On the radio this morning, I heard about a guy who was sleeping in his
car in the parking lot of the jail in Waterloo, Iowa. He had a fully
functioning meth lab going in his car. This is someone who probably
should have his breeder license revoked.
It has occurred to me more than once that becoming a parent should be
something that requires some basic skills and training. Every time I see
someone mistreat or abuse their children, or neglect them, I get
frustrated and angry. Every time I hear of something like a single
mother on welfare who already has six kids and wants a seventh because
she wants more money, I cringe.
You need a license to drive a car. You have to demonstrate at least
basic proficiency. Why the hell don't we require licenses to be a
parent?
Happily, most of the folks that I know that have children are quite good
parents. They are involved with their kids. They teach them, and pay
attention to them, and treat them like people. Of course, these people
are also intelligent, educated, and creative.
But the majority of children born in the US are to poor and uneducated
families, and there is a lot of really ugly shit that happens to
children. Not all of them, but enough that it is a concern.
There should be some basic rules in place before you can get your
parenting license:
1.) A high-school diploma or GED, minimum.
2.) Passing a basic parenting class.
3.) Mandatory health insurance coverage for children, or some guarantee
of health care to age 18
4.) Proof of steady income (1 year steady minimum)
I also have an issue with welfare breeding. If you are on welfare, you
should not have more children. If you are on welfare, it means that you
can't support the family that you already have.
I also look at this and think it is very dictatorial, very fascistic.
And I wonder how I got that way.