Libertarian Insanity

I used to listen to a podcast/radio-show called Free Talk Live. I didn't agree with many of thier viewpoints, but had something in common with the worry over the loss of rights, so I listened.

Until this morning, when I was listening to thier show from Wednesday, when they opened with an attack on the British change to laws concerning childbirth and the extension of the paid vacation that the parents recieve when they have children. They bring up, as if it were the only thing that mattered, the increase in cost of living that the British would suffer as a result of this. They talk about instead a leave of absence with no pay, and that the market should decide what that length is, that a woman should say right when they are hired that they want so much time off when they have a children. I don't think any company would willingly accept any amount of time off, it hurts thier bottom line too much. Children who go without parental contact, without being touched, die (Note: I'm not a professional in this field, so if I'm wrong, correct me).

Children are also very expensive. Having a child already reduces your finacial standing, so it risks beggaring people if they depend upon two people and have to choose betwen abandoning their child or taking a large drop in income.

But the real offense occured later, when they were talking about how thier should be other incentives to have children, like repealing child labor laws, so the children can bring in money to help thier family. They think that this is a good thing, because, A Work Ethic is the most important value. Reread that. More important then creativity, more important then intelligence. That strikes me as utterly absurd. Our ascension above common animals is due to our creativity, the ability to find new uses for tools, and intelligence, the ability to create new tools and find out the rules that underly humanity.