He has some points. On 3/16/2012 8:52 PM, Sam wrote: a matter of luck than of hard work. A > 2005 study of 29 countries found that where taxes are high and wealth > is redistributed through social programs, people are much more likely > to believe that success is a result of luck.
It is to some extent. It's a mixture, really. It isn't a bad thing. It's just reality. A 1996 study found that > people who disagreed that "government has a responsibility to reduce > income inequality," gave four times as much to charity as those who > agreed. And those who disagreed "strongly" gave eleven times as much. Sure. They have to at least pretend they care! > Charity aids the giver as well as the recipient. Teenagers who > volunteered their time were far less likely five years later to report > serious life problems than those who didn't volunteer. Probably because the type of people who are likely to volunteer as teenagers are more well adjusted already and have more of a social advantage going into the future. That's like saying that people who see their Doc regularly are more healthy than people who don't. Well, duh. Though not a teenager any more, I try to help out by testing the MTBF of various computer components for the industry. When the > state expands and soaks up more and more of the helping opportunities > for those in need, it creates "learned helplessness" among the needy > and deprives others of the improving possibilities of charity and > service. I can't argue with this one too much. It does happen. There is a fine line between helping someone get back on their feet and carrying them. There is also a difference between lazy and disillusioned ... unless someone is too lazy to not be disillusioned ... or something. But with every passing day, that > spirit is being sapped by the government behemoth. In more ways than one. People are just tired, I think. A lot feel beat down, even the ones who are successful. The founding fathers were not only ahead of their time, but ahead of ours too. Brooks relates a > telling anecdote from the singer Bono: > > In Ireland people have an interesting attitude to success; they > look down on it. In America, you look up at . . . the mansion on the > hill and say, "One day . . . that could be me." In Ireland, they look > up at the mansion on the hill and go, "One day I'm gonna get that > bastard." Now that is funny. I will have to remember that one. But really, who *doesn't* want to punch Bono in the face? > That's the spirit of the Democratic party. The spirit is fine. There is nothing wrong with having that philosophy (within reason). The Dems believe they are helping and I believe they are trying to do the right thing, it's just the constant poor execution that is the problem. The same with Republicans. We only ever here about what is going wrong because the media loves to talk about that more than the things that have worked, so many people have a distorted view of reality. Conflict is exciting! It's the mode of President > Obama's demonization of "millionaires and billionaires." If > successful, Brooks warns, it will smother the greatest engine for > prosperity especially for the poor in human histo Complete socialism would indeed be a bad thing, just as pure capitalism would be. A socialist welfare state would be a disaster. Trickle down economics is complete crap, too. Everything in moderation ;) So, liberalism is not immoral despite what those filthy, pot smoking hippies and rich, amoral corporate jerkwads are trying so hard to get people to believe. :) Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go make sure an orphan gets a hot meal and then kick them a few times while reminding them that without my help, they would be dead in the street. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Order the Adobe Coldfusion Anthology now! http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Coldfusion-Anthology/dp/1430272155/?tag=houseoffusion Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:348690 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/unsubscribe.cfm
