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Pastimes : The Philosophical Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rarebird who wrote (6664)	1/11/2012 4:00:02 PM
From: PJr	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 26251

"Clearly, what has been taking place since Reagan, has been an inversion/perversion of laissez-faire market economy, as Smith envisioned it. US has become a society separated into groups, the haves and have-nots. Opportunity is diminishing each passing day." That is certainly one of the opinions on the beginnings of our economic problems. Still others think that "clearly" the genesis of this problem was the hatching of the "Great Society" by Lyndon Johnson. They suggest that Entitlement Programs and the continuing entrenchment of the entitlement mentality as the "new norm" has had the unintended consequence of institutionalizing, and recently growing that permanent "second class" citizenry. Though certainly not the good intentions of those who were behind the Great Society, some argue that it is just another of many government interventions gone awry. While acknowledging that there needs to be assistance for those truly needy they disagree with a parallel economy based on more taking than giving. It now appears that any who attempt to reverse that mentality can look forward to being demonized as a class warfare bigot which is one reason why someone like Ron Paul or any political candidate suggesting changes to our economically devastating entitlement programs can't gain any traction with the masses. Corporations and banks are now in the cross hairs for government's intervention via bailouts. There are some who think that some (not all) of our notoriously wasteful programs to our "second class" citizens are even more onerous "bailouts" simply because they pose a larger obstacle to balancing our lopsided budget and righting our economic woes. But it's far easier for politicians to get consensus of hatred for "the haves" since they are in a shrinking minority as defined by the entity who is largely responsible for the dichotomy! No one with definitive answers .... it all boils down to differing opinions, I guess. Sadly, those differing opinions now manifest themselves as anger and we couldn't be more divided as an nation than we are now. Sounds like a bullish scenario to me!! <G> Pat