Dogs Are People; Children Are "Investments"

We often hear the claim that government programs for the benefit of young children are sound because "The value of investment in these early childhood years has been well-documented."

It's certainly heartening to know that the "investments" in childhood have been shown to have a respectable yield, because if that were not the case, we'd be justified in letting our children starve and die on the streets, right? Framing the issue in this way - as an "investment" with a good payoff - is frankly sick. People spend loads of money on their adored pets, but it's unlikely anyone has justified such expenses on the grounds that they are good investments.