Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

governor.state.nm.us

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

241–250 of 695 posts

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#241

Post by criddell »

marknutter wrote: post #149
Aurornis wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You realize a lot of people actually prefer to give their child their best instead of outsourcing it My wife and I staggered our work schedules to minimize the time spent at daycare. The one thing we didn’t expect: The kids absolutely loved daycare. It was a great place with excellent caretakers. Most of all, it was socialization with their friends. From reading sneering interment comments (like the one above) I wa…

There is something sad about not spending as much time as you possibly can with your children in their younger years, though.

Are you open to the idea that spending every possible moment with your young child may not be the best thing for the kid?

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#242

Post by janalsncm »

declan_roberts wrote: post #122

I'm going to take the reverse position. I don't like this policy. I think it would be much better to provide a one year paid stipend so that a parent can be home with the children during their tender years. This entire structure is set up to keep the boss happy while a stranger raises your child during their most formative and vulnerable years.

> provide a one year paid stipend so that a parent can be home

That is also several times more expensive. With child care, you can divide one worker’s salary over multiple kids. You are talking about paying a salary for each kid.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#243

Post by lagniappe »

potato3732842 wrote: post #240
declan_roberts wrote: post #122

I'm going to take the reverse position. I don't like this policy. I think it would be much better to provide a one year paid stipend so that a parent can be home with the children during their tender years. This entire structure is set up to keep the boss happy while a stranger raises your child during their most formative and vulnerable years.

Worse. Not just a "stranger" but a subset of strangers running "real businesses". I would rather my kid be raised by a) spouse b) grandparents c) no-habla cash only daycare (who are catering to customers who's average values are much closer to mine than an above the table business). Only after all those options are exhausted do I look toward a "real business". So basically this is a subsidy of the 4th place option.

>no-habla cash only daycare

Yo, what the fuck HN?

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#244

Post by Muromec »

bediger4000 wrote: post #3
thelastgallon wrote: post #2

They'll probably just pass a law that states can't do this? Just like many states passed laws against municipal fiber.

I've been told since at least 1980 that small, local government was best. I was given the impression that state level government was probably the optimum level to decide things, cities and counties could go off the rails in various ways. I haven't see a coherent rationale for reversing course on this doctrine, which was extremely strongly held, and cited a lot.

There is a rule of subsidiarity -- problems have to be solved at the lowest level possible, because it has the most information. If it's not, it bubbles up to the next level upwards. EU, US and Catholic church all do this to the various degree.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#245

Post by clickety_clack »

mothballed wrote: post #16
dzink wrote: post #12

This is fantastic! I hope they succeed and there is no abuse or other issues, because it will show how much an economy can grow when women are allowed to work to their full potential. Families who were previously in poverty because the mom would struggle to pay for childcare to work can now have assurance kids are ok while the mom can pursue jobs, start her own small business (huge chunk of businesses are small busin…

Would make sense IMO to provide an equal value waiver to those who take care of their kid rather than send them to childcare. Stay at home moms do not provide a less valuable service than childcare providers. This policy appears to disincentives children staying with their mother even when it is preferred.

I totally get the reasoning behind that, but the majority of women are not stay at home moms, and most families don’t have the resources to make it happen. Society is just not oriented to family creation, and both women and men (to a lesser extent) take a hit when they decide to start a family. The entire world is in a fertility crisis now that could easily endanger the very society we live in, with all the ideals and principles we take for granted, and that calls for solutions that may not end up being absolutely fair to everyone in it. If the tradeoff is between childcare that actually works versus a watered down version because we are also paying people who don’t avail of it, I think the former option will do most to support families.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#246

Post by mothballed »

bongoman37 wrote: post #210
mcbobgorge wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not the user you're asking but the same logic holds true for UBI, yes. The societies with the most effective social welfare programs do it via a robust and de-stigmatized social safety net. I think most of the common criticisms of UBI (it will make people lazy, its not fair, it will cause inflation etc) are silly, and I also generally support universal programs over means testing or exemptions. Still, I will be a…

Many of the Persian Gulf GCC nations essentially had a form of generous UBI since the early 80s. It has certainly made people far less enterprising and productive. Inflation hasnt happened since they import the vast majority of their requirements. It has led to increased religiosity etc since people are freed up to engage in religious activities all day long and don't necessarily have to develop skills like social co…

A weird side-effect of this is UAE/Dubai, and to a lesser extent some of the other gulf states, have become far more open to relative free trade and immigration as a result now that the citizen's cake is assured and immigrants are not much a threat. Now Dubai is a burgeoning hub of relative "free trade" and international commerce, with pretty lax visa rules for people from surrounding more trade hostile countries to run a business in a more business friendly environment, in a region that prior was fairly impenetrable.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#247

Post by fragmede »

dzink wrote: post #12

This is fantastic! I hope they succeed and there is no abuse or other issues, because it will show how much an economy can grow when women are allowed to work to their full potential. Families who were previously in poverty because the mom would struggle to pay for childcare to work can now have assurance kids are ok while the mom can pursue jobs, start her own small business (huge chunk of businesses are small busin…

There will obviously be abuse and other issues. The question is, does New Mexico give up at the first sign of trouble like a bunch of losers, or do they push through, because of, or despite all the voters. It just takes one shitty person, in just the wrong place, and not enough good people fighting against him or her no matter, (or especially) how righteous he or she thinks they're being, to fuck it up for everyone else.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#248

Post by scoopdewoop »

bongoman37 wrote: post #210
mcbobgorge wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not the user you're asking but the same logic holds true for UBI, yes. The societies with the most effective social welfare programs do it via a robust and de-stigmatized social safety net. I think most of the common criticisms of UBI (it will make people lazy, its not fair, it will cause inflation etc) are silly, and I also generally support universal programs over means testing or exemptions. Still, I will be a…

Many of the Persian Gulf GCC nations essentially had a form of generous UBI since the early 80s. It has certainly made people far less enterprising and productive. Inflation hasnt happened since they import the vast majority of their requirements. It has led to increased religiosity etc since people are freed up to engage in religious activities all day long and don't necessarily have to develop skills like social co…

In a world where we produced so much that we have caused climate change and mass extinction, I can't imagine people being less enterprising and productive being a truly bad thing.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#249

Post by Windchaser »

kbelder wrote: post #126
mrkeen wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an interesting way to divide up a country's labour. 50% do child rearing, and the other 50% do literally all other professions. If you did have such a large cohort engaged in that activity, there should probably be some kind of education where one could learn 'the best'. Of course people with kids would be too busy to attend. And the ones who did attend wouldn't have any kids to look after.

>50% do child rearing, and the other 50% do literally all other professions. That's not that revolutionary; it's kind of traditional.

I don't think it's quite accurate. Historically, lower-class mothers and a fair chunk of middle class mothers also did some work outside the home: as maids, nannies, teachers, gardeners, etc.

The 1950s USA "golden era" where lower-class mothers could afford to stay home was a statistical anomaly, gifted to this country by virtue of our unique position as the major economic superpower untouched by WWII.

Re: New Mexico is first state in US to offer universal child care

#250

Post by Muromec »

outside1234 wrote: post #7
bediger4000 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been told since at least 1980 that small, local government was best. I was given the impression that state level government was probably the optimum level to decide things, cities and counties could go off the rails in various ways. I haven't see a coherent rationale for reversing course on this doctrine, which was extremely strongly held, and cited a lot.

There are no principles here, no moral compass, only power. It is important to understand this.

And once you do understand -- then what? You stop complaining and decide to put up with whatever the powers to be are up to, right?
Post reply on HN