Joel Blau
David B. Shemano wrote:
Daniel Davies writes:David, would you agree that, Carl's biblical references aside, there is in
almost all traditions that we have any evidence of, evidence that there was
a duty to support the elderly? Speaking to you as a conservative, how
likely do you think it is that literally all previous generations have been
wrong and we are the first to realise the truth; that it is fine and OK to
let the unproductive old starve?
The short answer is that social security has had a deleterious effect on intra-family obligations. To generalize, children do not feel obligated to care for their parents, because it is the obligation of other people to take care of their parents. I do not think that is a good thing. The issue of whether we should permit the unproductive to starve is a different issue. Social security is not a charity program -- isn't that the mantra we are all supposed to repeat?
David Shemano
