The Fraser Institute Jumps the Shark

The Fraser Institute released The Cost of Raising Children report today.  I’m not going to link to it because I don’t want to promote it, nor do I want anyone to waste their time thinking they should read it.

And don’t bother reading the news stories about it.

Why?  I’m refraining from saying anything slanderous, but suffice to say, it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.

I mean, how do you assess the cost of raising children and not include any costs?

They announce that people can raise a child with as little as $4,000 in your budget per year.  Perhaps.  In fantasy land.

They did NOT account for the cost of housing or day care.  What else did they miss?  Did you omit food?  Electricity?  Clothing?

This is a new low for the Fraser Institute, Canada’s leading manipulator of classical economics for corporate agendas, and they should be ashamed.

They’ve tried very hard to submit a report that will catch the attention of bone-headed libertarian-type politicians like Stephen Harper and his crew, who will then use it as justification to slash social welfare programs in exchange for institutional incarceration.

In the past, one could almost (almost, but who am I kidding?) suggest that the Fraser Institute did things objectively, but no longer.

This is a true ‘jump the shark’ moment because it buries any dignity or credibility that the institution might have had prior to the release of this report.

The good news for us is that with its credibility blown, anyone referring to the Fraser Institute will also look like morons.

The real shame:  the Fraser Institute is a registered charity, which means WE are funding this organization.

Isn’t it time we eliminated their charitable status?