30 Comments
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Joan Gedraitis's avatar

Jim, we already know what a "mother's medal" will look like because the Nazis already made one years ago! Called the "Mutterskreutz" it was a variation of the Iron Cross and had a first and second class version depending on how many children said mother had. Note: it wasn't particularly popular and I doubt it encouraged anyone to have kids .... particularly since there was also a war on and few men were home to do their part! (And the last thing you need when times are hard is more kids underfoot.)

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Carolyn Wallace's avatar

My dear and long departed mother once said this in a conversation we had when I was an adult: "I think it's possible to have too many children too fast." There are four of us siblings; I was one month shy of my fifth birthday when my younger sister was born. There are likely other situations like mine. My mother and father did their best for us and were good parents. RIP to each of them. And may those who have, are and want to interfere in others' choices about reproducing themselves pay more attention to taking care of everyone's basic needs! Many thanks, Jim.

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Gordon Kruse's avatar

My mother had six children. The first three were born in six years. Yeah. It was pretty crazy in an 800 sq ft house. Only two bedrooms. I was ten when the fourth baby was born and we had to upsize to an 1864 fieldstone farmhouse.

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Robert's avatar

Four of my grandkids are siblings, ranging in age from late high school to post-college graduation. Before his marriage, his main interests were math and electronics - and then he discovered girls! Well, his stairstep kids turned out fine!

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clinton & susanne hollister's avatar

Spot on, as always. God help us if we return to the Middle Ages, where childbirth was dangerous and mothers had no choice - which often killed them, as well as those babies. (The church introduced infant baptism precisely for that reason: an unbaptized baby could not go to heaven.)

It's not just political BS, it' s also a majorly big pile of economic BS. Spread the birthing mat, take away the safety net? We don't think so.

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Linda's avatar

Don't you wonder how conservative brains work? This is so transparently stupid they must think we are all dumb animals that only see the carrot. They really want a poor, downtrodden workforce to do their bidding and dirty work.

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clinton & susanne hollister's avatar

It occurs to us that conservative brains no longer work at all.

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Carolyn Wallace's avatar

Unfortunately, childbirth is still dangerous for many women, especially those without access to health care. In this country, women died in childbirth from infections well into the 19th century. Thank you for reminding us about this unnecessary and dangerous situation: glorifying 'motherhood' while failing women and mothers.

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Linda's avatar

Honest to God, they are really out of touch . I resent being characterized as only good for being a broodmare like dogs in a filthy puppy mill with no adequate care available pre natal and post natal.

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Robert's avatar

My wife and I have been married 35 years and are still very much in love. Early on, we decided to focus on my wife and her career, since I had kids (and now grandkids and one great grandkid) from my first marriage.. But, now that she is retired, would the Republicans still give us a substantial sum per adopted kid, say, from Mexico or Venezuela?

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Judith Green's avatar

If women continue having no or few kids, there won't be enough child labor (think of Florida's new law allowing 14-year olds to work overnight shifts in warehouses) to replace all the undocumented workers being deported to gulags. Conservatives aren't 'merely' sexists. They have another agenda cleverly integrated into that. Child labor will be easier to obtain as economic and social welfare policy creates more "have-nots." As in the days before unions and child labor laws, families will need the income of their children to survive. Republican propaganda will support that compliance.

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Rafi Simonton's avatar

What a wonderful strategy!

The main idea is to increase the Christofascist vote. The terrible burden for the rest of life on Earth is irrelevant since the Rapture is expected in their lifetimes. Never mind this interpretation is dubious and unbiblical. And forget love thy neighbors, let alone thine enemies.

Another benefit of a large population would be to drive down wages. 1%ers and egregiously selfish CEOs will be delighted.

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Virginia Bryant's avatar

This world is already over-populated and no one is talking about that. But then, the end of times turds want there to be plenty to get "left behind" in their Rapture! What a load of crap.

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TruthBeTold's avatar

Jim, you ask what the Cross of Motherhood would look like. I suppose it would look like the Cross of Honor of the German Mother, instituted in 1935 Nazi Germany. It was shaped more or less like an Iron Cross but was purple predominately. Given of course only to those mothers certifiably "racially pure" Aryans. Surely our governing party will institute similar prerequisites.

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Kera's avatar

1984 is here.

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William Basinski's avatar

And gone. Now it’s New and Improved! Cheers!!

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Gordon Kruse's avatar

Thanks, Jim. Wages that would support a family would help. Women's wages matching men's wages would also help.

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Grace Gambino's avatar

Many babies mean many people with too few jobs to go around. So, more exploitation of workers - meager wages, poor working conditions, no unions. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer and fight among themselves for lousey jobs.

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David Balfour's avatar

What the Trumpkins and MAGAts are clamoring for are more "Caucasian" babies.Make no mistake about this racist ploy.

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Runfastandwin's avatar

Everything else is pure BS political or otherwise.

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Vickie's avatar

It seems to me that Mr. Hawley is a do as I say type of guy. As far as I know his wife is a lawyer with ADF (argued Rowe v Wade before SCOTUS) and has three kids.

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Neil Rankins's avatar

As us baby boomers and the overlapping generations die off, this will increasingly put the country (and indeed, the world) into the diamond lane of fascist theocracy. Maybe it would be better if the asteroid barrage would come and just settle things.

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