indexed

had to look that one up. First I thought it was a Digg reference.

Wonderful-- it creeps me out even catching a glimpse of that family in the paper etc.

Oh they make me shudder in a bad way

that made me laaaaaugh...

those people make me sick, and to think the kids may have just as many kids themselves. we need to adapt the chinese one child per family rule, not just here in the US but throughout the world

Geez, anonymous, intolerant much? These people live their lives, all the way out in Nebraska, far from you I'm sure. Their existence and lifestyle doesn't impact you in any way. The day America puts imposes law over how many children you have is the day America is over. Next government, please ... I can has revolootions?

Why don't you ask the Chinese people how they feel about this enlightened one child rule, eh?

"The day America puts imposes law over how many children you have is the day America is over."

Sigh... Preview is my Friend. Should be:

"The day America imposes law over how many children you have is the day America is over."

Oh and all hyperbole is intentional.

revolution? pfffft. America is too fat and lazy for revolutions.

/fat lazy American

whwowa... I hate those people and their danged TV show.

I thought that was the reason every "proper american" owns an assau--err hunting rifle, for revolting without actually having to leave the SUV ;)

Here is a link to my other favorite Duggar joke:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theadam/237754853/

So what exactly is it all of you are upset about? The fact that they're living their lives as the Declaration of Independence promised they could: in the pursuit of happiness? If happiness to them is having as many children as they feel they are given as gifts, why do all of you 'enlightened' people have to moan about it?

Honestly, I understand jokes. But outright vilification? Please: realize you are no better than you think they are; know that each of us has our own fallacies, and pointing someone else's out isn't going to make ours go away. It's called bullying.

-ISammael

who cares how many kids they have? do you see that family taking a penny of welfare or the mom single with 6 kids from 6 different fathers who take no responsibility? kudos to them for having as many as they do and taking responsibility for them and raising them right.

go put on your robe, drink your broth and admire your signed robert reed photo.

ISammael - it's American to critique, methinks - or perhaps human in the very least - I think that only the loony anonymous suggested a planet-wide moratorium on having more than one child - which is silly, really - overpopulation is an issue relative to local resources, I think.

skippy - i don't think i would view a person with multiple children from multiple relationships, because the circumstances behind that person(s) situation can vary greatly.

Also, I believe that welfare and other socio-economic assitance programs can do a great good when used in the manner for which they are intended. So people who have the need of them should not be made to feel ashamed or ostracized because of their misfortune in life.

The Duggars bother me, in specific, because it seems that the family began because of the Duggars issue with science, the reproductive system and birth control pills. Bleh - the Duggars focus on faith rubs me wrong, and that's just me of course. I'm sure other people have other reasons for being uncomfortable with their lifestyle.

Perhaps it's because I'm an only child, but if I had 16 siblings I think that would split my parents attentions in far too many directions. It's more a creche system than it is a family. NTTAWWT, except that there is a difference between a creche and a family.

I'm also in my underpants, drinking applejuice, and I don't know if you mean Reed the actor or the author.

@ Mixter Bixby

I'd really be interested if you, yourself, have in fact discussed the idea of limiting children with Chinese citizens.
It always irks me when I see people attempting to defend populations they may know nothing about. Reminds me a lot of the days of Spanish pioneers.

it's a sad fact now-a-days that far too many single mothers with multiple kids are addicted to welfare. simple statistics from far too many places hold this to be true and the number one reason is multiple sex partners with no responsibility played by the "father".

I completely agree that taken in the way intended, welfare and other socio-economic programs can be beneficial to struggling parents / families. it's the lowlife slaggards that abuse the system that drive me to drink and rant on. 2 years tops - if you can't get off the program by then, figure it out on your own.

i don't agree that it fragments parents in too many directions with big families (i'm a child with 7 siblings), my parents were always a big part of my life, but then again were my sibs and we all had to take responsibility for helping out and making life tolerable for each other.

the second the Duggars stop doing their duties as parents, then I stand up and take note.

why do they make you shudder? look at what they give to their children, they're completely devoted to them and give nothing but love. in this day and age of daycare / school raising our children, drugs to keep em calm when they're diagnosed with ADD and the one eyed babysitter with endless, mindless games to keep them amused, why would one family who epitomizes the word "family" make you shudder?

and it was robert reed the actor, a veiled attempt at humor.

I think there's a real issue to be made(from an environmental point of view) about how many children people have.Should it be state controlled? Probably not but I can see the day coming in more countries than China.

Please. The earth is overpopulated, our resources are dwindling (health care costs, anyone in the US?) and we will eventually hit the wall. It might not happen in your lifetime, but it will happen. If you can't figure out that birth rate is exponential, then this might be tough for you to grasp.

While I don't agree with China's policy, I certainly don't agree with having a crapload of kids. First of all, it is not good for women. Check out the medical literature--optimal spacing is 22-36 months.

BTW, the older female Duggar children track their mother's cycle and know when she is late (check out the Today show interview), and if that doesn't creep you out, then nothing will.

Overpopulated? Not even close.

And you talk about health care? When you turn 65, who's going to be paying for medicare? We have a demographic crisis of grand proportions coming because the ponzi scheme that is Social Security and Medicare only work now because the baby boomers are all working.

When the boomers start to retire and the ratio of worker:beneficiary goes down people will be scrambling around for families like the Duggars and thanking them for paying taxes, and wishing there were more of them.

Somebody get this anonymous person a course in basic math.

If God had meant for people to have that many children, he wouldn't have made us smart enough to invent birth control.

Mr. Bixby...that circus is not from Nebraska...they are from Arkansas. I should know...I'm from NE.

Not that the Chinese policy is great for those that have to follow, but lets look at the practical side...they had enough problems feeding the people they had already. There is only a finite amount of resources, and they can only be stretched so far.

Maybe the US and other places in the world should be actively encouraging to have 1 or 2 child families instead of of sideshows like the Duggars.

When the boomers start to retire and the ratio of worker:beneficiary goes down people will be scrambling around for families like the Duggars and thanking them for paying taxes, and wishing there were more of them.

And where will it end, James? At what point would you be willing to say, "Enough! The drawbacks now outweigh the benefits?" Ten billion? Twenty? What you're advocating is a Ponzi scheme on steroids.

This is an unconscionable drain on the planetary resources, especially when one considers that each of these kids has been programmed to have an equivalent number of offspring themselves. It's completely irresponsible. And we certainly don't need more people who subscribe to a fundamentalist mindset; they're holding us back as a civilization and as a species.

Bixby: None has even made the suggestion of a state-controlled population in response to the Duggars

Overpopulation,no way!

http://www.corriere.it/Media/Foto/2002/08_Agosto/11/PISCINA--367x550.jpg

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/eye/overpopulation/images/intro_image.gif

http://www.madsnissen.com/files/page0_blog_entry27_1.jpg

http://researchfrontiers.uark.edu/RB_Refugee_Camp.jpg

http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/OCEAN_PLANET/IMAGES/G-112.gif

Dear James,

I have had plenty of math courses, my dear, up through statistics for my graduate degree in (cough) economics.

If the Duggar children follow in Mom's and Dad's path, then it is unlikely that the numerous female Duggar children will be working and contributing wages into the system. Do you think that many of the male children will be able to be highly educated? Are you familiar with the literature on how many children from high-birth rate families go on to succeed in well-paying jobs?

If we stretch everyone throughout the planet, then indeed we are not overpopulated. I would be happy to push people to Antartica, the Amazon basin, or the Sahara to live out their lives. However, the urban centers are in fact overpopulated and we are seeing that result in pollution and stress on urban infrastructure.

Happy reading on Ponzi schemes (since you did not use that concept properly in your last statement),
Anonymous

Happy reading on Ponzi schemes (since you did not use that concept properly in your last statement)

That would have been me, too, actually. Did I not use it properly? I meant it in the sense of a pyramid scheme.

Anonymous wrote:
Will nobody speak of poor Germany?

Being a German I can tell you that this graph by no means is an exaggeration. Looking at most German's ttitude towards children, I think we are working on a national reference book titles "How to become extinct" ...

For every family of Duggars there's a bunch of twenty-somethings using birth control. It balances out.

Europe's a perfect example.

I'd just go with feeling that they're creepy and feeling bad for the kids (two girls do all of the cooking, for example) except for the fact that the father arranged to pay no taxes on their home by declaring it a church.

That crosses the line into asshattery.

Can you imagine meeting one of these male children and him wanting as many children as God gives you? Why do I hear, "Run, Forest, Run!"

To each their own. She's obviously healthy enough to be having them because she keeps getting pregnant. They must just slide out at this point.

In one way, I'm creeped out just because I can't imagine it for myself. But hey, if they want to have 40 kids, that's their choice. IMO, some of you need to lighten up.

haha. this is funny mAN!!!

The way I see it, the Duggar kids have at least four things going for them:

1) Their parents are in a stable, happy marriage. To each other, no less!

2) They have no brain-rotting television in their home (at least, the last time I heard about them-- this could have changed).

3) The very circumstances of their numerous family will force all of them to realize, from an early age, that they are not the center of the universe.

4) They are being taught sensible financial strategy from an early age; the Duggars do not take on debt. If they can't pay for it with the money they have, they don't buy it.

Would that more kids had those things going for them!

I simply cannot believe the comments that are being posted here.

That last one, by Sherrie E., did it for me. I'm unsubscribing from this thread.

I am the proud father of 5 children... and counting. I am 29 years old (twins made the family jump in size) and my wife is 26. When we first got married I made it clear to my wife that I flat couldn't stand kids. They are noisy, fussy, expensive, etc, etc. Well that did not last long. I was fine with the first but after the second I put my foot down again. I told her that going past 2 children would become a huge inconvenience and that we would be sacrificing quality of life for the ones we already have. My wife did not agree but she supported my decision anyway and scheduled herself for a tubal ligation. The afternoon before she was scheduled to go in for that procedure, I was sitting at work thinking about all my reasons for not wanting more children. The longer I dwelled on this the more ashamed I became of my reasons. I realized that the root of my desire to "keep it simple" was simply me being self-centered. Kids were not a joy and blessing to me because they took up MY time, cost ME money, took away MY free time, and always put ME to an inconvenience. I could think of no good reason to prevent us from having more children. I'm not saying everyone who has a small family is self-centered but I will say it takes a strong man or a strong woman to face that question with brutal honesty. I know I was guilty of rationalizing my own selfish agendas; stopping my wife from having more children. Everyone who knew our family would have defended me saying "You're such a good father and husband and you're just being hard on yourself", but I know my own heart better than anyone. I knew that deep down I valued ME more than anyone else. The more I studied myself the more evidence I found that supported the real nature of my heart. I had to be able to afford an enviable and expensive sports car to drive to work. I had to have money to spend on exotic cameras and computer equipment. I had to have time to play video games in the evening. I had to have a spotless home 24x7 with no toys lying about. ME ME ME!!! It’s all about what I want! How pathetic could I get? When I came home that afternoon and told my wife all I had thought about and that I did not want her getting her tubes tied after all. We wept together, she from relief and me from the relief through the admission of my selfish heart. My wife said she had been praying for me for weeks that I would see the truth in all this. God knew what the problem was and he dealt with me directly. I will not say that my selfishness was or is an easy thing to purge from my life. Since then I have fallen flat on my face a number of times but each time I do I get wiser for it. I more easily recognize my lust for material and prideful satisfactions and so I can deal with it before it develops any further.
In closing, three children later, I am a better man for all my kids. Each of them have contributed to the healthy growth and maturation of their father while at the same time I have been given the honor and privilege to show them how to be humble, loving and kind; placing others before yourself. They look up to me as I do my best to lead by example. Having 10 little eyes and ears observe and listen to your actions is a great responsibility but with that it is also comes with an invaluable reward. Lord willing, I look forward to more children to love together with my wife with all our hearts. Our children are the future and from where I'm standing it’s looking very bright.

okay, NOW I'm creeped out.

two observations:

(1) are we Germans really that gloomy? (I think so)
(2) Why is it that the dumbest breed faster?