger than I am who have 4 or 5 kids and there is just no way they are paying for all those kids themselves. I am a big supporter of government assistance but I'm also a big supporter of time limits on that assistance. If a program like this were to be put in place, I would like to see limitations like you get 3 years of diapers for 1 child and only 1 child within say a 10 year time frame. Maybe that is harsh, but again, I'm a big fan of people paying for their own kids and living within their own means. I can only have enough children that I can pay for because we don't qualify for assistance and I think that is how everyone should be (in an ideal world). I would love to have another baby but knowing that a new baby could potentially put a large financial strain on our family isn't worth it. Now, if I knew that having another baby would give us a whole bunch of government freebies, I might have another one... just human nature, right?