More On The Duggar Family

Red Guy in a Blue State has an excellent defense of the very large Duggar family:

Jim Bob Duggar ... is not looking for a handout. He's a real estate broker and former state representative. He can afford it. Last year he built a 7000 square foot house with his two oldest sons. So what's the beef?

Well, they are devout Christians. If that makes Duggar a better person swell. If it makes him a closed minded bigot who only believes that civil rights are for "his kind," not swell. But if his religion plays into his own family planning (and this number is by design), none of our beeswax.

There is another angle that the rest of us will end up having to foot the bill. I don't see how. Again, these people aren't asking for any help from anyone. They can afford this. Does he get a tax break for all those kids? Yes, he does. But he's also self employed, so does anyone really believe he would be paying out loads to begin with? He's also paying property and school taxes on a 7000 square foot house, yet the kids are home schooled. I don't hear any complaints about that. I also don't hear any complaints that the odds of Jim Bob and Michelle having a child die for their country are eight times that of the average family. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar will introduce 16 (at least) contributors to the social security system, which is just what that stupid ponzi scheme needs.

The number of pups these people want to squeeze out should be their business alone if they can pay the bill. The economic effects on the rest of us merit a thank -you card from society, not derision. Large families are ... tremendously beneficial for the economy. These people have 4 washers and 8 dryers. They built their own home. They spend $1500 a month feeding these children. Does anyone without children realize how much money circulates in the economy when just one child arrives? Ann and I calculated that when we had our third, Gregory, that over half a million dollars changed hands as a result. We added onto the house, bought a larger car (3 child seats. The Duggars have a Partridge Family-esque bus), refinanced 2 rental properties, and bought another investment property upstate. Would we have done it all anyway? Perhaps some of it, but not the addition or car. But you don't need to have half a million dollars change hands to vindicate having a baby. And admittedly, there may be diminishing returns for the economy as you have more children. The 4th child may not get the same new pair of shoes, but rather hand me downs. So be it. Society still wins. Whatever a child may take out of tax revenue they more than replace with commerce. And tax revenue is not the name of the game in this system it is commerce.

Perhaps the criticism is more for the welfare of the children. Maybe they don't get as much love. Folks, love is not a zero sum thing. They have each other too. Is this bad? Trust me on this one, you can't replace a sibling. What about the unique and special things these children will experience? They grow some of their own food. Their home schooling includes violin lessons. The two oldest helped build the new house. The older ones help with the younger ones. Horrors.

There's more where this came from.

And do you wonder how anyone manages a home with 16 children? They'll tell you themselves at their FAQ!