Quote Originally Posted by generalbulldog View Post
I don't usually agree with Miles, hell it's a rarity, but the guy is right on about poverty and large families.

If a family's income is like say 20k per year and they have 5 kids to feed and raise compared to say having no kids at all on the same income, what is the better situation? I mean it's just common sense.
Nope. Here's why. The cost of feeding the incremental mouth is actually pretty small. The cost of owning a dwelling that can keep two or five out of the rain? Surprisingly close. The cost of heating that place, almost exactly the same. The cost of clothing? Surprisingly small due to the hand me down progression and so on and so on.

Ever hear the expression two can live as cheaply as one? It is largely correct because it is the FIXED costs that drive the economic analysis, not the marginal ones.

Again Poverty is FAR more complex than merely family size. Read Thomas Sowell or Charles Murray for deep explorations of the issues involved. Losing Ground, Theories of Poverty and Economic Facts and Fallacies are all good on the topic.