The Voice of Reason: Octomom is a ‘Welfare Queen’

As a faithful viewer of The Learning Channel (TLC), I have followed the Duggar family for a couple of years. In case you haven’t caught the show “17 Kids and Counting,” the Duggars have 18 kids (one was born early this year)-all of whom are the biological children of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar. The Duggars are fundamentalist Christians who took the Bible literally when it said, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Admittedly, we are a nation obsessed with large families, think “Jon and Kate Plus Eight,” and now we have the new sensation of Octomom, formerly known as Nadya Suleman. Octomom had six children, but she decided she wanted more, so she, with the help of a fertility doctor, produced eight more children, which brought her offspring total to 14. However, the large family is the only thing the Duggars and Octomom have in common.

The Duggars are a stable married couple that is financially independent through real estate ventures. Octomom is a single mother receiving almost $500 a month in food stamps and is relying on her parents for financial support. The Duggars have kids because they feel it is God’s will for their life. Octomom has kids because she can (and because she’s a gold digger).

Despite the glaring differences between the Duggars and Octomom, many people-especially the media-are condemning folks who choose to have large families. Yet, they seem to forget that being a parent is a natural right. Don’t get me wrong…I think that Octomom is an irresponsible mooch who uses her children to get attention. However, the fact that you have a lot of children does not make you a bad parent or citizen. The Duggars seem to be stable parents who are providing their children with a safe, loving home. We may not be able to say the same about Octomom.

Last week, I was reading some blogs on Huffington Post and most articles scathingly condemned the Duggars and Octomom. I find it funny and a bit ironic that the same liberals who tout reproductive freedom are the same ones who think the Duggars and Octomom are crazy. Apparently, reproductive freedom, or choice if you will, only applies to abortion. God forbid people actually choose to have kids these days. The Duggars, from all accounts, act as exemplary parents and citizens, so why do people oppose their choice to have a dozen and a half kids? Now, as I said before, I think Octomom is an irresponsible drain on society, but until she becomes a danger to herself or her children, we should leave her alone. After all, as bad as the economy is, Octomom needs those kids so she can have a government-funded income.

We could (and should) use the media sensation of Octomom to address problems in the welfare system. The system seems to be set up to financially reward women who practice irresponsible reproduction. I’m all for reproduction, but when you can’t take care of your offspring, you shouldn’t keep having kids on the taxpayer’s dollar. A great form of birth control would be to tell welfare moms that the government will not pay for additional kids. It may sound harsh, but sometimes harshness is necessary to teach people responsibility. If reproduction is a right, then great responsibility comes with that right. The government should not promote irresponsibility by paying for the irresponsible actions of citizens. That is not the government’s job. Lately, however, the government seems to love paying for irresponsibility if it comes from banks and borrowers…but I digress.

Unfortunately for some, I won’t hold my breath hoping for a national discourse on welfare reform. After all, we have more important issues at hand like the economy. Although Octomom is a drain on taxpayers now, she may be a great help in about 16 to 18 years. At a time when we are spending money we don’t have, we need Octomom’s 14 kids to bear the burden of the national debt. Maybe that is the long-term solution to the economic crisis! Everyone should have tons of kids so everyone’s share of the national debt will be smaller. Perhaps Octomom will be considered a national hero and given a medal for her service to the country. The way the Obama administration is going, it wouldn’t surprise me. Until Octomom becomes a national hero, we really do need to reexamine the welfare system and a government that pays for the irresponsibility of citizens.