BY KRISTIN BRITTAIN
Lions’ Pride Editor in Chief

Everywhere I look I see a pregnant teenager, and almost every phone call I receive seems to start with, “guess who is pregnant.” Which makes me think, “Guess who is paying for it?”

Me, you, us, every working American, that is who is paying for these children.

Everyone loves babies. I love babies, they’re cute, cuddly, and expensive. A lot of people do not understand how much a child truly costs. According to data available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2004 families making $70,200 a year or more will spend an astounding $269,520 to raise a child from birth to age 17. Higher-income families in urban areas in the West spend the most at a whopping $284,460. That is over a quarter million dollars for one child, and let’s face it, expenses has only gone up since 2004.

I work three jobs to pay for school and other miscellaneous expenses. I do not rely on the government to give me money to live. Now I appreciate the good that programs such as WIC (Women, Infants and Children) do but what really aggravates me is people who take advantage of these programs. Let me provide you with a few examples.

I know a girl who is in a committed relationship. Her and her baby’s daddy where heading to the alter, until she got pregnant. Now, this couple does realize how much it cost to raise a child because as soon as this unwed mother found out she was pregnant the wedding bells became a distant sound. This couple realized how much more money they could receive from the government by being a “single” unwed mother.

Another case involves a man I know who has sole custody of his young daughter. Because he is a single parent he is receiving thousands of dollars back on his tax return. I am so glad the government just bought him that brand new big flat screen television he purchased with his tax return. Maybe his daughter will at least get a new pair of shoes with whatever is left of the money.

It frustrates me that so many hard working people are being abused by others who simply made bad choices. How many Americans will have to keep paying for other peoples’ mistakes? Is it fair to us? No. Will it continue? Yes. If this controversy is based upon ethics, I think it is a two way street. I will help anyone who truly needs it, but I can’t stand it when people just exploit the system. And that’s what I have to say.