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Re: [Totally OT] Re: Hmmm. A question. Was [Re: Debian is losing its users]



On Saturday 05 April 2008, Paul Johnson wrote:
> On Friday 04 April 2008 10:35:26 am Hal Vaughan wrote:
> > I would agree with you.  I know there are people who will starve
> > rather than violate their beliefs, but I also wonder what he would
> > do if he had a kid to feed and his choice was to program for a
> > company that produces closed source software and not having a job.
>
> What kind of moron commits themselves to spending $205,000+ on a new
> kid before having that kind of money lined up in advance?  

I'd say about 98% of all people that have children.  Talk to your 
parents.  Did they have every cent they needed to raise you before they 
had you?  No parent does.  Life is a crapshoot.  You can decide you're 
in good shape financially, decide to have a kid, get the EPT test back 
and celebrate, then walk into work the next day and find out you've 
been downsized.

Almost no parent can line up that kind of money in advance.

I truly hope you're being facetious because the alternative would be to 
wonder if you've ever talked to any parents.

> Seems kind 
> of stupid to put yourself in that kind of ethical dilemma in the
> first place.  It's not like there aren't six billion other people on
> this already overpopulated rock, plopping out another before you can
> afford to raise it through age 18 in this day and age ought to be
> considered child abuse.

Sorry to be so harsh, but there's no other way to call it than to say 
such as statement is shortsighted, overdramatic, and ignorant.  
Planning out the next 18 years is just not possible.  Even for the 
independently wealthy, there is no way to be sure you'll have the 
resources in 18 years that you have now.

By your standard, less than 2% of the entire world's population should 
ever consider parenthood, and those would be the richest 2% on the 
planet.

Unless you're at least a multi-millionaire (considering numbers these 
days, I'd say worth $3-5 million), you've just qualified yourself as an 
unfit Father.

Hal


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