'Work/Family Balance" summit in Concord

[margomaps]

Yesterday was the 1st NH Legislative and Business Summit on Work and Family held at The Holiday Inn in Concord.  Among other things, there was a brainstorming session to come up with ideas for legislation that would improve issues relating to work/family balance.  The boldest proposal was this:

Pay all mothers who stay home with their children.

Just in case it's not clear, the person was proposing that tax money be raised and doled out to mothers who choose to stay home and raise her children.  The purpose was twofold: 1) to offset the lost income that the mother would have otherwise received had she chosen to get a paying job somewhere, and 2) to compensate mothers because by staying home to raise their children, they are performing a beneficial service to society.

To avoid getting off track, let's just assume this person meant that any parent (vice mother) who stays home should be paid, though I believe this person actually did mean mothers specifically.

Anyway, in your opinion what are the most patently absurd and egregious aspects of such an idea?  Suppose you were trying to convince someone that the idea was bad, but the person didn't really care about the ZAP, liberty, etc.  In other words, focus on the more practical reasons why the idea is fundamentally unsound.

[grasshopper]

  Holy crap, I can buy cabage patch kids and stay home, smoke pot aND PLAY VIDEO GAMES!!!!
  Hurray!
  This might be a marrage thing, as far as I know, single mothers that work at home get welfare if they need it.  I know people that qualify for welfare and they both work, they are a bit slow so they can't earn a lot. '
They get fuel assistance, rent assistance workmans comp and food stamps as well as other things they need. (He hurt his back years ago and was a hard worker.)

[doobie]

Sure, raise taxes on anyone who is a voting democrat who votes for this BS. 

[Seamas]

Wow, that is really "special".  I very much doubt that it has any chance of passing but since they have "gone there"; about how paying people who don't have children and work.  Since such folks pay taxes but don't cost the state anything for schools it would seem sensible to encourage such behavior or at least reimburse them for the "services" that they do not use.

The most obvious politically palatable argument against this is that it subsidizes the scourge of single motherhood (so much for a benefit to society).  Why work if you can both collect welfare and get paid to raise your kids?  I think that once people realize that it wouldn't just be a subsidy to housewifes with  a man bringing in the money it will die a silent death.

Yesterday was the 1st NH Legislative and Business Summit on Work and Family held at The Holiday Inn in Concord.  Among other things, there was a brainstorming session to come up with ideas for legislation that would improve issues relating to work/family balance.  The boldest proposal was this:

Pay all mothers who stay home with their children.

Just in case it's not clear, the person was proposing that tax money be raised and doled out to mothers who choose to stay home and raise her children.  The purpose was twofold: 1) to offset the lost income that the mother would have otherwise received had she chosen to get a paying job somewhere, and 2) to compensate mothers because by staying home to raise their children, they are performing a beneficial service to society.

To avoid getting off track, let's just assume this person meant that any parent (vice mother) who stays home should be paid, though I believe this person actually did mean mothers specifically.

Anyway, in your opinion what are the most patently absurd and egregious aspects of such an idea?  Suppose you were trying to convince someone that the idea was bad, but the person didn't really care about the ZAP, liberty, etc.  In other words, focus on the more practical reasons why the idea is fundamentally unsound.