Why should irresponsible behavior lead to a bigger burden for everyone else?

LOS ANGELES – A big share of the financial burden of raising Nadya Suleman's 14 children could fall on the shoulders of California's taxpayers, compounding the public furor in a state already billions of dollars in the red.

Even before the 33-year-old single, unemployed mother gave birth to octuplets last month, she had been caring for her six other children with the help of $490 a month in food stamps, plus Social Security disability payments for three of the youngsters. The public aid will almost certainly be increased with the new additions to her family.

Also, the hospital where the octuplets are expected to spend seven to 12 weeks has requested reimbursement from Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program, for care of the premature babies, according to the Los Angeles Times. The cost has not been disclosed.

Many adherents to the progressive, communitarian school of thought believe that we should all bear responsibility - both practical and developmental - for the well-being of everyone in the community. This case is one of many that illustrate why this philosophy, when applied to government policy, only encourages carelessness and irresponsible behavior. Why should the taxpayers of California have their hard-earned income taken away to accommodate the poor decisions of another? Note that Ms. Suleman is unemployed, unmarried, and relies on public aid for a variety of costs. What is the incentive for her to find a job and become a productive member of society when she can have all the children she wants and live with no sense of financial obligation whatsoever? After all, she knows that SHE won't have to pay for her extravagances and ill-advised decisions - after all, that's what the government is for, to take money away from everyone else to bail her out.

Ms. Suleman's representative, Mike Furtney, has asked the public to "consider her situation" and realize that she has been "under a tremendous amount of pressure that no one could be prepared for." The pressure is self-induced. If she was not prepared to have children - and clearly she was not - then she should not have done so. Perhaps she would not have if there was no safety net permitting her to do whatever she liked without considering the consequences of her actions. Unfortunately, we live in a society that increasingly rewards irresponsibility and demonizes those who encourage accountability on both a personal and political level.

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