LPG conversion - chicken and egg runaround

No, it isn't the subject of flame wars as such, but it has been the subject of a lot of pontificating by the Daily Mail brigade. I thought we might have escaped it and, hopefully, that should be the end of it. :)

Hmm, can't see what the fuss is about. His observation that some dolies breed like rabbits in order to collect benefits is correct. And no, I'm not a Daily Mail reader, just a realist. I've had a couple of multiple-progenied single mothers explain to me that they deliberately had their offspring in order to secure a council house + benefits. I've no reason to think that they are untypical, not when having 7-10 kids can net someone an income of £37k plus free rent.

The observation may be ok, the proposed solution is the problem.

He's a loon, what else do you expect? Although I can see the temptation. Sterilising everyone from Essex/Kent would be more egalitarian and since the population slot for workshy gobby layabouts with speech impediments is full it would be a net benefit to the economy.

Indeed, it's very non-egalitarian.

My own solution is for mandatory reversible sterilisation at puberty for both sexes (and all classes), the reversal process being done on application and satisfactory conclusion of a short parenting course (say 1 hour per day for a week). Gets riod of accidental pregnancies and anyone who isn't willing to invest five hours in their future offspring.

"mandatory reversible sterilisation"? On that basis, what the hell are you doing here?

You are an accident that has happened!

You have to laugh, he posts about "workshy gobby layabouts" and spends all day posting to crap newsgroups.

Speech impediments? An even bigger laugh. He comes from an area that puts two syllables in words like "school".

Thick as s**te(sic)!

What's your solution, then?

We have gangs of teenage girls making pacts to get pregnant. We have twelve year old girls who want to look like grown women.

We have children rearing children. It doesn't work.

Define the problem!

Opinion, not fact!

Medically it does. The younger the mother the healthier the child.

If you posted in less emotive language you might be a sensible response. The problem is education. "We don't want no education". That is the problem. No hope for no hopers!

Teenage pregnancies out of wedlock.

Not quite, sir.

Don't be daft. Children are not emotionally mature enough to handle the responsibilites of parenthood.

What's "emotive" about my language?

So what? You extrapolate from one specific case.

Maybe, maybe not. In the third world mothers of 12+ are quite common and cope admirably.

Well, I am a libertarian, and "mandatory reversible sterilisation" is something up with which I could not put. In fact, I cannot put up with anything mandatory. The idea may sometimes be "right" according to the majority, but what do they know?

I gave you fact not opinion. That's all that is necessary under these circumstances. I'm not going to spend any more time looking for the proof I've already found!

Why do you think they're called "Third World"? I live in a third world country and the teenage pregnancies are rampant. Children having children, and the fathers bugger off as soon as they find out.

That wasn't *my* thought, and I'm not advocating anything. I'm merely pointing out a grave problem throughout the world.

You cited a gang, not gangs!

They are called Third World because they are shat upon by the First World. I take it you meant by living in the "Third World" you meant the UK. In the real Third World there is still an extended family culture that looks after children.

No you are not. You are back tracking from an idea you now realise is horrific. Mandatory sterialisation was your solution. It has a nasty ring to it and you know it.

You can bet your life on the existence of other young girls with the same idea. It's not imaginary, either, just look at the statistics.

I live in Mexico. Is that Third World enough for you?

I never mentioned anything about sterilization. Go to my first post. I asked you what your solution was. That's not advocating *anything*.

AAMOF, I would be adamantly against mandatory sterilization for anybody.

But children having children is still a very serious problem for societies throughout the world.

Oh, it seems I owe you an apology. I got confused with all these posts as to who said what.

However, your general thrust that something has to be done about young pregnancies is something that I need to think about. It seems to me that you have changed your stance from blaming young girls for getting pregnant to blaming the fathers for doing a bunk. The latter I would not argue with.

I fail to see the relevance as to "Third World" countries. Your example was a pact between young girls in the richest part of the US. On sink estates in the UK we have single young mothers as the norm. Who to "blame"? Not the girls, maybe woolly liberal thinking in the 1970s which decided that the "State" should look after everyone, thus removing the need for self-reliance.

Not at all. I'm blaming immaturity and our culture of satisfying immediate gratification.

So if it's that way in a First World country, think what it must be like in a truely developing one.

As I said, this is as serious problem for ALL societies around the world.

We created an adolescent subculture with the advent of compulsory schooling. Prior to that, folks used to get married in their early teens (think of Romeo and Juliette). But life was different, and there was the extended family to take care of young ones, and even married children were held responsible as adults for their actions.

Also, the extended family is both a blessing and a curse to developing countries, believe me!

Just scrolling through. Wtf does that mean?

There's too much on the www. Google "adolescent subculture".

Here's one review of a book......

Absolute bollocks!