[lbo-talk] Children and socialism

[Michael Dawson -PSU]

It strikes me as being inherently erroneous to trace the problems of
children to the foibles of adult romances.  The problems of children are
economic, not ethical, in origin.  Except in the top 5-10 percent, parents
have to work too much, and we have no European-style family support program.
Divorce is mainly harmful because it impoverishes women, who usually have
custody.

Personally, I'm repulsed by talk about a dual family system, one for adult
love and one for kids, though there's no reason on Earth somebody couldn't
do that now.  Of course, virtually nobody does because it's a hornet's nest
of emotional trouble, and because people's rising expectation (having
happiness at both levels) is a very good thing, even if often not done well.
Imagine the split system:  "Goodnight, Jenny and Johnny!  I'm off to my
adult lover now!  Don't worry about mommy.  She's not really that sad.
She'll cry herself to sleep."