Ahmedinejad Moronically Abolishes Population Policy in Iran

[Epsilon Delta]

*sigh*

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/world/middleeast/28iran.html

TEHRAN (AP) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran inaugurated a new policy on Tuesday to encourage population growth, dismissing decades of internationally acclaimed family planning in Iran as ungodly and a Western import.

The new government effort will pay families for every new child and deposit money into the newborns’ bank accounts until they reach 18, Mr. Ahmadinejad said. The program effectively rolled back years of efforts to strengthen the economy by reducing population growth.

The plan is part of his previously stated desire to increase Iran’s population, estimated at more than 70 million. He has previously said Iran could support as many as 150 million people. [...]

It is unclear, however, where the money would come from to pay for the new incentives because the government is already having trouble paying for basic public works projects.

Starting in the early 1970s, Iran waged a successful family planning campaign across the country. It included banners in public health care centers that said, “Two children are enough.”

The effort was reversed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, only to be brought back 10 years later after the population expanded rapidly and the economy faltered.

Throughout the 1990s, Iran reduced population growth by encouraging men and women to use free or inexpensive contraceptives, as well as by promoting vasectomies. The government brought down the population growth rate to 1.6 percent from a high in 1986 of 3.9 percent.

I mean, as though the whole nuclear thing, the elections thing, the 'going broke' thing weren't bad enough. Population control has probably been one of the most important (and surprising) things that the Iranian revolutionary regime has done to keep the country from really sinking further economically.

 

[José]

*sigh*

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/world/middleeast/28iran.html

TEHRAN (AP) — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran inaugurated a new policy on Tuesday to encourage population growth, dismissing decades of internationally acclaimed family planning in Iran as ungodly and a Western import.

The new government effort will pay families for every new child and deposit money into the newborns’ bank accounts until they reach 18, Mr. Ahmadinejad said. The program effectively rolled back years of efforts to strengthen the economy by reducing population growth.

The plan is part of his previously stated desire to increase Iran’s population, estimated at more than 70 million. He has previously said Iran could support as many as 150 million people. [...]

It is unclear, however, where the money would come from to pay for the new incentives because the government is already having trouble paying for basic public works projects.

Starting in the early 1970s, Iran waged a successful family planning campaign across the country. It included banners in public health care centers that said, “Two children are enough.”

The effort was reversed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, only to be brought back 10 years later after the population expanded rapidly and the economy faltered.

Throughout the 1990s, Iran reduced population growth by encouraging men and women to use free or inexpensive contraceptives, as well as by promoting vasectomies. The government brought down the population growth rate to 1.6 percent from a high in 1986 of 3.9 percent.

I mean, as though the whole nuclear thing, the elections thing, the 'going broke' thing weren't bad enough. Population control has probably been one of the most important (and surprising) things that the Iranian revolutionary regime has done to keep the country really sinking further economically.

As I always say:

With "friends" such as these, the Palestinian people hardly need the IDF.

 

[Epsilon Delta]

What happened? Nobody wants to bash Ahmedinejad over this? Are nukes the only thing people care about? Is nothing else important?

Oh well.

 

[Jos]

Iran’s Leader Introduces Plan to Encourage Population Growth by Paying Families

Under the new plan, each child born in the current Iranian year, which began March 21, will receive a deposit of $950 in a government bank account. The child will then receive $95 every year until reaching 18. Parents will be expected to pay matching amounts into the accounts.

Recipients will then be permitted to withdraw the money at the age of 20 and can use it for education, marriage, health or housing

I think thats a good idea, what would you do with a $5,000 20th birthday present, from the Government?

 

[Epsilon Delta]

Iran’s Leader Introduces Plan to Encourage Population Growth by Paying Families

Under the new plan, each child born in the current Iranian year, which began March 21, will receive a deposit of $950 in a government bank account. The child will then receive $95 every year until reaching 18. Parents will be expected to pay matching amounts into the accounts.

Recipients will then be permitted to withdraw the money at the age of 20 and can use it for education, marriage, health or housing

I think thats a good idea, what would you do with a $5,000 20th birthday present, from the Government?

Yeah, well, the welfare aspect of it is perfectly fine. Lots of countries offer assistance to young poor people. The Costa Rican government, for example, has a program that gives low income families money in exchange for keeping their kids in school. But that and other programs like it are just that, welfare policy, without the stated purpose to increase population growth.

The problem here is that the policy Ahmedinjad is pushing is specifically aimed at propping up a campaign to double the population - something which is absolutely ludicrous. Not only that, but it's not like a policy that's aimed and targeted at low income groups, it's targeted to everybody, so that everybody is fruitful and multiplies, whether they need the money or not. Couple that with the end of state support for contraceptives and population growth reduction, and what you have is a recipe for disaster.

And what's the biggest problem? The biggest problem is that this $5,000 bonus is going to produce incentives NOW. People NOW are going to have more children. But in 20 years, when the $5,000 checks are due for the millions of children, and extra children, is Ahmedinejad going to be around to pay for it? He better hope not. Who is going to pay those 20 million people $5,000? Chances are that nobody is. There will be no $5,000 by the time the checks are due. So you'll have a higher population, higher unemployment, lower wages, and the supposed payoff will not be there. It's disastrous.