From Miss P. J. Taylor, MRPharmS
SIR,-Mr Grabecki may think that child support in this country is paltry (PJ, June 24, p952), and of course, compared with his own income, that may be. However, this does not apply when comparing it with lower incomes. Those who do not work get free housing, and numerous other hand-outs. I was once told by a woman with four children, "The twins need new suits for school. The Social will have to pay," with the accent on the have.
I fear Mr Grabecki is out of touch with reality, when he refers to the enormous commitments people make. We are not talking about those who have one or two children, go to work, and do their best for their offspring. We are talking about people who have hoards of children, do not work to support them and usually have no control over them.
We hear of pregnant 12-year-olds, hordes of under-age drinkers, burglars of nine years, and now a 12-year-old drug dealer.
If parents were forced to support their own, and be held responsible for their actions, life would be better for everyone.
Families should be limited to a maximum of two children, and even this will increase the population until human lifespan is reduced as a result of the enormous increase in pollution, which will surely happen.
As Mr Morris states (PJ, June 10, p883), everyone must have a car, and this usually as soon as they are 17 years old. More and more roads are built to accommodate them, producing more pollution. Everyone must fly abroad; more pollution.
As for the remark that people do not have enough offspring, I never read such a stupid comment. Everywhere one goes, the countryside is covered with little houses, where one used to see green fields and woodland.
Between 30 and 40 years ago, this town was three villages. It is now a sprawl with houses in all directions as far as the eye can see. The Health Service is already overloaded, underfunded, with hospital closure. A working person with seven children pays no more than one with one child, for his family's healthcare, but is a much greater burden.
With regard to the comments on supporting a growing retired population, we retired people have paid for our pensions. If the Government uses our money for other purposes, then they must cut down elsewhere to pay out. I suggest here that they reduce the number of MPs and abolish their expense accounts, cease their expensive foreign visits, and rely on modern technology to make contact.
P. J. Taylor Burntwood, Staffordshire