Irony

[AU_Tiger_2000]

[GH2001]

Good one!

[WiregrassTiger]

This makes too much sense.

[Tarheel]

“I am for doing good to the poor, but I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”

Benjamin Franklin

[Townhallsavoy]

Benjamin Franklin

But ALL people in need want entitlements and will vote for whoever will grant those entitlements.  That's the problem.

People accepting welfare entitlements should not be able to vote.  It's harsh.  It's fraught with potential corruption and oppression.  But someone in need getting easy help will never turn down that easy help no matter how much it actually harms them in the long run. 

[GH2001]

But ALL people in need want entitlements and will vote for whoever will grant those entitlements.  That's the problem.

People accepting welfare entitlements should not be able to vote.  It's harsh.  It's fraught with potential corruption and oppression.  But someone in need getting easy help will never turn down that easy help no matter how much it actually harms them in the long run.

I can't remember but I think it was Lenin that said something along the lines of "I could careless if they like me or what they call me. If I am feeding them, they will do what I say."

[Tarheel]

But ALL people in need want entitlements and will vote for whoever will grant those entitlements.  That's the problem.

People accepting welfare entitlements should not be able to vote.  It's harsh.  It's fraught with potential corruption and oppression.  But someone in need getting easy help will never turn down that easy help no matter how much it actually harms them in the long run.

I hate to get metaphysical here but there have always been people in need; unfortunately, there will always be people in need.  There is a limited responsibility, I think, that we do have to help the less-fortunate as a community (as opposed to a government hand-out) out of their situation to the greatest extent possible; this is what Old Ben was writing about.  In this country I think that it is a more relatively recent phenomenon to turn to the government for help as a 'right'; this is the self-destructive problem that I see as it creates a permanent class of dependents on government who will continue to vote for the people who continue to keep them in that condition so that they will continue to vote for them and give them more power and authority.  To me, it's self-destructive too because it goes against the nature of what the concept of America was all about; independence and rugged individualism; self-sufficiency in resources and abilities; helping yourself out of a dependent circumstance or condition in other words.  I'm not sure what the solution is to this problem but an end to the massive, nanny-state government that we have would be a good start.  If you think that will happen I have a bridge in Manhattan that I'd like to sell you. 

Anyway, my afternoon ramble...go back to sleep.