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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mitch-c who wrote (46632)	5/11/2001 9:30:52 PM
From: Cary Salsberg	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

OT OK, I understand. You see no reason for subsidies because its requirement means that the individual is not doing enough. You also are opposed to being compelled to contribute to subsidies for others. In my mind, this is an economic "free will" kind of dilemma. You hold that an individual is totally responsible for achieving a satisfactory lifestyle. I suspect that you also believe that failure reflects an individual's weakness and that it should be overcome by the individual. You do not believe that an individual may be overwhelmed by the economics of the world about him. Economically, I see an individual as part of a labor pool and the labor pool a factor of production. I certainly see the likelihood that changes in economic requirements may severely disrupt an individual's life. I think there is a case to be made for "temporary" subsidies to help in an economic transition. I think that "permanent" subsidies is harder. It requires an analysis of the economic opportunity available at the time, the capabilies required of an individual to fill the opportunities, and the ability of individuals to gain the capabilities. If an individual is mentally or physically unable to have an economic value sufficient to afford himself a "reasonable" life you ascribe it to irresponsibility. Most societies disagree with you in the case of severely handicapped individuals. I believe that people who are not so handicapped, may still be unable to achieve sufficient economic value and given the limited control an individual has over the economy, I can't delegate all responsibiliy to the individual for his welfare.