[jacob2484]

Same here - you've paid for other to have this privilege. There is no free lunch.

[kwhitefoot]

I've paid all my life into the tax system and never taken unemployment or other benefits except during the long vacation when at university more than forty years ago.

I am pleased that this money supports others who are less lucky than I was.

[txsoftwaredev]

Wouldn't you rather have kept that money instead of paying for others not to work? I know I'd rather have more in my paycheck if I had the option.

[kwhitefoot]

No because then I would be living in a society where I would be surrounded by poor and unhealthy people.

I enjoy living in a society where most people are adequately paid without having to work excessive hours, where medical care is easy, simple, and cheap to access, where losing one's job does not turn one into a second class citizen.

Excessive hours, more than 50 hours a week for more than a few weeks, are in fact illegal.

I enjoy it when the person selling me smiles simply because they are happy instead of because it is a requirement of the job.

In case you are wondering the society in question is Norway. No it's not paradise, just a bit closer than some places and that is to a significant extent because of a greater degree of solidarity.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

The same way I've paid for others to have life saving surgery I haven't needed.

[newsiehey]

How about the $300 free lunch I just paid for his kids?

[charwalker]

Your opinion on the tax credit is not unique but also disheartening.

[newsiehey]

Zero explanation just calling it disheartening...

I can say the exact same thing about his position or yours except you don't have one

All these guys throwing around terms like "free lunch" and "they're so privileged", but turn the tables slightly and it's all just so disheartening?

[quantumBerry]

I want to preface saying I do not believe in taxes, nor the child tax credit. And that I think both the child tax credit and unemployment (other than voluntarily unemployment insurance) are essentially armed robbery.

But it is asinine to compare a $300/mo tax credit towards an investment that will pay rich dividends (kids grow up and pay taxes to fund your public benefits in old age and contribute to scientific and medicinal advancement that benefit you after you're old enough to be a net burden on society) vs $1200+ a month in unemployment for an adult who is now disincentivized to do anything productive and could always just go live in the wilderness if they couldn't earn currency.

[newsiehey]

It's not asinine because it's not a 1 to 1 comparison. No one is saying these two things were equal... obviously. This is just one example of a tax benefit that the OP clearly has benefited from which reaches his definition of a "free lunch"

His interpretation was outrageous so my response was a bit flippant.

There are plenty of legitimate arguments for or against these benefits, but calling it a free lunch and saying you work hard and have kids so this needs to stop is just stupid, how does having kids and you not having the flexibility you wanted matter? That is exactly what he said...