"Upscale" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:05:32 -0700, "Nonny" wrote:

We have 3-5 generations now living on that.

Ok, but consider the limitations of such a life. Maybe because of
apathy, sheer laziness, or even medical difficulties, someone is
living such a life. No future, never having any real discretionary
income, nothing ever to look forward to except for more of the same.
It's debilitating, depressing and a really difficult existence to
follow. Not at all attractive. I don't consider that living.

Nonny makes a good point, it isn't hard in the US to find
large numbers of people that they or anyone in their family
has not worked or done anything of even minor importance to
contribute to the system for generations.

I'm not speaking of the disabled or unhealthy, these are
people that are healthy and able to work, but lack desire
and motivation. They were not taught to work, they were
taught to game the system.
And yes, they live a minimal life, one that no one here
could tolerate.

How do you break this cycle of dependancy without
destroying the disabled and ones that only need a hand up.
I don't know, it is more of a moral/ethical issue of the people
than a broken welfare system.

It isn't hard to understand why some rage against what is billed
as yet another freebie, it is an affront to all that have worked
all their life without asking anything from the government.

I have mixed feelings about the health care issue, on one hand
me and my wife both have preexisting conditions extensive enough
that they could be tied to almost any health issue, any insurance
company would be glad to be rid of us, on the other hand we
have excellant health care and insurance. We never pay
any amount for anything and only pay a small portion of the premiums.
It is part of my pay, no union lobbied for me, I earned these benefits
by hard work and careful selection of who I was willing to work for.
I expect to be heavily taxed in the future, for the being in this position.

One thing I know for certain, whether you are politically right, left,
center, or space alien, the government can be lots of things, but it is
never your friend.

basilisk