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In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

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Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#151

Post by runako »

tbrownaw wrote: post #73
tock wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then do it today so mothers can continue to work and help the economy.

If the tax man can't see it, it doesn't exist. . Scenario A: Max and Alex are a couple and have kids. Max stays home with them, and Alex has a job with a coworker named Avery. Scenario B: Max and Alex are a couple and have kids. They both work, and hire Avery to watch the kids. The same total work gets done by the same group of people in both cases, but the second measures as "better" for "the economy".

This analysis is incomplete for a couple of reasons:

1. any universal childcare scheme will involve groups larger than the median at-home familial group. Avery is watching ~1-2 kids, but if those kids are at creche, they are in a group of (say) ~4-5.

2. In much of the country, a) is financially out of reach for many couples due to cost of living generally being based around two-income households.

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#152

Post by beepbooptheory »

A few alternate, less paywalled, local articles on the same thing:

https://www.kunm.org/local-news/2025-10-13/childcare-univers...

> The state has spent years building early childhood funding — In 2020 it created a $10 billion trust fund using revenue from its booming oil and gas industry. Then, in 2022 voters approved drawing more from the Land Grant Permanent Fund.

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/is-universal-childcare-sustai...

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#153

Post by tenpies »

macintux wrote: post #46
roughly wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it turns out that things like free health care, adequate food, good schools, and all that other socialist mumbo jumbo is actually good for productivity and the economy, too.

I wonder how many people would start businesses if we had UBI and free health care as a safety net.

n = 1, but if we get UBI, I will immediately start a precious metals brokerage business.

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#154

Post by esrauch »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #64
analog31 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If a tavern puts out a sign saying "free beer," nobody needs to point out that someone is paying for the beer. There's no confusion about this.

I know this sounds cold, but the people who most utilize "free" things are the absolute least likely to understand it's not free. Most people think the state is a machine of infinite money, and the only thing preventing $1 million checks in the mail to everyone is corporate lobbyists protecting the elite.

It's a completely absurd claim that "most" people think the only reason the government isn't sending million dollar checks is hoarding.

The government spending too much and the debt being large is an extremely popular talking point, at least half of everyone would say "the federal government should spend less than they do" much less million dollar checks for every person.

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#155

Post by Demiurge »

rs186 wrote: post #134
johndevor wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet every single socialist, European country is behind the US in terms of their economic output.

So tired of the argument. Not everything is measured in "economic output", not to mention that metric itself doesn't make any sense when comparing countries of vastly different size, population etc.

Yeah, it’s like forgetting that the point of money in life is living, rather than the money itself.

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#156

Post by hammock »

siliconc0w wrote: post #113

My current theory is that we've basically gotten addicted to importing the world's smartest kids so we have been unwilling to invest in our own children.

What makes you say that when New Mexico is now offering free childcare?

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#157

Post by nradov »

diogenescynic wrote: post #27
ghaff wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be aware that Medicare is a long way from free. At least if you've had a well-paying job in the past few years, Medicare premiums are pretty similar to exchange costs (or COBRA).

Health insurance isn't free either and it's way more expensive than Medicare. We're all also already paying for Medicare...

Commercial health insurance is more expensive than Medicare because original Medicare Part A/B doesn't cover prescription drugs, and because commercial plans effectively provide a hidden cross subsidy to Medicare. Under a "Medicare for All" scheme, people would still need to purchase prescription drug coverage (Part D). And because Medicare reimburses providers at very low rates (often below their costs) they have to make up the difference by charging commercial health plans more.

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#158

Post by nradov »

not_a_shill wrote: post #67
diogenescynic wrote: post #5

Medicare should cover children. Then we'd be covering children and the elderly. I think that seems fair--children deserve healthcare (just like education) as a fundamental right. It shouldn't be dependent on their parents.

Medicaid does cover children

And in many states there are also CHIP plans for children who don't qualify for Medicaid.

https://www.healthcare.gov/medicaid-chip/childrens-health-in...

Re: In a U.S. First, New Mexico Opens Doors to Free Child Care for All

#160

Post by RestlessMind »

roughly wrote: post #35
SoftTalker wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was done so mothers could work building tanks and airplanes, not out of any concern for the children.

Yeah, it turns out that things like free health care, adequate food, good schools, and all that other socialist mumbo jumbo is actually good for productivity and the economy, too.

Reality doesn't match your claim, for example when one looks at European countries who have all of that.
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