The Glade 4.0

I can rationalize it just fine because it's the best option. "Succeed or die" is no way to run a society. How many people are you willing to sacrifice to ensure that nobody has to give up a single dollar that they earned?

How many wage earners are you willing to sacrifice to take care of those that don't want to support themselves??

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"

I'm not sacrificing anything if you fail to support yourself. The only way I sacrifice anything is if I freely give. If it's not freely given, it's theft.

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In time, this too shall pass.

It always comes back to this, doesn't it? I don't care about people that don't want to support themselves, I care about people that want to but can't, for whatever reason. Since I don't have a crystal ball that magically lets be discern between the two groups, I'd much rather some people who don't want to do so get some freebies rather than screw over the people that can't.

And, yet, you continue to ignore the fact that the vast majority of individuals in this situation don't stay in this situation.

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I'd disagree with "vast majority," but sure, that's absolutely true of the majority. That still doesn't justify sacrificing the rest.

Yes and it always will because of your statement.. I don't care about people that don't want to support themselves.

Taking money from people who produce to cover those who do not, will always breed resentment. Why should people struggle and work to barely stay above the poverty line, when they can drop below and open up a world of entitlements? Why be a two income household when you can get just as much listing yourself as a single mother? Much like extented unemployment, it does not give an incentive to take action and in fact rewards inaction. Much like the proposed healthcare reform, it doesn't give an incentive to take action, just an incentive to "qualify for benefits". Another source of resentment is that those who are funding the programs will never get to reap their benefits.

Fortunatly the discussion in politics has shifted from if we should cut to what and how much we will cut. Even if it's just bravado for this climate the genie is out of the bottle and entitlements are going to be cut.

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A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill

There's a lot of entitlements that can be slashed before you start slashing basic food and shelter programs for those who don't have them. You all know I'm not a fan of Medicare. I don't really like Social Security either but it doesn't result in more debt, so there's no real pressing need to get rid of it.

Agreed, and some of these programs are where I go a bit left of some of my friends, but because I look at them as an insurance plan vs general human stupidity, which has been around for as long as we have. Hell look at religious fables and the older childrens fairy tales like the Ant and the Grasshopper. Lack for planning by certain demographics has been an issue for society as long as there has been society. However in previous cases, the lack of planning had much more dire concequences. As we remove the concequences, how do people get on board with the personal responsibility crew?

Basic food and temp shelter programs are worthwile. Subsudizing lifestyles by providing cell phones, paying rent, utilities, etc and not also tacking on immediate goals and accountability to those recieving these handouts are not. Drug testing, mandatory attendance at job training classes, mandatory community service for those on public assistance etc. If the public is going to provide for you, then you need to provide some service to the public.

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A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. ~ John Stuart Mill