Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yes, I think 51.5% is the highest tax, not the average. It's still staggering.
Your national pride is understandable, and laudable. But what works for one country doesn't mean it would work in another. Your economy HAS caused your country to be financially downgraded, and the generous welfare system cannot be sustained. We have far greater causes to spend money on in the US than giving every new baby a boxful of identical clothing. Aging and dangerous infrastructure comes to mind.
Wasn't ours as well though? Most of the issues are related more to the baby boomer generation retiring than anything. I think as time goes on you will have more equilibrium with generations being able to pay for services.
If a woman doesn't know whats out there, who's fault is that? How hard is it to make a phone call to the local social services office to ask a few questions?
I'm a big city girl. All services are accessible by public transportation. If someone lives in a rural area, I'm sure they already have modes of transportation to get them to errands, food, shopping, etc. It's also a part of personal life management to live in an area that meets your personal needs. Prenatal and all.
So, what else can be done? I grew up in a poor family that used Medicaid. I know people that used WIC. Free clinic are available.
The woman gets the box by showing up for a prenatal visit by the 4th month of pregnancy, according to the link in the OP. So she has to find the health care provider. That's the first step.
I have been a public health nurse and worked with a lot of low-income moms; younger moms (mostly), older moms, single moms (again, mostly), married moms. I worked in urban and suburban areas. The issues are complex. There are no simple solutions. Someone can live next door to a provider and not get to appointments. Someone else can live two bus rides away and make every appointment on time. You can live next door to a provider and not be able to use them b/c they won't take Medicaid. And on, and on. Most people do figure out how to access care. Transportation can be trickier. We're lucky that in metro Denver we have a pretty decent bus service, even in the burbs. I'm just blathering, I guess. I think the boxes are great.
I too am quite familiar with the expression "sleep in a dresser drawer". In fact, when I was a PHN in a Denver suburb, we actively encouraged our patients to save their money for a car seat instead of a fancy crib.
And that prenatal care is free (I vaguely remember a co-pay for the ultrasounds though, but very small, maybe 20 euros). They also offer a home visit a few days or a week or so after baby is born, so baby can be checked out without putting mum through the hassle of getting out of the house with baby so soon after giving birth. When mine was born I was also offered 12 hours free home help though I don't know if that was just something in my particular city or a nationwide thing.
Also making sure the mother starts her maternity leave a month before the due date might have something to do with the lower infant mortality rates (and mothers with more strenuous or dangerous jobs get to start their leave even earlier) as mum can rest during those final weeks.
I need to spread some reputation around... Look at the prison industry this country support...people don't mind paying taxes for THAT...
That's funny. I don't recall the government ever asking me which taxes I want to pay and which I perfer not to. When was the last time that happened to you?
That's funny. I don't recall the government ever asking me which taxes I want to pay and which I perfer not to. When was the last time that happened to you?
The point is, people howl bloody murder about paying taxes for poor people, stigmatized poor people, but have zero problem funding the prison industry. I never hear people howl, moan, and complain how they pay taxes for prison, but don't complain about recidivism.
Of course seeing the comments, on this thread, "...poor people would complain about a box...", "...poor people are druggies..." etc. etc. what a bunch of ignorant nonsense.
And that prenatal care is free (I vaguely remember a co-pay for the ultrasounds though, but very small, maybe 20 euros). They also offer a home visit a few days or a week or so after baby is born, so baby can be checked out without putting mum through the hassle of getting out of the house with baby so soon after giving birth. When mine was born I was also offered 12 hours free home help though I don't know if that was just something in my particular city or a nationwide thing.
Also making sure the mother starts her maternity leave a month before the due date might have something to do with the lower infant mortality rates (and mothers with more strenuous or dangerous jobs get to start their leave even earlier) as mum can rest during those final weeks.
Wow!
Maternity leave a month before the baby is due must be amazing. I, like many other moms in the US, worked right up until I went into labor. In fact, I knew a couple of pregnant women who wanted to take off just a few days before their child was due, to rest up, and their co-workers and bosses were shocked and critical about their "poor work ethic".
Maternity leave a month before the baby is due must be amazing. I, like many other moms in the US, worked right up until I went into labor. In fact, I knew a couple of pregnant women who wanted to take off just a few days before their child was due, to rest up, and their co-workers and bosses were shocked and critical about their "poor work ethic".
I expect that has an impact on the health of the babies, and the mothers!!
I just checked, you can start maternity leave at the earliest 50 days before the due date and at the latest 30 days before the due date. I can't imagine having to work right up until going in to labour, when would you find the time for nesting and getting everything ready?! And also time to rest, especially as you feel so big and crappy in that last month.
I think its a bit disingenuous to snark about a program that increases the health of mothers and babies.
A generous welfare system can be sustained and several countries have proved it to be so. America is really one of the last country's that should be telling others how to run their economies. LOL
I said nothing snarky, you seem to be. Free clothing giveaways do nothing to increase the health of mothers and babies that access to low cost or no cost health care can't. On the other hand, that box just might increase the attraction of having a baby for an unwed teen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece
If the goal is to lower infant mortality due to co-sleeping accidents it wouldn't cost much to give people a box. Heck, my mom put me in a laundry basket and told me if I didn't have the crib up in time for my birth to take a drawer out of the dresser and use that. I got the crib up btw.
The clothes won't save babies lives, that's a big part of the cost right there. A box won't set anyone back $200. And I'm guessing a the prenatal education and/or instructions from a nurse would go a long way too, box or not.
The biggest issue is that co-sleeping isn't done these days just because someone is poor and/or doesn't know better. It's a LIFESTYLE that very educated and rich people choose to do as well.
As I said earlier, the box itself seems like an entirely doable, and not very costly plan to hand out at prenatal clinics to those that want one.
Maternity leave a month before the baby is due must be amazing. I, like many other moms in the US, worked right up until I went into labor. In fact, I knew a couple of pregnant women who wanted to take off just a few days before their child was due, to rest up, and their co-workers and bosses were shocked and critical about their "poor work ethic".
Yep, and it's a shame how this all evolved. I've heard women a few years older than me (maybe 70 now) saying they had to quit teaching when they started to "show" as it was considered risque for pg women to appear in public. Then the women's movement came along. Women wanted the "right" to work until their water broke. All of a sudden, businesses were more than happy to go along with that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Look at the prison industry this country support...people don't mind paying taxes for THAT...
I got the crib up btw.
