The Generalist

@JohnGalt707968 @jonbrooks I'm in an expensive suburb of Northern California, FYI.

@jasantono @jonbrooks I will look more into cost sharing groups but I’m not entirely sold that they aren’t a scam

My friends in their 30s are deciding not to have kids They’re saying two things: They don’t have the money It’s inconvenient to their lifestyle This is not good. What do we do?

@JohnGalt707968 @jonbrooks Another good option is subscription primary Care. A very good one in our area has all generic prescriptions included, unlimited office visits and they even do house calls for a small fee. Around 150 a month per person.

They covered over 125k of my son's NICU. They've covered two other births for us. A couple hospital visits. We use cash only urgent cares typically, but once in awhile things require the hospital. They're not a scam, but if you're overly concerned you can actually sign up for two of them at once - still cheaper than insurance and at that point you're covered 2 million per incident.

@bigleagues @ZubyMusic @SenWarren Substance and value? If you can't understand how what she's proposing is the exact opposite of that, you should remove yourself from the conversation.

@ZubyMusic @SenWarren Do you not see how you come off? Something of substance and value that Sen Warren proposes versus your intellectually empty reply. Are YOU a billionaire? No. So why do YOU care? Why are YOU invested in how much tax THEY pay?

Jeff Bezos has $222 billion. If he paid my wealth tax this year, we could fund insulin in America for everyone who needs it plus free school lunch for every kid in Texas—and have plenty of money left over. And Bezos would still have $215 billion dollars to spare.

@ZubyMusic @SenWarren Zuby says it best, as usual

@SenWarren You are a greedy, thieving parasite. It's comical.

@RealAmazingBlur @jonbrooks Look at my previous question on grok - There's very affordable, low unemployment, high standard of living areas all over the country. You can make choices or have a lower standard of living.

@jasantono @jonbrooks But they do live frugally and can’t. Go on LinkedIn, look up starting wages and the cheapest rent you can find and do the math. How do people even become couples if they can’t afford to date?

@HaveMyPopcorn @jonbrooks And speaking of older children - parent them when they're young and if you do it right you'll be friends with them when they're older. My young kids do enjoy sitting on the deck with me though! No coffee

@jasantono @jonbrooks Now you're giving your young kids coffee? And you think kids want to "sit on a porch" and drink coffee?? Camping fits the bill but that's a hella lot of work when you have young kids.

@grok @BadTakeEnjoyer @jonbrooks @grok How do these rank on livability?

Here are 10 job-rich US metro areas (low unemployment 1.9-3.3%, high labor participation, strong growth in manufacturing/energy/healthcare/tech per 2026 Milken/WalletHub data) where 3BR apartment costs come closest to under 25% of median HH income (using HUD FY2026 3BR FMR + recent ACS incomes; all ~27-33%): 1. Montgomery, AL (unemp 2.3%, income $56.8k, 3BR ~$1,304) 2. Fort Wayne, IN (2.5%, $61.4k, ~$1,381) 3. Huntsville, AL (1.9%, $74.7k, ~$1,690) 4. Evansville, IN (2.6%, $53.4k, ~$1,370) 5. Des Moines, IA (3.3%, $65.9k, ~$1,794) 6. Amarillo, TX (2.8%, $65.9k, est. ~$1,500) 7. Sioux Falls, SD (2.3%, $76k, est. ~$1,600) 8. Lincoln, NE (2.8%, $71.9k, est. ~$1,550) 9. Oklahoma City, OK (3.1%, $56.5k, est. ~$1,450) 10. Omaha, NE (3.1%, $62.2k, ~$1,813) Strict <25% is rare amid post-2020 trends—lifestyle/inconvenience factors often dominate more than raw math.

@grok @BadTakeEnjoyer @jonbrooks And how do these metros rank on livability?

@NoTreadZone_14 @jonbrooks Responsibility is crucial. Often, they go hand in hand.

@jasantono @jonbrooks The reason young degenerates run rampant is bc their parents don’t have their shit together. Yes. Financial responsibility is crucial when raising kids.

@Tampa_Ty @jonbrooks X5

@jasantono @jonbrooks You must not have kids 😂

Cost share groups and cash only primary care. We use Medishare, $800 a month for all 7 of us to cover up to 1 million per incident. We take all five kids to the doctor for annuals at once (accepts no government or insurance). 250 for 1.5hrs of check-ups. Medical care doesn't have to be expensive

@jasantono @jonbrooks Medical insurance by itself for a family of 4 is ~$1,000+ a month in my area for like a silver plan… one sick kid and a few deductibles later and I’m in the red for years. I want kids very badly but have to wait just one or two more years for the budget to work out.

@TSLAMOON @jonbrooks Cost share groups and cash pay. I have five kids, and my family of seven spends less than 10k per year on medical, for everything.

@jasantono @jonbrooks Bro have you checked the premiums on family insurance and childcare?

@BadTakeEnjoyer @jonbrooks @grok Find me 10 job Rich Metro areas that have three bedroom apartments for less than 25% of household income.

@jasantono @jonbrooks Buddy, please go look up the cost of a three bedroom apartment in any job rich metro area.

@HaveMyPopcorn @jonbrooks True. How about driving around the country camping, if that's not in the cards. Or, sitting on the porch drinking coffee.

@jasantono @jonbrooks Dude, you used "not that expensive" and "around the world on ski vacations" in the same argument.....?

@RealAmazingBlur @jonbrooks A DINK couple should be able to fix that shortly, if they live frugally.

@jasantono @jonbrooks Everyone I know in their 30s lives paycheck to paycheck and is in debt

@nrs_ratched @mystery_guy_007 @jonbrooks I have 5 kids and a SAHM

@mystery_guy_007 @jasantono @jonbrooks Based on this insane take, I would bet any money that you have no kids.

@Jake56335403 @jonbrooks True, but they designed the tax system for that - SAHM = x1 tax payer, both parents working = x3 tax payers.

@jasantono @jonbrooks I agree the money argument is dumb excluding daycare expenses. Kids are cheap, food, clothes, diapers are nominal expenses that you barely notice over time. Daycare is the killer, though.

@justhere4fun87 @jonbrooks I'm aware, I have five of them. The cost difference doesn't have to be extreme unless someone feels the need to give them everything plus cake.

@jasantono @jonbrooks Good sir children arent free, they need food, clothes, have doctors appointments, sometimes need medicine etc. Hell diapers alone can be expensive. God forbid someone want to be financially secure before bringing on a major life responsibility. Shared room or not theyre expensive

@chriswithans @DutchRojas @jalbright22 Covers up to 1 million per incident. Get two plans and it's still cheaper. What's you're argument against it, or keeping the status quo? Keep a broken system for 99% of people so the 1% who fall through are caught?

@jasantono @DutchRojas @jalbright22 It’ll cover the full cost of cancer treatment no matter what?

Medicare built the price floor. Hospitals built the markup. Employers pay the spread. Economists call it a market.