Michael, I do read all the url's you post to me, but I don't think we are going to get anywhere communicating like this because I question your data, and you question mine. I think it would be better to just talk without using data, really, because whenever I point out irrelevancies or inconsistencies or biases in what I read of yours, you just don't respond, and when I post anything that has any relationship to a newspaper you call me a liberal!!
I am not actually that liberal, but I certainly don't think liberal is a negative term, or a dirty word or something. Liberals as a group are big-hearted, thoughtful, not-very-selfish people who want the world to be a better place where all the races can live happily ever after with enough food to eat and where children are not taught knee-jerk hatred and fear of other groups. They think more about ending suffering than protecting their wealth, and think sharing is a great thing. It's maybe not always a realistic goal, because enlightened self-interest is a powerful motivator, and people are not very productive if everything is provided for them. But it's compassionate, and coming from a good place in the human spirit.
So if you want to call me one, it's okay with me. I believe in natural consequences and personal responsibility and hard work too much to believe I am a liberal, but it doesn't hurt my feelings or anything.
I think when all these American welfare reduction plans are in place and families use up their lifetime benefits and children are actually going hungry, I would still rather find a way to feed them than let them starve. All of these issues are horrendously complicated, and the welfare system we have now which encourages welfare as a rational economic decision and enables families to stay on it for generations is not working, but I think ultimately it can be really harsh and cold and too selfish to make children hurt because they were unlucky enough to have stupid or sick parents.
I think these labels are all pointless, really, because some of us are liberal socially and conservative economically, or whatever, vice versa, but when you think liberal is a name to call someone I think your views are probably so polarized from mine it's pointless for us to toss statistics back and forth.
Anyway, I think America will be a very interesting place for a debate when children do start falling through the cracks and going hungry, and we will argue about how humane a society we want to be. I don't think children should hurt if there is something that can be done to prevent it, and this society is so wealthy we always can. But will we? Do we want to? |
