Notes and References

1. As Marriage and Parenthood Drift Apart, Public Is Concerned about Social Impact: Generational Gap in Values Behaviors, Pew Research Center, July 1, 2007
2. The Last Taboo, Mother Jones, Julia Whitty, May/June 2010
3. Hummer H2, Wikipedia, October 14, 2010
   
   
   
   Household Emmisions Calculator, U.S Environmental Protection Agency, October 14, 2010
   
   
   
   The hours driven per week assumed an average speed of 45 mph. The calculation is as follows: (45 miles/hour) * (8 hours/day) * (7 days/week) = 2,520 miles/week. This number was then inputed into the EPA's calulator along with the estimated 9 mpg, which was taken from the Wikepedia entry. The calculated number was 297,331 lbs of CO₂/year. It was then assumed that an adult will start driving at age 16 and continue driving until age 90, which gives 74 years of carbon dioxide emmisions. The final calculation is as follows: (297,331 lbs CO₂/year) * (74 years) * (.0004535147 tonnes / lb) = 9,978 tonnes of C0₂.
4. Cost of Raising Your Child, www.babycenter.com, October 14, 2010.
   
   
   
   A 2010 birth, a $50,000 (approx. median income), a two parent household, and no college tuition payments were assumed. A cost was calculated for each region, then they were averaged as follows: [($215,514) + ($185,382) + ($200,052) + ($208,692) + ($183,510)] / 5 = $198,630. The data from the calculator was derived from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2006 Annual Report, Expenditures on Children by Families.
5. My Kids are Worth How Much?, Stacey L. Bradford, www.smartmoney.com, Updated February 3, 2010.
   
   
   
   Federal Tax Brackets, www.moneychimp.com, October 19, 2010.
   
   
   
   Given a two-parent household making $50,000 a year, the tax rate for the basic, $3,650 exemption is 15 percent for 18 years. The caculation is as follows: ($3,650)*(.15)*(18) = $9,855.
6. A child tax credit of $1,000 for 16 years amounts to $16,000
7. What is Child and Dependent Care Credit?, Laura Strachan, www.findlaw.com, August 2, 2010.
8. Child and Dependent Care Credit of $600 for 12 years amounts to $7,200.
9. What does it cost to educate a child?, Lindsey Hilty, www.journel-news.com, October 5, 2009.
10. Radio Address: Expanding California's Charter Schools, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Office of the Governer, February 2, 2005.
11. The average cost per student in Ohio was about $9,000; the average cost per student in California is assumed to be $8,000. The two numbers were averaged and multiplied by 13. The result is $110,500.
12. Number of babies born in the US reaches record levels, Dan Glaister, www.guardian.co.uk, March 18, 2009.
    
    
    
    Sociology: a global perspective (pp. 358), Joan Ferrante, 2008, Cengage Learning.
    
    
    
    The total cost was derived by taking the number of births, then subtracting the 5% or so that don't reach the age of 18, then multiplying by the total cost of the child. The calculation is as follows: (4,317,119) * (.95) * ($310,000) = $1,271,391,545,500. This is a very crude, conservative estimate given that government programs like medicaid and welfare like social programs were not included. Other out-of-pocket costs like gifts from friends/family/caregivers/teachers or fertility treatments might increase the numbers. Indirect costs to society like maternity leave might also weigh in.
13. Having Kids Makes You Happy, Newsweek, June 28, 2008.
14. Why Drug Addicts Are Getting Sterilized for Cash, William Lee Adams, Time, April 17, 2010.
15. Louisiana Republican Disciplined for Proposing to Pay Women to be Sterilized, Mary Jane O-Brien, www.cnsnews.com, October 6, 2008.
16. The Soldier's Heart, Jim Dooley, www.pbs.org, March 1, 2005.

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