Originally Posted by
sunnydays
We all know there are people who abuse the system...any system in fact...that is true. However, what you are saying is that because of those people, we should do away with the help for people who truly need it. I was once a young single parent (I became pregnant while on the pill...my pregnancy was not on purpose and I knew nothing about daycare subsidies or welfare really), was once on welfare, and needed a daycare subsidy as I put myself through university and earned a BA while raising a child alone. If I had not had the help I recieved, I would not be where I am today. I have a degree, I grew a career, I own a beautiful home and now have two more beautiful children and am lucky to have a wonderful man by my side. I have never gone back to welfare since the year I was on it. It helped me get through an extremely tough time and to provide my son with a stable home and high quality daycare while I put myself through school. He has now graduated from high school and will be going to university in the fall. I am still paying my student loans bit by bit. I am very honest, have never cheated the system, have never taken advantage of anything to get something I didn't deserve. If I had not had access to a subsidy for daycare (I still paid a portion), I would definitely not have been able to put myself through school and would actually not have been able to afford going to work either as I would be making minimum wage. Sooooo, I would have had to stay on welfare until my son started school full-time (I lived in BC at the time so that would be 6 years old). And then and would probably have become so demoralized and out of the working world and studying world...I don't know what I would have become or how I could have bettered my life and that of my son. I KNOW my son deserved the life I have given him. I also KNOW other kids deserve the same and their parents deserve a chance to try an better their lives by studying or working and the only way they can do that is by having subsidized daycare. I would rather put my tax dollars there even knowing that some people may abuse the system. It is worth it for those who truly need it (and there are many). All kids deserve the kind of life I was able to give my son because of the availability of daycare subsidy. And do you think it encouraged me to have more kids and sit on my butt? NO! I did not have more kids until 13 years later when I had a solid relationship, solid career and owned a home and was good and ready. And I actually personally know others who, like me, made use of subsidies to better their lives and those of their children. I KNOW my son is growing to be an upright, caring, wonderful member of society who will contribute great things. To say that I should not have had him because I couldn't afford daycare is actually sickening to me.