An interesting idea: $5K now that after compounding over time might save the government $50K+ in welfare or incarceration or back taxes (paying these would have to come out of the bond first), or if they’re good, for economy building things like Mrs. C envisions. Just one, itsy bitsy, teeny tiny problem: the initial $5K…
Clinton: $5,000 for Every U.S. Baby
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that every child born in the United States should get a $5,000 “baby bond” from the government to help pay for future costs of college or buying a home.
Clinton, her party’s front-runner in the 2008 race, made the suggestion during a forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus.
“I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that downpayment on their first home,” she said.
The New York senator did not offer any estimate of the total cost of such a program or how she would pay for it. Approximately 4 million babies are born each year in the United States.
In other Hillary news, the Mr is campaigning pretty heavily himself by attacking Obama. You’d almost think he was going to have a say in things if the wife gets into office. Naaa. He wouldn’t do that.
Bill Clinton Questions Obamas Experience
Former President Bill Clinton showed his singular ability to diminish his wife’s presidential rivals when, in a television interview, he said that Senator Barack Obama had about as much experience as Mr. Clinton did in 1988 — the year Mr. Clinton decided not to run for the presidency.
[…]
Mr. Clinton did not run that year, he added, because “I really didn’t think I knew enough, and had served enough and done enough to run.”
Here in Australia we have a $3000 ‘baby bonus’ paid out for each new child (Thats about $2700’ish US I guess).
The problem thats starting to become apparent is that as well as helping legitimate parents who want to do the best for their kids, we’re now seeing a whole subculture of skank-moms emerging who do some twisted up maths in their drug addled heads that see each new kid they have as a ‘free’ way to get that new plasma TV or pay off their poker machine debts.
So long as the money is held in bond and given out only as needed for school expenses and stuff like that its a great idea, but there will always be those who will petition their government reps that they should get the cash as soon as the umbilical cord is cut in non-sequential bank notes.
Its these people though, that have the loudest voice and can actually affect change, not a nice thought.
What a nice utopian idea… That’s if you assume people would actually use the money for their education instead of, let’s say, buying crack!
And as for the second part, what makes this… this Marie-Antoinette more experienced than any other candidates?
#1 I don’t think that what you call “baby bonus” is the same as what Hillary had in mind. You are talking about a mechanism that exists in many countries, especially the ones with negative population growth rates (eg europe). It’s goal is merely to increase birth rates.
Hillary wanted to award the money to the children, not their parents! Although, who knows how it it would have ended, not that it ever will….
I have to say that I am strongly opposed to any form of government encouragement to continue to overpopulate the planet. I think that there is not a single major world problem today that would exist at all if there were 6 million people on the planet rather than 6 billion. I think we should put that money into health care, improving education (including sex ed), condom distribution, and possibly even some public awareness campaigns to get the word out that the world population is thoroughly and completely unsustainable at present levels.
I’m not saying that we should reduce our population. I’m not saying that we must reduce our population. I’m saying that our population will be dramatically reduced no matter what we do. We can do it voluntarily or it can be done for us. The first choice will involve a lot less suffering, both in our species and many others I like a lot more than ours.
Malthus was wrong. He overestimated the population that this planet can support long term and he underestimated our willingness to steal food from future generations to feed ourselves.
>>Approximately 4 million babies are born each year in
>>the United States.
Gee, it sounds like this program would be a bargain at twice the price. With the going rate of $200,000,000,000.00/yr for the war in Iraq, this entire $20,000,000 program could be funded annually for about the cost of 50 minutes of war.
Think about that. Dumbya’s trophy war is costing America almost $400,000.00/ PER MINUTE, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year. And that’s just the FINANCIAL cost.
Tsk.
No one should have to pay for someone else’s kids. We do far too much of that already.
And there are people who still don’t think the Comrade Hillarius isn’t a communist at heart. Unbelievable.
#5 dropped a few zeros there that’s 20 billion a year not 20 million buy a calculator.
Great to see out of the box thinking by Hillary. Her tackling domestic issues with creative ideas that are actionable is why I will vote for her.
The chorus of crying nancies with their “oh, ya can’t do that, because blah blah..” will get shouted down by the masses because it’s time to get rid of the that mf GOP monkey face in office
#6 – No one should have to pay for someone else’s kids. We do far too much of that already.
And people who didn’t bring up kids shouldn’t be allowed to use public services (public roads, health care etc) after they retire… because after all, they’re no longer paying much taxes and they didn’t leave someone to do it in their place.
The greater good for society (in this case, educated kids) is more important than personal opinions.
http://tinyurl.com/yuo6er
http://zfacts.com/p/447.html
’nuff said.
They make my point.
Who is the bond going to be drawn on? Is this going to be a “US Savings Bond” type deal? Where is the money going to be held?
Is it going to be another “Social Security” fiasco, no money behind it?
Is it going to be an “Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend Program”, run by people with enough influence to fight off the politicians trying to raid it? (That calls for an actual deposit of real cash, and raises the specter of the fedgov being in the position to exercise ownership control of private businesses. That’s fascism.)
So 5000 invested now is about 15-20 grand when you’re ready for college. Any bets that college tuition is going to go up an extra 15-20 grand then?
How about Hillary campaigns on a voucher system for each new child’s future education, instead of this empty campaign promise.
#5 – Nice demonstration of why the U.S. educational system needs to place more emphasis on grade school mathematics. Those multiplication tables are a bitch.
#15 – Nice to see someone has learned from my posts about the APF.
Unfortunately this idea is neither novel or practical, considering the current political climate.
Also, don’t think that Bubba is damaging just his wife’s chances by attacking Obama. If Obama gets the nomination he’ll have a much harder time getting Clinton’s supports now that Bill’s on the attack.
The left isn’t very apt at getting behind a candidate after the primaries; It’s the true reason Bush is still president.
>>Bush’ spending on the Iraq war?
Do you dispute the fact that Dumbya’s war costs American taxpayers $300,000.00 per minute? Better check http://tinyurl.com/yuo6er one more time.
It’s cost us about $7,000,000.00 since I posted my message this morning.
I like the point made by someone on Greg Mankiw’s blog:
“This is a typical visible effects proposal – since it is purely redistributive it cannot result in a net gain for the country as a whole unless it is somehow activates otherwise wasted resources, which in this case is ridiculous (a housing bubble hardly indicates underutilized resources).”
(http://tinyurl.com/324uqw)
#20 – Your point is not germane to discussing the pros and cons of a government program that aims to redistribute wealth, but your point does allow you to get your childish anti-President Bush rant in. Congrats. Which is what Pedro is getting at.
>>your point does allow you to get your childish
>>anti-President Bush rant in.
It’s anti-Dumbya, but it ain’t childish, Little G.I. Joe.
Just because you’re one of the 13 people in the country who still support the Chimp’s trophy war is no reason to get pissy.
What a great idea!
Give illegals even more incentive to sneak into america and give birth.
bet she doesnt have a plan to stop that abuse!.
#21, chcknhwk03
Now there you go again. Posting other people’s opinions instead of your own. I have no idea who Greg Mankiw’ and truthfully, get constipated thinking about it (That means I don’t give a shit). But it isn’t even his comment !!! It is someone else commenting on his blog !!! Sheet, if we want to know what the people on Greg Mankiw’ blog thought, I’m sure we would all go over there.
Jesus H. Christ on a pogo stick (you know, the robes bouncing in the breeze and all). I do have to give you credit for citing your source. I’m not sure if this is the first time, but it is a step in a better direction. The problem though, … you need cite a factual claim, not an opinion. If Alan Greenspan comments about Clinton needing a face lift, that is his opinion. If he is commenting about the economic impact of this story, that is an expert’s opinion or fact and should be cited. Cited facts should be verifiable, otherwise they are just opinions.
Think. Form your own ideas. If need be, do some research to verify your ideas. Put your ideas into words. Write your ideas down and then hit submit.
>>Think. Form your own ideas. If need be, do some research
>>to verify your ideas.
Aw, come on, Fissile One. Do you think that anyone who is capable of thinking, forming his own opinions, and doing research to verify his ideas would be supporting Dumbya and his trophy war? You lost 99.999% of Little King Georgie’s supporters with “thinking”.
Jeez. It’s all he can muster to cite neocon puff-piece web sites.
This underlines dire need for the third party. As long as it is anti-Bush any kooky idea is OK?
Vitality of the USA is based on everyone struggling to get better on their own power and that should be preserved. Help really poor and stricken – yes it helps overall prosperity and fights crime… Start people at birth with the drug of suckling on the government-provided “tit” – BAD.
This is from the personal experience : I grew in communism with free healthcare and high education. Nice? Maybe, but that country is now in ruins as such utopia can’t be sustained.
And not passing Social Security reform has cost ten times as much, if not more. While I typed this comment, there goes another ten million.
>>And not passing Social Security reform has cost ten times
>>as much, if not more. While I typed this comment, there
>>goes another ten million.
wtf are you talking about, son? I hope it’s not that abortion of a shit-headed idea that Dumbya had about *privatizing* Social Security.
Man O Manischewitz. Dumbya has had some dumb ideas in his day, but (other than his trophy war) that was just about the dumbest. Trying to turn Social Security into the the retirement equivalent of the US health care system. Can you spell NIGHTMARE?? Holy shit! A bunch of executive paper shufflers get filthy rich, while everybody else grovels in the gutter.
Now if he could just keep his dirty little hands off of the SS money, and let it be put towards paying retirees (instead of using it as blood money for his war), SS would be just fine. A few tweaks here and there, and it’s good to go for a thousand years.
Nice to see Hillary’s mind set confirmed ahead of time.
Hillary thought process:
1) Thinking of the children will get me elected.
2) Spending other peoples money will get me elected.
3) Spending other peoples money on babies will get me elected.
4) Telling people what they want to hear gets me elected.
5) Making shit up and changing it later will get me elected.
6) Whoring my husband out will get me elected. (and he likes it)
7) Throwing out just any idea will get me elected.
8) Targeting my vocal accent to the audience will get me elected.
9) Pretending to be like my targeted demographic will get me elected.
10) If i could give everyone oral sex I would because…..
IT WILL GET ME ELECTED
Hillary is the great pretender and nothing but a vote whore. You heard it hear first.
#29 – Greymoon
Did you copy that list from Karl Rove’s 2004 election strategy and just modified it a little bit?
Made it up on the fly thank you very much. Karl Rove is an asshole.
Karl Rove strats are simpler.
1) Create terrorism hysteria.
2) Give other peoples money to political friends.
3) Create terrorism hysteria.
#29, Greymoon,
Hillary is the great pretender and nothing but a vote whore. You heard it hear first.
No disagreement here. Of course, that applies to every single candidate for office. To single her out only shows bias against the messenger instead of the plan.
I’m not that crazy about the plan. Clinton does deserve a lot of credit though. No other candidate has offered any new ideas about where this country should head. All the Republican candidates have only trotted out the fear factor and “I love god more than him” spiel.
#29: “Hillary is the great pretender and nothing but a vote whore”
And this makes her different than any other candidate in the history of the world how?