I agree. The only equality the government should guarantee is our equal access to freedom. The rest of it depends on innate smarts, education, work ethic, and hustle.That's not what I said TP. I said that poor people are not all "lazy and shiftless," as JL stated.
Yssup your contention seems to be that anyone who "wants to be rich" or "wants to be employable" or "wants to be healthy", but for whatever reason fails to achieve it should have the government step in and re-distribute to make it so?
The problem is this sense of entitlement. The fact is, people earn what they are worth in a free market. If they can't hold a job, or can't hold a job that pays a living wage, is that society's fault? No, each individual must take personal responsibility -- because we have already seen that we cannot possibly afford the price of collective responsibility.
Originally Posted by Texas Playboy
I do not believe that all "entitlement" recipients are down and out because they choose to live on welfare.
That said, I think the quality of any society is measured by how it treats its poorest citizens. "Son, you're on your own" is just not acceptable if we can find a way to do better.
I don't think this is an "either or" question as many here believe. However, people have to be willing to work in order to find a way to do better.
Current political and societal dynamics suggest this is impossible without major paradigm shifts.
Who's willing to work together to solve the problems?
Who'd prefer to denigrate the "shiftless and lazy" and then blame them form our collective shortcomings?
Hmmmm?