I think that Gruss doesn't realize that a country without a welfare program is going to be run over by criminals killing others for gain. Case in point: New Orleans
- Matt ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dana" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "CF-Community" <cf-community@houseoffusion.com> Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 7:56 PM Subject: Re: Next in line to be labelled Dictator by America > We all make mistakes and bad choices, Gruss. Some of us get penalized > more savagely than others. By the way, from what I remember, Enron > employees were not given any option for their retirement account > besides Enron stock. > > Outside of empathy though, it is generally better to take care of > social problems while they are small. For example. Bob Doe has worked > in the mailroom at Enron for 10 years. He is pretty good at his job. > Since he wants to send his kids to college (isn't that the American > dream?) he moonlights somewhere else. > > Enron goes kablooie through no fault of his own. I know your scenario > says that Bob should have gotten an MBA and a job with another > corporation but who is to say that this other corporation would no > thave been playing the same games with its balance sheet? And he would > be even more vulnerable there as a new hire. Anyway, so Bob can't make > his mortgage payment. Bob runs through unemployment, which is still > not enough to make the mortgage payment though it does put food on the > table (Bob being a proud sort does not want to apply for food stamps). > > Eventually Bob loses the house and we have Bob and his wife and his > kids now NEED food stamps. Except that this does not get them into > housing and they do the shelter system for a couple of years waiting > for subsidized housing to come available. Meanwhile, the kids wind up > at the crappiest of public schools and learn that the grownup world is > both arbitrary and stupid. Frustrated, they turn to drugs and > delinquency. > > Total costs under this scenario are far higher than they would have > been if Bob had gotten some job coaching and maybe a low-cost loan to > help with his mortgage payment in time for it to do him some good. > Sure, if he had gotten himself an MBA and a cool new job with Arthur > Anderson he might not be there (wait a minute).... but then again > there would always be a mailroom clerk at Enron, see my point? > > Dana > > > > On 1/10/06, Gruss Gott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> > Dana wrote: >> > I'll agree with everything you say except granny dying in the street. >> >> Here's my problem with that: granny used to be 20 and clearly made >> some bad decisions to get to the point you're talking about. You have >> to take a step back and ask, "Is it government's role to subsidize >> people's mistakes?" >> >> So, for example, should the guy who lost all of his retirement because >> he put it all into ENRON get a "do over" on the tax payer coin? I >> say no. >> >> I'd much rather see the majority of that money put into empowerment >> programs like education than I would want to see it subsidizing >> people's mistakes. (yes, yes, the education system is broken. So we >> fix it via privatization :) >> >> In reality, however, no matter how good your empowerment programs are >> you're always going to have a few problems: >> >> 1.) People that can't compete due to birth (special needs). >> 2.) People that can't compete due to consequences (drug addicts, >> alcoholics) >> 3.) People that, no matter how much you empower them, will still fail. >> >> So you need to shore up those holes. But not before you empower >> people by telling them they're on their own. >> >> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:191542 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
