“Women under 40, your work is cut out for you!” Sen. Mike Rounds said during a South Dakota Congressional Delegation townhall on Aug. 16 when connecting today’s workforce shortage to the need for more babies. As a 27-year-old woman, it felt that I alone seemed to see his logic completely ignorant of the current situation. Rounds’ light jab at his hopes for a bolstered population ignored the heavy burden of having children in today’s economy.
Whatever "work" Rounds actually meant in challenging the women of South Dakota, there is an unmistakeable underlying lack of empathy and of an unwilling support in his exhortation...
I agree with Lee Schoenbeck. The Senator was not "pressuring" people into having babies. More importantly however, the article could not have been much more negative about life in general. If you want to do a laundry list of all the problems humans encounter fine, but don't pose them as reasons not to live. If the author doesn't want children that's fine. It's a waste of time for her to provide her justifications for not choosing to have them. A US Senator ought to be able to comment on the realities of our workforce and our future without it being viewed as a personal attack on one's freedom.
Of course, we would hate to have a Senator held responsible for what he says.
Our economy is a ponsi scheme and it requires every generation to be larger than the last and to work for less actual income. This means the generation before them can die with some value for all the years they worked. The dollar had been crushed under the weight of our debts ever since we went off the gold standard in 1971.
Also, the environment doesn't just get better without some form of regulation as to what practices are viable and sustainable for future generations without the need to import fertilizer from Russia and elsewhere. The imported fertilizer is what is in the runoff from the fields, which is poisoning us and our children.
Burying your head in the sand will not fix any issues.
While our world certainly has problems, if we as a society decide to stop reproducing, those here today are going to have far bigger problems facing them as they age. I'm 33 and while I question the problems facing having children, I fear worse the twilight years without the investment now.
No matter what Political affiliation you have , many of the concerns and facts listed by this young woman are correct . When deaf ears continue to make laws and do not consider viewpoints of the very people they affect ; Our State will continue to be an unfavorable place for young folks to start their lives . It’s 2023 … Hello!
Thanks for this well written and thoughtful article. We cannot solve these issues with the thinking that got us into this mess in the first place.
Sustainable farming is the only way to make our land fertile for the next generations of farmers. The fertilizer runoff problem is going to be a huge issue when we can no longer import fertilizer from overseas, e.g. Russia/China. The wake-up call when that happens will put many farmers out of work unless they adapt in a damn hurry
Whatever "work" Rounds actually meant in challenging the women of South Dakota, there is an unmistakeable underlying lack of empathy and of an unwilling support in his exhortation...
He is not the first conservative Republican to suggest that women should get back in the kitchen and start making babies.
Probably better for women to get a degree in gender studies.
Why would any woman vote GOP? Astounding.
That’s about the weirdest opinion piece I’ve seen in a while
I agree with Lee Schoenbeck. The Senator was not "pressuring" people into having babies. More importantly however, the article could not have been much more negative about life in general. If you want to do a laundry list of all the problems humans encounter fine, but don't pose them as reasons not to live. If the author doesn't want children that's fine. It's a waste of time for her to provide her justifications for not choosing to have them. A US Senator ought to be able to comment on the realities of our workforce and our future without it being viewed as a personal attack on one's freedom.
Of course, we would hate to have a Senator held responsible for what he says.
Our economy is a ponsi scheme and it requires every generation to be larger than the last and to work for less actual income. This means the generation before them can die with some value for all the years they worked. The dollar had been crushed under the weight of our debts ever since we went off the gold standard in 1971.
Also, the environment doesn't just get better without some form of regulation as to what practices are viable and sustainable for future generations without the need to import fertilizer from Russia and elsewhere. The imported fertilizer is what is in the runoff from the fields, which is poisoning us and our children.
Burying your head in the sand will not fix any issues.
Ms. EisenVos: Probably a good thing that you are not planning to have children.
What kind of cheese does she want with her whine?
While our world certainly has problems, if we as a society decide to stop reproducing, those here today are going to have far bigger problems facing them as they age. I'm 33 and while I question the problems facing having children, I fear worse the twilight years without the investment now.
This sounds like an excuse to list her political agenda.
No matter what Political affiliation you have , many of the concerns and facts listed by this young woman are correct . When deaf ears continue to make laws and do not consider viewpoints of the very people they affect ; Our State will continue to be an unfavorable place for young folks to start their lives . It’s 2023 … Hello!
Thanks for this well written and thoughtful article. We cannot solve these issues with the thinking that got us into this mess in the first place.
Sustainable farming is the only way to make our land fertile for the next generations of farmers. The fertilizer runoff problem is going to be a huge issue when we can no longer import fertilizer from overseas, e.g. Russia/China. The wake-up call when that happens will put many farmers out of work unless they adapt in a damn hurry