Elizabeth Barrette (ysabetwordsmith) wrote,
Elizabeth Barrette
ysabetwordsmith
  • Mood: angry

POLITICS: States that give, states that get

Of the states that get more money than they give, 84% are Republican.
Of the states that give more money than they get, 78% are Democratic.
NOW who's redistributing wealth unfairly?
Details here.
Tags: economics, politics
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  • 102 comments
...go 4 levels up... Expand
haikujaguar

haikujaguar

October 31 2008, 00:23:45 UTC 12 years ago

I guess it wouldn't surprise you if I said I believed it was the community's duty to take care of its members... not the government's. :)

You can probably deduce most of my philosophy just from all this. More personal choice; less government intrusion. I prefer the risks and dangers of having less government support than the ones of having too much. And I know that there are dangers either way... I know my philosophy wouldn't create a utopia. :)

Deleted comment

beckyzoole

beckyzoole

October 31 2008, 21:36:44 UTC 12 years ago

But what do you do with the people who aren't particularly neighborly, or don't fit in, or are just embarrassed to ask for help from people they know?

(Besides the horrendous problems caused by super-high medical bills and the like.)
ysabetwordsmith

Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

November 1 2008, 07:12:29 UTC 12 years ago

A healthy society has room for everyone. Not being particularly neighborly isn't a problem unless a majority of people are that way; then things fray apart, like now. When it's just a handful of people, they can be accommodated -- ideally, in jobs/locations that require solitude. A general safety net should be in place to catch people who don't have a personalized net or are between nets.

Being embarrassed to ask for help, or receive help, is a different issue. If it's embarrassment, sometimes that can be overcome by learning new skills. Innate introversion is less susceptible to change; so is plain discomfort at needing or receiving help. Sometimes you just have to make the help available, and if people choose not to use it, that's their decision. They might be less miserable without it. But when the help is the right kind, most people will take it when they need it.

A big problem with the current system is that much of what's offered is the humiliating and debilitating kind of charity where the recipient doesn't give anything back. Ideally, one should be able to get needed assistance -- such as a box of food, or daycare so one can get a job -- and then look at a list of things that need doing, and do one of them. It gets more things done, it reduces the tendency to feel humiliated for taking a handout, and it helps people feel productive rather than helpless. Very few people indeed are so demolished that they can't do anything of use.
ysabetwordsmith

Hmm...

ysabetwordsmith

November 1 2008, 06:52:10 UTC 12 years ago

>>I think that it is our responsibility as citizens to be prepared in the case of emergencies, be frugal and save up against rainy days, and to give what support to our neighbors that we can.<<

I think that's a good ideal. In practical reality, it's harder to achieve in areas where people don't have any spare income for emergency supplies. Frugality is a vital skill, but it's not much use when there's not enough money to meet even minimal needs. So there needs to be a way to compensate for that.