Maybe the US is just too big and heterogeneous for this kind of thinking. I mentally multiply the cost of the box by the 4 million babies born each year, come up with some absurdly large number, feel overwhelmed by the need to pay for so many people. Of course, the burden of that cost is shared across many people as well, but the huge number has already asserted itself in my mind; I can't help thinking what that billion dollars could buy for me and mine. I can't help thinking how different from me are some of the people receiving my hard-earned money. Never mind that those same people are providing the funding when I have my child.

Finland has ~50k babies born each year. Everyone speaks the same language, has a shared cultural identity; each one of those 50k mothers could be your neighbour, your sister. There is real empathy: the thought of depriving one of those mothers is painful.

I don't know what the solution is. Smaller, more culturally homogeneous states? I hope not. I like living amid diversity. Maybe we can build a cultural identity that sees fellow citizens as kin instead of just greedy, grabbing hands.

Or maybe I should just move to Finland.

Or move to Canada, where _despite_ diversity & multiculturalism, people care about each other.

As a Canadian, it's baffling to see how divisive the US is. The irony of it being that social programs like this would actually reduce the feeling you describe ('different from me') by levelling the playing field. Provide everyone the same quality of education, healthcare, and access and what differences are left?

"Maybe we can build a cultural identity that sees fellow citizens as kin instead of just greedy, grabbing hands." - Maybe, if you can build a culture that doesn't deify money.

I think no one really knows "the solution". Solutions for social issues are ever changing. I think the knee jerk fear of change over what are minute issues is the disheartening part.

This would be trivial to implement, but the ramifications could be great and save a ton of down the road health care costs. Preventive care and all that comes with it.

The US has 3-4M births per year. But ranks in the 70's for infant mortality. It's is not a stretch to think the 300-400M spent for this, is a small percentage of the medical costs that are saved... and if it doesn't, its not the big waste it appears, and the naysayers seem to imply....

That was my point.

No need to blame multiculturalism, no need to start micromanaging the biggest economy ( thats why costs seem large ), etc etc. Just simple cost/benefit that too often is sidelined by knee-jerk "'MERICA!" thinking.

I think lack of trust of the government/experts is a big problem here. Leading economists can say "this expensive program is a good investment and will reduce costs in the long run", and people simply don't believe them or care. Cutting costs seems to be the surest way to win votes.

I've heard the U.S. being diverse as an argument before, but I don't really follow. Although, I can totally understand the political climate being such that getting it implemented would be impossible.

There's a company that copies the Finnish baby boxes and sells them to people outside of Finland https://us.finnishbabybox.com/ I think they deviate a bit from the offical one (you can choose genders where the article says the official boxes are all neutral and theirs includes bottles). They ask what time of year your baby is due and how harsh your climate is so the clothes are appropriate and the right sizes. What else might vary? They also offer a cash-out option, which should cover any individual's concerns.

There's also no reason it couldn't be a county or state program.

I know it's not as comprehensive as the baby box, but hospitals give free samples to new parents (I assume from companies trying to hock their goods).

> Everyone speaks the same language, has a shared cultural identity;

Not that this changes your argument significantly, but there are two official languages in Finland: Swedish & Finnish.

There are many immigrants to the country, including myself, who speak neither terribly well, or at all.

While it might be true that native Finns have a shared cultural identity with the rise of immigrants, again including myself, that is not universal.

> Or maybe I should just move to Finland.

I'd recommend it. Though the darkness and brutal cold might be hard the summers do make up for it.

Yeah I was definitely oversimplifying. There is still a difference, I think, between the younger countries made up of diverse immigrants, and old, traditionally homogeneous cultures that have recently seen more immigration.

> I don't know what the solution is.

Not being greedy and selfish and complaining because other people got something. That would help at least.

The problem is, where do you draw the line?

Agreed, though I'm a Finn, not an American.

Even here in Finland it feels like the government doesn't want people to have kids, as the amount of support you can get is very little compared to what it was 30 years ago. Raising kids is burdensome and expensive, so even with our social security system I feel like poor people must go through hell when they have babies.

I believe that children are very important for any nation, as they are the tax-payers and decision-makers of the future. Healthy politics should really take this into account.